Jesus, You're Fired!

Why did evangelical Christianity stray so far from the teachings of Jesus? And how has that decision helped divide us more than ever?In the Gospel of Matthew, the devil offered Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world" if he would bow before him.

Jesus refused. But many have taken the devil up on this offer. They've traded Jesus' invisible kingdom of heaven for a tangible empire here on earth. They've done it in the name of nationalism, school prayer, the unborn, and, yes, segregation. But more than anything else, they've done it to preserve their favored status as "the chosen" even as their numbers decline.

Today, many evangelical activists place loyalty above character and blind faith ahead of principle. They've abandoned Jesus for a different kind of savior: a militant messiah like King David, who slept with his friend's wife, then arranged to have him killed - but who established a theocratic kingdom on earth. That's what they want. Not a democracy or a republic, but the rule of God.

Their impulse to empire dates back to the fifth century, when the African bishop Augustine argued that faith should be compulsory. Their blind faith has birthed scams by televangelists, and conspiracy theories, from the Salem witch hunts to social media. They consider themselves a chosen people, a "moral majority," and they've used this special status to justify racism, conquest, and oppression.

Jesus, You're Fired explores the history, theology, and motives behind the movement to exchange the kingdom of heaven for an earthly empire. And to replace Jesus with a different kind of messiah.