{"product_id":"the-shadow-gospel-isbn-9780262552271","title":"The Shadow Gospel","description":"\u003cb\u003eA novel account of the culture wars and Evangelical influence in the United States that traces the 80-year rise of a quasi-religious anti-liberal demonology.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen people talk about the chaotic, increasingly precarious political landscape in the United States, they often blame polarization and the culture wars. In \u003ci\u003eThe Shadow Gospel\u003c\/i\u003e, Whitney Phillips and Mark Brockway tell a very different story. Analyzing eighty years of densely overlapping religious and secular messages preaching the dangers of liberalism, the book argues that the fracture and chaos in U.S. politics isn’t the result of a clean split between left and right. Instead, it’s a split between the shadow gospel’s quasi-religious anti-liberal demonology—the vague sense that an evil leftist force is threatening to destroy American society—and the people accused of being the liberal devil.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA shadow gospel framework helps contextualize the violence of January 6, 2021, the fervor of Satanic conspiracy theorizing, and the crusade against “wokeness” and LGBTQ existence. But it also helps explain the most vexing elements of our politics: that the most potent source of religious messaging and influence in the United States is secular, that the most ruthless destroyers of Republicans are other Republicans, and that anti-liberal fear and loathing span the political spectrum.\u003cbr\u003eBy offering new ways of thinking about religious influence, the left\/right dichotomy, and the appeal of Donald Trump, \u003ci\u003eThe Shadow Gospel\u003c\/i\u003e reveals the true roadblocks to pluralistic democracy and emphasizes what people across the religious and political spectrum stand to lose if we don’t exorcise our anti-liberal demons. There are no easy solutions to our vast and complicated political problems. But those solutions will remain elusive if how we frame our problems is part of the problem. It is long past time to drag the shadow gospel out into the light.Contents\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003ePreface\u003cbr\u003eIntroducing the Shadow Gospel\u003cbr\u003e1 The Realm of the Shadowy Bizarre\u003cbr\u003e2 Branding Satan\u003cbr\u003e3 Make Me a Shadow Myth\u003cbr\u003e4 The Culture Wars Are Satanic\u003cbr\u003e5 Religion without Religion\u003cbr\u003e6 The Left Hates America\u003cbr\u003eConclusion: Seeing Through the Shadows\u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eSelected Bibliography: Academic Work and Other Sources\u003cbr\u003eIndex“An extraordinary new account of our own American demons… A transcendent, boundary-breaking work.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eLos Angeles Review of Books\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“A timely, nuanced, and meticulously researched account that made me reassess polarization, reactionary politics, and the culture wars. Essential reading for understanding the systematic demonization of liberalism prevalent today.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Clare Birchall, King’s College London; author of \u003ci\u003eKnowledge Goes Pop\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Analytical, original, and deeply documented, \u003ci\u003eShadow Gospel\u003c\/i\u003e makes us reconsider Evangelical rhetoric as a politically expedient communication strategy. Be forewarned: This book is highly relevant.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Christopher Vecsey, Colgate University\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the American right. Phillips and Brockway’s rich, thought-provoking history upends prevailing assumptions about culture war politics and the right’s commitment to tradition.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Anthony Nadler, Ursinus College; coeditor of \u003ci\u003eNews on the Right\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eWhitney Phillips is Assistant Professor of Digital Platforms and Media Ethics in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. She is the coauthor of \u003ci\u003eYou Are Here\u003c\/i\u003e and the author of \u003ci\u003eThis Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things\u003c\/i\u003e (both MIT Press). She is also the coauthor of a digital ethics guide, \u003ci\u003eShare Better and Stress Less\u003c\/i\u003e (MITeen Press), written for middle school readers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMark Brockway is Assistant Teaching Professor in Political Science at Syracuse University. His research centers on religious and political identity and activism as expressed through party politics, in the electorate, and in governmental institutions.","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301278634213,"sku":"NP9780262552271","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262552271.jpg?v=1767741478","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-shadow-gospel-isbn-9780262552271","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}