Worldview Theory, Whiteness, and the Future of Evangelical Faith

The twenty-first century has seen energy pass between religious and political worldviews, leading to a divide in American society. Jacob Cook argues that worldview theory has compelled its white evangelical adherents to adopt the world's divisive modes of dealing with difference, warping Christian identity as a personal, social, and theological reality. He draws from current conversations in psychology, sociology, critical race studies, and other fields to critique the worldview concept and its use and unmask what it shares with the history and spirit of whiteness. This book is for those wrestling with the relationship between Christianity and whiteness in America.

Format: Hardback
Length: 344 pages
Publication date: 28 September 2021
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

The twenty-first century has witnessed a significant interplay between religious and political worldviews, creating a stir around the identity- and conviction-based fault lines in American society. While many evangelical Christians have developed and employed a "worldview theory" to navigate the ideological conflicts of the world, Jacob Cook contends that this approach has inadvertently led those who adopt it to embrace the divisive ways of dealing with differences rather than living out a compelling alternative. As a popular framework for theology in recent history, worldview has influenced its white evangelical followers to narrate human lives in this world, including their own, in ways that distort Christian identity as a personal, social, and theological reality. Through in-depth examinations of key white evangelical leaders who have utilized the worldview concept for political engagement and cultural transformation over the past century, Cook unveils why worldview theory fails to grasp the intricate nuances of human complexity and, moreover, how it erects a barrier to genuine life together as creatures in a world that can only be truly "viewed" by the living God.

In between these studies, Cook draws from current conversations in psychology, sociology, critical race studies, and other fields to deliver a robust critique of the worldview concept and its misuse, as well as its underlying impulse. This book is intended for those who are grappling with the relationship between Christianity and whiteness in America, the transparency of whiteness's dynamics, and the challenges and opportunities that arise from this understanding. It seeks to provide guidance on navigating these complexities and pursuing a path that aligns with the teachings of Jesus.

Weight: 708g
Dimension: 229 x 160 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978708198