Ministers of Propaganda

"When those in power have the institutional authority to decide which truth claims are epistemically legitimate, they can reinforce their institutional authority by recognizing as legitimate only those truth claims that confirm the legitimacy of their own authority." (Scott M. Coley, Ministers of Propaganda)

Imagine a debate professor breaking down everything wrong with American evangelical’s political/sociological beliefs, and you have this book. It’s less about the cultural backstory for these beliefs, and more about the way they justify them using certain biblical prooftexts (you can’t use the same Bible verses to argue for opposite things when the topic changes). He also cites figures in leadership and critiques how what they’ve said at different times contradicts both themselves and their own ideology. The reason for that is the idealogy doesn’t actually make sense from the standpoint of actual logic. It’s all about power and preserving the status quo, which I know not just because of too much personal experience in this world, but because I’ve already read extensively about the marriage of conservatives and Christianity. What we’re seeing in 2024 is the fruit of a very concerted effort beginning with the response to the Civil Rights Movement, but this book is more about the how, not the why. Start with Kristin Kobes Du Mez for the history if that’s new to you. His argument is that all these talking points are just propaganda, so it helps to understand why they need propaganda.

This not a straightforward read. By nature of the topic, many sentences are saying things in roundabout ways because we’re discussing roundabout arguments. And he writes like a college professor with an extensive vocabulary, so I don’t think this book is particularly accessible. Which is a shame, because it’s excellent.

He covers common sensism, creationism, abortion, racism, and more. If you’ve actually read the Bible, been steeped in the kind of culture that claims it, have wondered how evangelicals can justify some of the things they believe, and/or are interested in the enmeshment of their religion and the political right, you will enjoy this book.

169 highlights on Kindle.

"For roughly half a century, conservative politicians have courted evangelical leaders as a means of winning elections; and evangelical leaders, in turn, have framed winning elections as a means of shaping American culture in their own image. A by-product of this transaction is an ideology that brings religion into conversation with right-wing politics—hence the ideology of the religious right. In particular, the religious right is presently under the sway of an ideology that I will call Christo-authoritarianism, since it presses the resources of Christian theology into the service of authoritarian social and political objectives." (Scott M. Coley, Ministers of Propaganda)