Bylines

Matthew Avery Sutton

Church steeple.

How Christianity Was Used By the Powerful and the Marginalized to Shape Post-Civil War America

On the role of religion in Reconstruction.
Flowers and a fan drawing at a memorial for Ozzy Osbourne.

Ozzy Osbourne Taught Kids To Rebel By Subverting Christianity

In Ozzy Osbourne's hands, Satan gave a middle finger to hypocrisy and fearmongering.

The Late Great Hal Lindsey

The ideas he popularized will continue to shape evangelicalism for generations to come.
Photograph of Donald Trump smiling and giving a thumbs up, with Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. behind him.
partner

A New Documentary Exposes the Truth About the Religious Right

It’s a political movement willing to align with anyone to win.
Flags flying at the Capitol Siege, including one that says "Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president."

The Capitol Riot Revealed the Darkest Nightmares of White Evangelical America

How 150 years of apocalyptic agitation culminated in an insurrection.
Trump with hands folded and eyes closed, as if in prayer.
partner

Explaining the Bond Between Trump and White Evangelicals

It's all about an agenda — and it's nothing new.
Billy Graham

Billy Graham Was On the Wrong Side of History

Racial tensions are rising, the earth is warming, and evangelicals are doing little to help. That may be Graham’s most significant legacy.