It is impossible to ignore the many loud voices who claim to speak for God with the absolute certainty and divisive rhetoric that has become the playbook for Christian nationalism. To help readers counter this overwhelming narrative, Foote and Thornburg provide an accessible, faithful alternative rooted in the core reformed convictions of grace, community, humility, and ongoing reform. This is the message to speak loudly in our time: not one of fear and exclusion, but a living, evolving faith that proclaims the wide welcome of God’s grace. 

Resources:

• Book – Being Presbyterian in a Dysvangelical America
• Slides – Dysvangelical America

P. Alex Thornburg is pastor at Heartland Presbyterian Church in Clive, Iowa. He has also pastored churches in Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Thornburg has been profoundly formed by these communities and their struggles and joys in faith, in addition to experiences with Christians in other countries, such as Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Taiwan, and, most recently, Palestine. 

Ted V. Foote Jr. serves as the Zbinden Chair Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Leadership at Austin Presbyterian Seminary. He has pastored Presbyterian churches in Texas and Oklahoma and authored several books, including Being Presbyterian in the Bible Belt (with coauthor P. Alex Thornburg) and Being Disciples of Jesus in a Dot.Com World.