Evangelical Christians’ Move Towards Right-Wing Politics with Frank Schaeffer

In my book The Cult of Trump, I present a thesis that Donald Trump was a symptom of decades of right-wing maneuvering to gain power and institute a theocracy by eliminating the separation between Church and State, which the Founders of the Constitution tried to ensure would not happen. White evangelical Christians, among other powerful groups like The Family, Opus Dei, and the New Apostolic Reformation, appear to support this movement and, indeed, are the driving force behind it because they believe Trump is being used to do ‘God’s work.’

Someone very experienced in talking about this issue is Frank Schaeffer. He was born and bred into an evangelical fundamentalist life and went on to play an active role in helping to politicize evangelical leaders. He has now bravely written and spoken about his regret at the part he played in this process and is an active religious reform activist.

Frank Schaeffer is a New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen fiction and nonfiction books. He is a self-taught documentary movie director, a feature film director, and an artist. He is, of course, also the son of the legendary Francis Schaeffer, a minister, theologian, prolific author, and one of the most influential figures in American evangelicalism.

Frank’s memoir Crazy for God is used as a textbook in the history of religion classes in universities because it provides a fascinating insight into the American evangelical movement. His latest book, Fall In Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save The Planet, Be Happy, is the culmination of a personal journey of liberation from his fundamentalist Christian past. It focuses on a joy-filled life centered around family, connections, and community.