The Fall of the Evangelical Nation

Veteran religion reporter Christine Wicker set out to reveal the truth about her childhood evangelical faith, in an attempt to get beyond stereotypes and shed new light on the religion. However, she found out much more than she had expected. Evangelical Christianity in America is dying. The great evangelical movements of today are not a vanguard; they are a remnant, unraveling at every edge. Even as they trumpet their purported political and social victories, insiders despair over their great losses. In The Fall of the Evangelical Nation, Wicker takes us deep inside this crumbling pillar of the religious right and shows us how the virtues of the evangelicals are killing them as surely as their vices. Christine Wicker was raised in Oklahoma, Texas, and other parts of the South. Her mother’s grandfather was an itinerant Baptist preacher and her dad’s father was a Kentucky coal miner. During her 17 years at The Dallas Morning News, she was a feature writer, columnist and religion reporter. She is the author of several books including the highly acclaimed Lily Dale: The True Story of the Town That Talks to the Dead. “This is a triple winner – meticulously reported, a joy to read, and filled with profound insights. In what will surely be one of the year’s most important books, Wicker offers a brilliantly written take on a provocative topic – and her work will stand as a bible for anyone wanting to know about religion in modern America.” – Bill Minutaglio, author of First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty