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Home > 2007 > NovemberChristianity Today, November, 2007  |   |  
Surprising Candor
Faith in the Halls of Power provides an intimate portrayal of a little-known side of the evangelical world.




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On the other hand, Lindsay depended upon the goodwill of each interviewee, who was the gateway to other leaders of similar stature, and in any event, no leader is likely to respond to open-ended questions about personal faith with tales of ambition, greed, or failure. So Lindsay's book is based on self-portraits—not on the kind of long-lasting or hard-hitting journalistic investigation that might paint a less idealistic picture. Some of Lindsay's interviewees were unwitting enablers of the philanthropic pyramid scheme known as the New Era in the early 1990s; also, it is sobering to reflect that had Lindsay conducted his study a few years earlier, Kenneth Lay of Enron and Bernie Ebbers of WorldCom might have been among the figures he interviewed.

Lindsay acknowledges these ironies in a brief paragraph, but based on past form, it's all too likely that at least one evangelical leader profiled here will eventually be known more for a scandalous abuse of power than for the winsome faith they conveyed to Lindsay's sympathetic ear.

Still, even if this book does not fully allow us "to see ourselves as others see us," it can be of great value to an evangelical movement still given to both persecution and messiah complexes—imagining that we are either under mortal threat from secularists, are about to decisively "impact the culture," or both. We are both more and less powerful than we imagine. In any case, in Jesus Christ we find a world-transforming weakness that makes our power look silly and small, and that is good news for evangelical "cosmopolitans" and "populists" alike.

Andy Crouch is editorial director of The Christian Vison Project. Full disclosure: He appears briefly in the book and has collaborated with Lindsay on several projects.



Related Elsewhere:

Faith in the Halls of Power is available from ChristianBook.com and other retailers.

An interview with Michael Lindsay accompanies this article.

Michael Lindsay discusses some of his findings on Authors@Google.

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[Reader Reviews]
Average User Rating: 

bill kemsley   Posted: November 18, 2007 3:27 PM
I'm sure Lindsey's interviews reveal the truth. I know a number of them myself. I know that the appropriate way of Christian's conducting themselves in the world, is simply to be Christian. One ought not wear his religion on his sleeve. We "tell the world" by our conduct among others, not by street demonstrations, though I suspect a good case can be made for that as a mission. It's just not one for me, and not for many others either.

Donna   Posted: November 17, 2007 8:02 AM
I think there is a place in the society/culture for evangelical elites but the minute they lean towards being embarassed to say they are 'born -again' I think that is a problem.

rebart   Posted: November 16, 2007 6:27 PM
It doesn't surprise me that the hateful Richard Land will not talk to anyone outside of his own beliefs. This man is the worst example of Christ-like behavior I've ever seen. It seems the Protestants excel at hating non-Protestants, and bickering between their own sects. We arent' voting for a national minister. This is the United States of America and everyone should be represented in Congress and the White House, not just those that think like Richard Land and his ilk.

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