By Mackenzie Grizzard | Staff Writer
New York Times best-selling author and political correspondent Tim Alberta believes November’s presidential election is a turning point for American Christians.
Alberta lectured on the intersection of American politics and Christianity at the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies annual fall lecture on Wednesday evening in the Armstrong Browning Library.
“We need an act of God,” Alberta said. “The stakes are high and people are fearful.”
Alberta is an award-winning staff writer for The Atlantic and a former chief political correspondent for POLITICO. His most recent book, “The Kingdom, The Power and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism,” highlights the entanglement of politics and evangelism in recent years.
Dr. Elizabeth Flowers, associate professor of American religion introduced Alberta to a packed crowd in Armstrong Browning Library’s foyer and expressed her appreciation for his willingness to lecture at Baylor.
“It seemed like a total scare to contact Tim Alberta back in May when his prestigious work was recently published,” Flowers said.
In the beginning of Alberta’s lecture, he explained how Christianity in America has changed in recent years.
“The church is in a crisis,” Alberta said. “It’s connected to the social struggles the followers of Jesus have faced for a while.”
Alberta also spoke about the issues many American Christians have faced, which he refers to as a “secularist’s fever dream.”
“The stench of scandal and the lack of accountability it perpetuates drags the precious name of Jesus through the mud,” Alberta said.
According to Alberta, there are three “T’s” that have the church in such a crisis: temptation, threat and test. Such temptation is ever-present in American politics, Alberta said.
“Because [of] the temptation of power, the temptation of glory and the temptation of human law upon us, we cannot resist,” Alberta said.
Throughout the lecture, Alberta drew several examples from the Bible, highlighting what he said is a “coordinated assault” on traditional, Christian values. Alberta said “the world has changed for the worse” for modern Christians.
Despite political uncertainties, Alberta emphasized the pureness of Jesus, which he said should be Christians’ true focus.
“Jesus says if we follow him that we are not just sons and daughters, we are heirs,” Alberta said. “[We are] heirs to Christ himself.”
Partisanship and religious affiliation in America continues to be strongly correlated. According to a 2024 study done by the Pew Research Center, 59% of registered Protestant voters and over half of registered Catholic voters are affiliated with the Republican Party. Alberta said this is where Christianity in politics gets confusing — when the true meaning is lost.
“You can win elections, but lose something greater,” Alberta said. “There are limitations on what politics can do to advance the word of God.”
Alberta closed up his lecture by urging listeners to choose faith over fear. Although political discourse is rampant, Alberta said knowing Jesus is about peace.
“Let’s see if maybe, just maybe, the cross will emerge as more preferable to the sword,” Alberta said.
