--- title: "Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation After the Christian Turn Against Democracy by Robert P. Jones" description: "Summary: Grappling with the ways that Christians in the US are embracing authoritarianism and complicit in rejecting democracy.  I have read Robert Jones' previous books. There is a clear progressions..." url: https://bookwi.se/backslide/ date: 2026-08-23 modified: 2026-08-23 author: "Adam Shields" categories: ["Blogger Review Books"] type: post lang: en --- # Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation After the Christian Turn Against Democracy by Robert P. Jones [![Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation After the Christian Turn Against Democracy by Robert P. Jones cover image](https://bookwi.se/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/9781250431134.jpg-194x300.avif)](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250431131)**Summary: Grappling with the ways that Christians in the US are embracing authoritarianism and complicit in rejecting democracy. ** I have read Robert Jones’ previous books. There is a clear progressions. He was the head of a polling company when he wrote [The End of White Christian America](https://bookwi.se/end-of-white-christian-america/). That book is mostly about the demographic trends in the US. His next book was [White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity](https://bookwi.se/white-too-long/). That one was still primarily using polling and demographics but drew on more history to contextualize how a belief in white racial superiority was a long term trend in the US that was explicitly tied to some forms of Christian theology. His third book, [The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: And the Path to a Shared American Future](https://bookwi.se/the-hidden-roots-of-white-supremacy/), leaned even more into history and more than the previous two books paid attention to how Native American mistreatment and not just anti-black racism was an important reality that needs to be paid attention to. This fourth book again slightly shifts the focus while still remaining part of the larger trend, this time focusing on how there is a movement against democracy and toward authoritarian control. I think the initial opening of the book that discusses Martin Niemöller the German pastor most well known for his poem, [First They Came For.](https://hmd.org.uk/resource/first-they-came-by-pastor-martin-niemoller/) Jones specifcally talks about the different between Niemöller and Bonhoeffer because often Bonhoeffer is pointed to as a hero while Niemöller is not. Jones thinks most of us are more like Niemöller than we are comfortable with. Niemöller initially supported the Nazi party, but then changed his mind and worked against the Nazis. Niemöller lived through WWII, spending six years in a concentration camp. And then in the years after he dedicated his life toward ecumenical work that was focused on peace and Holocaust remembrance. I think that point, which comes back to the fore several times is largely right. One of the problems of talking about these trends with people who are reluctant to pay attention is that the sources matter. For instance in a section where Jones is talking about President Trump talking about his admiration of Hitler, he cites Generals Kelly and Milley, the president’s Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff during the first administration. And he cites General Mattis, Secretary of Defense under Trump, as saying that Trump is a direct threat to democracy. These are not liberals or democrats, but people who served directly under Trump as political appointees of Trump. Jones does retread some ground from previous books in laying the groundwork for his argument. For instance, his polling and social science research reported in White Too Long suggests that White Christians are more likely than White non-Christians to support xenophobic, anti immigrant and anti-Black policies or attitudes like great replacement theory. But if you have read those previous books I think that Jones does a good job of not rehashing other books, but only giving enough context that those who have not read them can follow the argument while those who have read his previous books will not feel like it is unnecessary repetition. One of the strengths of Jones writing is that this is not just theoretical discussion, a large part of what he is trying to do is model how repentance and recognition of history matters. He discusses a family bible that has been passed down to him four generations. And whose original owners owned multiple slaves, which represented approximately 75 percent of the value of his estate when he died. He doesn’t leave that discussion to just personal and individual understanding (although personal and individual are important). He also ties that discussion to the founding of the Southern Baptist denomination (his denomination of origin) and how he did not know of the origins of the SBC until he was in college. While this is in the book, this isn’t just theory. The [current president of the SBC tweeted a picture](https://x.com/WillyRice/status/2084697504809914449?s=20) of himself recently holding the original founding documents of the SBC. That prompted some controversy because a prominent Black Southern Baptist pastor called it a “[Blood Document](https://x.com/pastordmack/status/2084766767423848695?s=20)” and then “The Center for Baptist Leadership” led by William Wolfe, someone that openly advocates for Christian Nationalism, suggested [that those who don’t support the reasons for the original founding should leave](https://x.com/BaptistLeaders/status/2084793919347331530?s=20) the denomination. And others who [commented underneath](https://x.com/JesusIsKing70AD/status/2085102596423922119?s=20) openly supported white supremacy and the created good of slavery. That may be an extreme case, but it does show that even when some suggest that Jones is making too strong of an argument, you can find examples of people who will prove his point if not make that point even more strongly. There was not a lot here that I thought was truly new to me. I am familiar with the history. I knew quite a bit about Juneteenth and Columbus day and I have done similar work to understand my family of origin’s relationship to slavery and stealing Native American land. I think this is important work that needs to be highlighted and worked through. I think Jones is a good author and has the background to be a good author. But on the negative side, I think that this is a book that is largely going to be preaching to the choir. There is a role for that, but it isn’t going to be changing a lot of minds, but rather informing people who largely agree with him already. I finished this book in about three days. I was engaged. I thought the book was well worth reading. (I listened to an advanced copy of the audiobook from Netgalley). And I will keep picking up Robert Jones’ books because they keep being worth reading. **Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation After the Christian Turn Against Democracy by Robert P. Jones Purchase Links: [Hardcover](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250431131), [Kindle Edition](https://www.amazon.com/Backslide-Reclaiming-Christian-Against-Democracy-ebook/dp/B0G77BGSTV/), [Audible.com Audiobook](https://www.amazon.com/Backslide-Reclaiming-Christian-Against-Democracy/dp/B0GGCP7WSR/)**