What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “evangelical”? For many, the answer is “white,” “patriarchal,” “conservative,” or “f
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “evangelical”?
For many, the answer is “white,” “patriarchal,” “conservative,” or “fundamentalist”—but as Isaac B. Sharp reveals, the “big tent” of evangelicalism has historically been much bigger than we’ve been led to believe. In The Other Evangelicals, Sharp brings to light the stories of those twentieth-century evangelicals who didn’t fit the mold, including Black, feminist, progressive, and gay Christians.
Though the binary of fundamentalist evangelicals and modernist mainline Protestants is taken for granted today, Sharp demonstrates that fundamentalists and modernists battled over the title of “evangelical” in post–World War II America. In fact, many ideologies characteristic of evangelicalism today, such as “biblical womanhood” and political conservatism, arose only in reaction to the popularity of evangelical feminism and progressivism. Eventually, history was written by the “winners”—the Billy Grahams of American religion—while the “losers” were expelled from the movement via the establishment of institutions such as the National Association of Evangelicals.
Carefully researched and deftly written, The Other Evangelicals offers a breath of fresh air for scholars seeking a more inclusive history of religion in America.
Q Spirit Top 23 LGBTQ Christian Books List (2023)
The Englewood Review of Books
“Sharp’s book is an important contribution to the field of evangelical studies. Beyond that, it is something of an affirmation for those who still wish to claim their evangelical identity while denouncing the racism, sexism, and homophobia that has come to typify it. Evangelical identity is more porous, more diverse, and potentially more gracious than the EvangelicalTM brand managers would like to acknowledge.”
View Review quote
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: The Evangelicals?
1. The Liberals
2. The Black Evangelicals
3. The Progressives
4. The Feminists
5. The Gay Evangelicals
Conclusion
View Table of contents
