Much has been argued and said regarding the Religious Right in America, but rarely are the mechanics and inner workings of the ideology brought to light. This is mostly because those who are the most well-versed in the Religious Right generally have little desire to expose said mechanics, and those who are more invested in the exposure are outsiders who do not well understand the movement.

In Ministers of Propaganda: Truth, Power, and the Ideology of the Religious Right, Scott Coley proved willing to critically examine the ideological frameworks and mechanisms which animate the Religious Right and the move toward a “Christo-authoritarian” form of Christian Nationalism.

Coley explored the scandals of (white American) Evangelical Christianity, both those to which (white American) Evangelicals admit and those they deny or resist, and laid out how the postures which are associated with conservative Christendom writ large in terms of gender and racial hierarchies developed and continue to prove active. He spends the most time demonstrating how the in-group fear-based thinking and appeal to authoritarianism expresses itself in the way young earth creationism is described and defended, how its advocates cast aspersions on those who would believe in an old earth creationism, and how that ideology is harnessed to advance all kinds of postures and positions in the culture war. Coley also explained in detail the shift toward active political participation among (white American) Evangelicals with Reagan and afterward have profoundly shaped (white American) Evangelical faith, political, social, and cultural conservatism, and their greater effects on American society. He describes the current posture of what he deemed “Christo-Authoritarianism” manifest in these movements and spaces, and provided some ways in which this turn might be resisted.

Thus the (white American) Evangelical resistance to the advancement and promotion of gender and racial equality are explained and made evident; thus their skepticism toward any kind of science which might upset the ideology they have accepted is manifest. Thus, unfortunately, one can perceive and understand how it could be (white American) Evangelicalism which props up and fuels DJT and the MAGA phenomena.

Sure: this is going to be one of those books regarding which you will find immediately interesting or repulsive. Anyone who is quite enamored with (white American) Evangelicalism and/or conservative Christendom will not appreciate much from this work. I would have wished he would have made it more explicit how the positions, postures, and attitudes described are not inherently Evangelical but specifically reflect white American Evangelicalism and those influenced by them.

While there can always be points of disagreement highlighted, the thrust of Coley’s presentation and concerns are worth considering. A lot of what many Christians hear, preach, and teach, and what they imagine to be “sound Gospel” is really highly influenced by a well-run and oiled propaganda campaign. There’s a lot of conspiracy minded thinking in the world of conservative Christendom writ large and a lot of skepticism and suspicion toward “the other side,” but the forces at work which influence them seem never to be subjected to the same kind of critique.

A big problem for white American Evangelicalism is how they are reaping what they have sown: society has changed, but all the consequences expected and promised in the propaganda campaign failed to materialize. It’s not marginal Christians who deconstruct: they tend to be the ones who were the most active, committed, and fervent Christians in their youth who do so. Yes, the propaganda was effective for its “audience”: (white American) Evangelicals are the most reliable base for the Republican party and reactionary politics. That has translated to disproportionate strength in power in American society and culture…but at what cost to Christian witness and the advancement of the Kingdom of God in Christ?

Time will tell how all of this will play out. But all of the ideologies and postures prevalent in (white American) Evangelicalism need not be the way to maintain and uphold apostolic Christianity. It was never a problem to be concerned about the potential for deception and false ideologies and teaching infiltrating the people of God; the problem was to only focus on how that would be possible from one angle without considering how it could also come from those with whom we might have imagined to share much in common in matters of faith.

"Ministers of Propaganda" packs a whirlwind amount into seven chapters - Historical-political analysis + sociology of religion + applied philosophy (& hint of suggested applied theology). In doing so, author Scott Coley presents readers with a thought-provoking analysis that will prompt robust discussion (this will make a great book club selection or course text)!

"Ministers of Propaganda" offers a powerful and compelling examination of how propaganda shows up in popular Christian teaching/practices, how it carries real life impact, and whom it benefits. While Coley's analysis is focused on white American evangelicalism, the elements he discusses have an uncanny ecumenical overlap that makes this book essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the current landscape of contemporary American Christianity as a whole.

Coley introduces readers to various ideological elements that plague contemporary evangelicalism, for instance: commonsense-ism, impoverished hermeneutical approaches, ecclesial authoritarianism, and what he calls the "nomadic culture war machine." These and other aptly named descriptors were not only satisfying to read but also helpful to organize a backdrop upon which to examine how these ideas play out in various contexts. Coley primarily focuses on gender and racial hierarchies, intellectual skepticism as evidenced in young-earth Creationism, and the political arena.

Each chapter thus becomes a practical exploration of the impact of propaganda and ideology and how it has been used to benefit powerful people and interests, to deceive others, and to oppress still others. I particularly appreciated Coley's creative and concrete analogies (sometimes with an edge of wry humor) that help make abstract concepts accessible to the ordinary reader and gave me the sensation of sitting in on a classroom discussion.

The book makes a thorough case that Christian theologies and ideologies have real-life impact while also showing how cultural goals & practices can be used to shape or manipulate claimed theologies. While most of the chapters offer a thoroughly cited descriptive analysis of how these impulses have been corrupted in various ways, Coley's final chapter offers a note of hope and prophetically invites Christian readers to consider an alternate way forward:

"When we, as Christians, enter into the political arena where rights are negotiated, we are called to use our influence to advocate for the rights of those who have no other advocate. We are not called to seek wealthy and powerful political allies who will help us defend our rights. God is our defender. And God calls us to defend the rights of orphans, widows, immigrants, and all who are poor and oppressed...we dishonor our calling and misrepresent Christ to the world when we advocate for political institutions that serve the interests of wealth and power at the expense of the poor, and then dispense charity as though it were a substitute for justice." -pg. 209

Well worth the read!

An interesting book detailing many of the issues facing the evangelical church in America today. As an evangelical Canadian I have been watching the situation in the evangelical churches in America, and seeing many of these issues come up over and over. The church in Canada is not quite as bad so I come at this as a bit more of a spectator than a participant, but there are definitely church that I am aware of and in some ways connected to where I see some of these same narratives playing out. I did find that the author seemed to be painting all evangelical churches with the same breath which I don't agree with. And I also wish the section on how he believes we can do better might have been longer, and offered some better and more concrete suggestions.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley; All opinions are my own.

Great book! There are several ideological battlegrounds that are currently being fought. Scott Coley patiently describes the issues and explains how faithful Christ followers can stand firm for truth. Definitely a timely book that unfortunately will probably still be needed years from now. Hopefully, more Christians will heed the wisdom in this book and work for truth and justice in the private and public sphere.

An important, unsettling book. Much has been written about the alarming presence of Christian nationalism and the unfortunate grip that it has on the American Church. This book helps us to see how, as cynical as it may sound, the foundation of much American evangelicalism has been in upholding its own power through political maneuvering, patriarchal views of gender, racially unjust structures, and so on. I wish a book like this didn't have to be written, but in light of the current state of things I am grateful that this one does exist. Those of us who are committed to the Kingdom of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ can't afford to ignore these discussions.