In my most recent column I drew attention to the certainty gap between American evangelicals and mainline Protestants. While 85% of evangelicals and 82% of Black Protestants believe in God without a shadow of a doubt, the same can only…
What makes for charisma? Religion historian tries tWhat makes for charisma? Religion historian tries to understand the mysterious force.o understand the mysterious force.
What drives people to follow a leader and place their faith in that person’s story? That question is at the heart of religion historian and journalist Molly Worthen’s latest book, “Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald…
The conversion of a secular scholar raises hard questions
In a recent column, I explored the unusual friendship between Jonathan Rauch, a gay Jewish atheist, and a circle of evangelical heavyweights like Russell Moore and the late Tim Keller. Rauch, a leading public intellectual, drew sustenance and inspiration from…