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Testimony

Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation

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Testimony

By: Jon Ward
Narrated by: Jon Ward
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Jon Ward's life is divided in half: two decades inside the evangelical Christian bubble and two decades outside of it.

In Testimony, Ward tells the engaging story of his upbringing in, and eventual break from, an influential evangelical church in the 1980s and 1990s. Ward sheds light on the evangelical movement's troubling political and cultural dimensions, tracing the ways in which the Jesus People movement was seduced by materialism and other factors to become politically captive rather than prophetic.

A respected journalist, Ward asks uncomfortable but necessary questions, calling those inside and outside conservative Christian circles to embrace truth, complexity, and nuance. He recounts his growing alarm and grief over the last several years as evangelical conservatives attacked truth, rejected personal character, and embraced authoritarianism and conspiracism. He shares his search for a faith that embodies the values he was taught as a child.

Ward's experience and reflections will resonate with many listeners who grew up in the evangelical movement as well as all those who have an interest in the health of the church and its impact on American life.

©2023 Jon Ward (P)2023 eChristian Christian Living Christianity Church & State Religious Studies Social Issues Inspiring Authoritarianism
Insightful Analysis • Personal Testimony • Thoughtful Critique • Honest Reflection • Historical Perspective
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As an “old” millennial born in the 80’s and raised in a very conservative home, Jon’s story really resonated with me. His account of the non denominal church’s changes mirrored my own experience very closely. Though I’ve since left the faith, I very much appreciate Jon’s obvious pursuit of truth and dedication to honest seeking. Highly recommend.

A well articulated ground level account

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Jon Ward gives an honest review of the downward spiral of the evangelical church. At one time I saw the rabid support of Trump as the genesis of this phenomenon. I’m coming to the realization it’s only the product of generations of wrong teaching and lazy exegesis to “tickle the ears” of sinful, blind churchgoers. May God have mercy on us.

A honest look at the modern evangelical church

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So many of the author’s experiences struck a chord with me. And his faith is still intact. It is now much clearer to me why I had to shift from an evangelical church to a more traditional and historically grounded church.

Best book I’ve read regarding current issues with the evangelical church

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i listened to this book on my 2 1/2 hours (each way) to visit my sister in Richmond. Loved it; it was honest, eye opening and heart changing. and the narration by the author was perfect. highly recommend. I didn’t come away with any negative feelings toward the family members mentioned. i actually came away with more love and admiration for them, more insight into politics and religion, as well as a fresh desire to be more like Christ in how I treat everyone! thank you for this book jonathan! great work!

Captivating

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This book describes how the evangelical Christians were taken advantage of by the political right. It is a reasonable look at how returning to Christian values can right this wrong.

Politics and religion need to be separated.

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As a Christian who has been incredibly frustrated by the evangelical church since 2016, I thought this was an outstanding memoir and analysis by a distinguished journalist who himself grew up in the charismatic Pentecostal church. I hope the book finds a wide audience among Christians and others. Sometimes when people are inside a movement, they don’t realize how they are being led astray. I will recommend this book to many friends and am grateful for the author sharing his insights, analysis and personal story.

Outstanding and needed story about how evangelicalism went astray

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Jon Ward captures how many Evangelical Christians feel prey to Donald Trump and how this impacted their relationships with others.

Great Book

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Was not expecting the raw honesty about the current church from evangelical Christian. It rips the bandaid off and addresses how the church has sought power over discipleship and salvation. I just wish someone would be honest about the foundation of racism and oppression the whole movement is founded on. Blaming the lies of the current leadership is not the root cause for how they are leading a whole generation to hell.

SURPRISINGLY GOOD

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This is a therapeutic read for someone who feels disappointed and abandoned by the church over recent years. I may never understand why the church changed into what it is now, but this book clearly outlines the events that brought us here.

A great account that many of us identify with.

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...Stayed for the thoughtful critique of western evangelicalism and Trumpism. Just a few years younger than the author, I grew up in the same era of sovereign grace churches and experienced spiritual abuse as a woman in that context that I'm still recovering from. It is validating and healing to hear other's stories, and in turn, part of my story told. I appreciated how he wove together his personal story with the larger narrative occurring historically and politically. Great read!

Read it for the SGM commentary...

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