"Evangelical": The Hijacking of the Religious Right

From its earliest Greek meaning "Evangelical" meant "good news." Today the meaning has turned from into an association with conservative support of the current White House Administration. When did this "hijacking" of the term originate? And how/when has religious been conflated into a "religious right" throughout history? Dr. Bill Lawrence, Former Dean & Professor Emeritus of Southern Methodist University discusses the answers to all of these questions with a detailed history of how this happened.

From the Nazi usurpation of followers of religion to more our American history of this turn in religious support in the 1970's, the slow and steady take over and re-write of the "religious" narrative appears to have culminated in the Trump Administration support by the son of famed Evangelist, Billy Graham. Franklin Graham's open, public resounding support of the behavior exhibited by this administration demonstrates the pentacle of the corruption of this ideology. 

More recent reporting from the Associated Press suggests that a recognition of this corruption is becoming apparent, and warrants continued analysis. In this interview, Dr. Lawrence's decades of experience as a student of Duke's Divinity School, Professor, Dean, Pastor, and leader within the United Methodist Church Conference Judiciary Council reveals a depth of insight, education, and inspiration for further discussion.