Growing up in an evangelical home near Kansas City, Sarah McCammon felt the love of Jesus and the fear of hell. If she failed to be a good Christian, her unsaved relatives could face damnation too. It was a heavy burden for a child to bear. McCammon, now a national political correspondent for NPR, shared her journey in the book “Exvangelical.” It explores her departure from the evangelical faith and the stories of others who left the same subculture, often during the Trump era. The title is inspired by a social media hashtag used by those who no longer feel at home in evangelicalism.
In the book, McCammon reflects on how growing up in the church helped her navigate the 2016 campaign. She recalls a verse from Matthew 5 about loving those who hate you, a teaching that she once found naive but eventually found strength in. The book also features interviews with individuals who share their experiences of betrayal over Trump’s election and the pressures of evangelicalism. David Gushee from Mercer University describes the trend as conscientious objection.
In a recent interview, McCammon discussed the contradictions within the evangelical movement during the Trump era. She highlighted the tension between unconditional love and conditional acceptance within the evangelical world. This transactional style of religion, she explained, often results in excluding those who do not conform to the community’s beliefs. McCammon also analyzed the shift in evangelical leaders’ response to Trump’s transgressions compared to the moral standards they once upheld.
Despite the pain and challenges she faced within evangelicalism, McCammon embraced a sense of grace and empathy. While recounting difficult moments in her life, including her parents’ reaction to her grandfather coming out as gay, she recognizes the good in her upbringing. She emphasizes the importance of self-sacrifice and compassion, values she learned from her evangelical background. McCammon believes in the virtue of giving up for the greater good, a concept she sees as essential for a functional society.
