Cross Purposes: One believer's struggle to reconcile the peace of Christ with the rage of the Far Right

During a 2020 sailboat trip to spread his mother’s ashes, Bob Welch—that rare blend of journalist and evangelical—committed to telling a story he knew could rankle some of his fellow believers but he felt had to be told. Because, he realized, we become what we tolerate. So, amid the insidious shoals of Trump, COVID, and race, he plied the cultural currents to answer a question theologian Henri Nouwen so eloquently asked: “To whom do I belong? To God or to the world?” At stake with the answer, Welch believes, is an evangelical faith that has drifted deep into troubled waters—and whose hope lies not in presidents, political parties, or patriotism, but in the One who’s been overlooked amid the rancor and the rage."A well-researched case for the incompatibility between far-right conservatism and Christianity ... . The work’s down-to-earth account offers sound criticisms of Christianity in the United States without resorting to clichéd, ad hominem characterizations of evangelicals. Complementing its goal to educate rather than to simply expose unsavory and hypocritical ideas held by conservative Christians, the volume includes discussion questions for book clubs and a quick reference guide to tomes, podcasts, and documentaries that provide insular evangelicals with alternative sociopolitical perspectives. A nuanced, convincing critique of the current state of American evangelicalism."—Kirkus Book Reviews“Will speak to many hearts as it is meant to, not as an attack but as encouragement.”—Jane Kirkpatrick, New York Times Best-Selling Author"It’s rare to find a book on topics such as religion or politics that isn’t motivated by us-vs.-them tribalism or political agenda, but Welch has found a way to bridge the divide to invite honest discussion and reflection in both areas."—Belt of Truth Ministries"Bob Welch exemplifies the biblical wisdom of being quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. At a time when discouragement is at an all-time high among pastors, as they have watched their churches follow the world in political rancor, Welch’s gospel-centered wisdom is a great encouragement to me. May his tribe—the tribe of Christ, not the Far Right—increase."—Dr. Ben Cross, Former Lead Teaching Pastor, First Baptist Church, Eugene, Oregon“Wonderful. Deeply researched, brilliantly written, and fearless.”— Faris Cassell, award-winning author of "The Unanswered Letter""As a retired evangelical pastor, I found that Welch captured my heart and mirrored my thinking about the demise of what I used to identify with as an evangelical ... . I was touched by so many things in his book that confirmed my serious concerns regarding Trump ... . Courageously written and extremely well documented. … An enjoyable and yet frightening read about the state of American politics and evangelicalism.”—Jim Thomas, retired evangelical minister at Eugene Faith Center"Cross Purposes is at once a detailed history of the merging of far right and Christian politics and a memoir of Welch’s sometimes uneasy dual life as an evangelical working for years in the largely liberal, thoroughly agnostic mainstream media ... . Full disclosure: I worked with Welch at The Register-Guard, where for some years he was my editor in the features department. To be honest, without that experience I probably would never have read this book. But knowing Welch’s deep integrity whetted my curiosity."—Bob Keefer, Eugene Weekly Read more