Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation After the Christian Turn Against Democracy by Jones, Robert P.

"Bracing--Jones presents a vision of America as "fallen into... apostasy." But he remains hopeful, noting that "backsliding is not irreversible," as "repentance is possible... with confession" and the "acknowledging of difficult truths." It's a potent reckoning."--Publishers Weekly

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy, a clear-eyed reckoning with the moral collapse of white Christianity and a call to protect American democracy.

What happens when the church trades faith for power, and democracy for dominion? In this searing book, Robert P. Jones names our moment for what it is: a great Backslide. White Christianity's devotion to Donald Trump and Christian nationalism is not only a regression into authoritarian politics but a profound act of apostasy--a betrayal of the best of the Christian tradition.

Through reflections on history, his upbringing in the white evangelical South, and decades of social science research, Jones lays bare the roots of this collapse and the dangers it poses for our future. He takes us inside a faith tradition marked by an impoverished relationship to the Bible, a rejection of a genuine search for truth, and an upside-down world where empathy is considered a vice. Yet amid the wreckage, Jones finds signs of hope in efforts to remake our national holiday rituals and recover a Christianity that remains committed to democracy.

Timely and unflinching, Backslide is essential reading for anyone unwilling to surrender the soul of faith or the promise of democracy. A prophetic summons to moral responsibility, it reminds us that time is short for deciding which Christianity, and which America, will prevail.

Author: Robert P. Jones
Publisher: St. Martin's Essentials
Published: 09/08/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.70w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781250431134

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 07/01/2026 pg. 69
Publishers Weekly 07/13/2026

About the Author
Robert P. Jones is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future; White Too Long; and The End of White Christian America. The president and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), Jones has written for TIME, The Atlantic, Religion News Service, and more. Often featured in national media, such as CNN, MS NOW, and NPR, Jones also writes the popular Substack newsletter Redeeming Democracy.