Shepherds for Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded the Truth for a Leftist Agenda | 7.28.24

Following the 2016 US presidential election, pundits argued that the 81% of evangelical Christians who voted for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton viewed him as the lesser of two evils. But, according to historian Kristin Du Mez, this explanation is misguided. In Jesus and John Wayne (2020), she argues that evangelicals endorsed Trump because he was the paradigm of militant masculinity that became orthodox among evangelicals in the last century.

In this guide, we’ve organized Du Mez’s analysis into four historical eras of evangelical masculinity. We’ll discuss: how the first and second World Wars caused evangelicals to shift toward a militant view of masculinity; how the Vietnam War and the feminist movement entrenched this view of masculinity in the ’60s and ’70s; how the lack of a military opponent in the ’90s caused this view to soften; and, finally, how the impact of 9/11 and the Obama presidency created a sense of embattlement that led evangelicals to support Trump in 2020.

The election of Donald Trump has sparked a great deal of discussion about the fate of American democracy. How Democracies Die explores some key questions that have become paramount in the Trump era. Does the election of a figure like Trump—an inexperienced outsider with obvious authoritarian instincts—suggest that democracy in the US is backsliding? Are we doomed to suffer the fate of other 21st-century democracies, like Hungary, Venezuela, and Turkey, where true democracy ceased to exist? By what processes was democracy killed in those and other countries—and how might we prevent it here?

Conventional accounts of American history tend to focus on the people at the top—presidents, generals, CEOs, and other influential figures and their struggles, ambitions, hopes, and dreams. But what about average people? The ones who had to live with the consequences of elite decisions, and who often struggled in obscurity? In A People’s History of the United States, historian Howard Zinn aims to tell their story, providing a bottom-up view of American history focusing on Indigenous people, Black Americans, women, laborers, and activists.

Our guide outlines Zinn’s interpretation of significant events, themes, and historical trends in American history. Through our commentary, we’ll provide alternative opinions on the motivations behind and consequences of historical events. We’ll also further explain Zinn’s approach to history and provide additional context for his arguments as well as his perspective on events that happened after the book’s publication.

Have you noticed a shift in American politics throughout your lifetime? Over the past four decades, ideas like libertarianism and free market capitalism have gone from fringe beliefs held mostly by the elite to ideas with significant popular support and impact on our political sphere. In Dark Money, award-winning journalist and author Jane Mayer explores how a small group of extremely wealthy individuals, led largely by Charles and David Koch, have effectively legitimized far-right beliefs in America using their massive wealth.

In our guide, we’ll look at how the Kochs developed their political beliefs, the tactics they used to create their political movement, and how those tactics have affected American society and politics over recent decades. We’ll also examine the historical, social, and political contexts of the book’s events and how they have impacted society today.

Following the 2016 US presidential election, pundits argued that the 81% of evangelical Christians who voted for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton viewed him as the lesser of two evils. But, according to historian Kristin Du Mez, this explanation is misguided. In Jesus and John Wayne (2020), she argues that evangelicals endorsed Trump because he was the paradigm of militant masculinity that became orthodox among evangelicals in the last century.

In this guide, we’ve organized Du Mez’s analysis into four historical eras of evangelical masculinity. We’ll discuss: how the first and second World Wars caused evangelicals to shift toward a militant view of masculinity; how the Vietnam War and the feminist movement entrenched this view of masculinity in the ’60s and ’70s; how the lack of a military opponent in the ’90s caused this view to soften; and, finally, how the impact of 9/11 and the Obama presidency created a sense of embattlement that led evangelicals to support Trump in 2020.

In The Madness of Crowds, Douglas Murray argues that Western society is consumed by an ideology that’s obsessed with social justice and identity politics. This ideology insists that certain groups (notably women, racial minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals) endure widespread prejudice and oppression, and that they should therefore receive sensitivity, accommodations, and apologetic behavior from the social majority. Murray believes this ideology is hard to challenge without suffering public ridicule and shaming.

Ultimately, Murray argues that we need to combat this ideology, restore constructive opportunities for civic disagreement, and depoliticize our personal identities. Otherwise, our society could become even more fragmented and chaotic, and conceivably violent.

In this guide, we’ll examine the development of this harmful ideology, its effects, and its internal contradictions. We’ll also explore ways to detoxify society and reduce the influence of this ideology. In our commentary, we’ll compare Murray’s ideas to those in other books that discuss wokeism, intersectionality, and identity politics, such as The Coddling of the American Mind and American Marxism.

This book answers the simple but essential question: Why can’t we all get along?

Moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt explains why people around the world, including liberals and conservatives in the United States, have different moral frameworks. He argues that moral judgments are emotional, not logical—they are based on stories rather than reason. Consequently, liberals and conservatives lack a common language, and reason-based arguments about morality are ineffective. This leads to political polarization.

The Righteous Mind explores how our divergent moralities evolved, why morality is about more than just fairness, and how we can counter our natural self-righteousness to decrease political divides.

In Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, sociologist Arlie Hochschild seeks to understand the social, cultural, and emotional forces driving right-wing politics, in an effort to move past the partisan divide and approach American politics from a position of empathy for those on the right. By breaking down this empathy wall, we can come to truly inhabit the emotional world of the right, giving us insight into why these voters believe what they believe—and why those beliefs might make sense given these voters’ experiences.

In their 2013 book Conscious Capitalism, co-founder and former CEO of Whole Foods Market John Mackey teams up with businessman Raj Sisodia to introduce an improved version of capitalism. Mackey and Sisodia argue that capitalism is inherently good for people, but conscious capitalism is even better because it benefits all interested parties—including the environment and society at large. According to the authors, conscious capitalism has the potential to unleash unprecedented human ingenuity and solve most, if not all, of the problems we face.

Our guide will cover the philosophy of conscious capitalism and how to practice it—by prioritizing a good cause over profits, practicing enlightened leadership and management, and ensuring that all interested parties benefit from doing business with your company. In our commentary, we’ll compare conscious capitalism with other economic systems, discuss business management advice from other authors, and explore examples of conscious capitalism in greater detail.

Transitioning into a leadership role is a time of excitement and uncertainty. According to leadership development consultant Michael Watkins, whether you thrive or falter in your new role depends on your actions early on. In The First 90 Days, Watkins provides a roadmap for making your job transition smooth and rewarding. You’ll learn how to avoid common pitfalls by gathering critical information, building strong relationships, and achieving initial successes. If you follow Watkins's advice, you’ll be ready to ease into your new role with confidence and start creating positive momentum for your career and your company.

In this guide, we’ll review Watkins's guidelines on quickly assimilating and making an impact in your new role. We’ll also consider how other business leaders’ perspectives on management compare with Watkins's—including ideas from Gino Wickman in Traction and Julie Zhuo in The Making of a Manager.

There are two kinds of problems organizations face today:

1. Those with known solutions that only require the application of existing knowledge and workflows to solve.
2. Those with unknown solutions that require innovation, experimentation, and adaptation to survive.

In The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, leadership experts Ronald A. Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty Linsky teach you how to deal with the second kind of problem. You’ll learn how to diagnose these challenges, create effective interventions, and push your organization—and yourself—further than you ever thought possible.

This book answers the simple but essential question: Why can’t we all get along?

Moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt explains why people around the world, including liberals and conservatives in the United States, have different moral frameworks. He argues that moral judgments are emotional, not logical—they are based on stories rather than reason. Consequently, liberals and conservatives lack a common language, and reason-based arguments about morality are ineffective. This leads to political polarization.

The Righteous Mind explores how our divergent moralities evolved, why morality is about more than just fairness, and how we can counter our natural self-righteousness to decrease political divides.

In Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, sociologist Arlie Hochschild seeks to understand the social, cultural, and emotional forces driving right-wing politics, in an effort to move past the partisan divide and approach American politics from a position of empathy for those on the right. By breaking down this empathy wall, we can come to truly inhabit the emotional world of the right, giving us insight into why these voters believe what they believe—and why those beliefs might make sense given these voters’ experiences.