by Ron Duncan Hart
Evangelicals Who Changed the American Political Landscape
Evangelicals and MAGA by Ron Duncan Hart is a study of the grievances and cultural background that gave rise to Christian nationalism in a white working-class neighborhood of Atlanta in the 1970s. Using a micro-history that traces the rise of evangelical America, Evangelicals and MAGA tells the story of how Christian nationalism launched quietly in thousands of neighborhoods across the country two generations ago. Since then, Christian nationalism has gone mainstream and transformed the American political landscape.
Reviewers say
“This rich anthropological exploration provides a deeper, empathetic, and even more alarming comprehension than reams of political commentary and polemics.”
– Paul Harvey, Distinguished Professor of History
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
“It is a very good ground-level view of how the current white Christian nationalist movement coalesced in an urban setting…And the discussion of “born to lose” is something that is crucial but gets glossed over these days. The ‘I will be your God’ discussion also is startlingly relevant to the current political scene.”
– John Corrigan, Lucius Moody Bristol Distinguished Professor of Religion
The Florida State University
“No more timely book could be conceived as we enter the heat of a presidential election cycle, and those wishing to gain insight into White Christian Nationalism as observed keenly in a Georgia neighborhood by the outstanding anthropologist, Ron Duncan Hart, would be well served by reading Evangelicals and MAGA.“
– Jack Shlachter, Physicist Former Head of the Theoretical Division Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Rabbi, HaMakom Congregation
and Los Alamos Jewish Center
“In this well-crafted ethnography, Hart convincingly describes…a ‘microcosm of America’ where many of its disillusioned white residents turned to Christian nationalism as the solution to their perceived loss of cultural and political influence… Hart is a skilled researcher who blends academic rigor…with observations…A well-researched, astute microhistory.” – Kirkus ReviewsBrown University
“…brilliant insights…into the world of white,working-class America that would become Trump’s fan base…every progressive political strategist MUST read this book to understand what Trump’s supporters need to heal their scars.”
– Alma Gottlieb, Visiting Scholar Brown University
Past President,
Society for Humanistic Anthropology
“A fascinating, insightful, respectful report of first-hand research that helps us understand the origins of important aspects of today’s political scene.”
– J. Harry Feldman, History and Religion
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
Wilmington, DE
I want to congratulate you on Evangelicals and Maga…The research is excellent and the method is unique with your use of the tape recorder. I found your style of writing easy to read and easy to follow your thoughts. You showed excellent insight into the Cabbagetown culture and especially the religion.
– Bill Bruster, Ph.D. Retired Minister
Southlake, Texas
This timely publication provides a socio-cultural and religious context and explanation for the historical rise of cultural divisiveness we are witnessing today.
– Linda Goff, Anthropologist
President, New Mexico Jewish Historical Society
Cabbagetown an Evangelical Neighborhood in Atlanta
“They haven’t ask the White man; they don’t give a damn about the White man. It seems that way…They know just what the Negro tells them.”
“’Born to lose’ was an expression used by some men, and the starkness of the phrase was masculinity with a hard edge, the masculinity of disenfranchisement.”
“Women and men were concerned about the perceived threats to their Whiteness and their Christian way of life. They could not understand why prayer and Bible reading had been outlawed in schools, and they expressed fears that the next step would be the outlawing of Christianity itself. I heard them say they were targets of an anti-White, anti-Christian conspiracy.”
Click to Read the
Invited Commentary on
Evangelicals and MAGA
published by the
Baptist New Global network.
Meet the Author
Ron Duncan Hart, Ph.D., is a cultural anthropologist from Indiana University with postdoctoral work at the University of Oxford on Jewish Studies. Hart is an award-winning author of books on religion and tolerance, and he is a former University Vice-President and Dean of Academic Affairs. He has been a Fulbright Senior Scholar and has won awards for his work from the Ford Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation among others.
Ron Duncan Hart
Cultural Anthropologist
FAQs
ISBN: 978-1-935604-90-7
$19.95 – Paperback – 6”x9” – 242 pages
Religion and Politics
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