Too often sociologists and historians seem to be painting history and society with a broad brush dripping with bias. This is exactly what Randall Balmer does in his book Thy Kingdom Come. Who is Randall Balmer? I was driving to church listening to NPR and heard his interview. It both saddened me and made me feel a bit of resignation about theological academia where their final premise is not only a distrust of the Bible, but also a distrust of those who try to live in light of the Bible. His critique of the religious right, like most critiques, is so general and lacks depth of insight, that once again he like others paints the religious right as Evangelicals. I consider myself to be an evangelical. I believe in the inerrancy of the Bible. I am against abortion and believe it to be murder. But I also am deeply concerned about the poor and the oppressed. I do believe government plays a role in aiding the poor. I do not always believe tax breaks are the best way to advance God’s Kingdom. I am concerned about the United States’ policies of a me-first attitude toward the world and how that impacts the Third World and the many issues it faces. However, what undergirds my thinking is the Gospel. Am I a part of the religious right? I think Balmer would say, “Yes.” But it is this broad stroke that concerns me whenever a “sociologist” tries to force people into categories.

Here’s an excerpt from his book. You’ll notice the sarcasm and condescending tones. I hope when he asks, “Where were they?” to Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell during the Civil Rights movement, he is also doing something for Darfur, or AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa, or sex-trafficking of girls in Southeast Asia. Otherwise, he is nothing more than a stone-thrower, willing to throw at people without ever looking at what Jesus is writing about himself on the ground.