An
inside look at the young, diverse, and progressive Christians who are
transforming the evangelical movement
Deborah Jian Lee left the evangelical
world because she was frustrated by its conservative politics. But
over the years, she noticed how evangelical culture and politics were
changing—and moving in a more progressive direction. What Lee came
to find is that most of what we think we know about evangelicals is
wrong, or is well on its way to becoming dated.
In Rescuing Jesus, she ventures
into the world of progressive evangelicalism, telling the stories of
those at the forefront of a movement that could change the face and
the substance of religion in the United States. These men and women
are a young and diverse array of people—LGBTQ and straight; white,
black, Asian, Hispanic, and indigenous—who are working to wrest
political power away from conservatives. These young evangelicals are
more likely than their elders to accept same-sex marriage, more
inclined to think of “pro-life” issues as being about supporting
society’s disenfranchised, and more accepting of equality between
men and women.
With empathy, journalistic rigor, and
powerful storytelling, Lee unpacks the diverse and complex strands of
this movement—and what it means for the rest of us. Given the clout
that evangelicals still hold in national politics, Lee argues, this
movement is important not only for the future of evangelicalism but
also for the future of our country.