Key Insights
Why did Eliza Griswold choose to write about Circle of Hope Church?
To explore how faith and culture conflict within a progressive evangelical community.
Why did the Circle of Hope Church dissolve?
Conflicts over COVID-19 response, racial injustice, and LGBTQ issues led to its dissolution.
How did Eliza Griswold's father's experience with the Episcopal Church influence her work?
It provided an early insight into the culture wars affecting Christianity in the 21st century.
Why did the diversity counselor leave Circle of Hope Church?
Lack of trust and inability to reach a shared analysis on race within the church.
How did the Black Girl Cell contribute to the church's internal conflicts?
It highlighted the church's failure to address structural racism and the need for diversity.
Why do conservative evangelicals support Trump despite his actions being antithetical to Jesus' teachings?
Trump delivers on long-held evangelical battles, such as Supreme Court appointments and reversing Roe v. Wade.
What was Eliza Griswold's father's view on heaven?
He saw heaven as a bliss state rather than a literal place.
How did Eliza Griswold's upbringing in a rectory shape her perspective?
It exposed her to constant crises and a lack of personal boundaries, influencing her work in immersive journalism.
Chapters
The Circle of Hope Church grew as a reaction against the religious right, becoming a place for children of conservative evangelicals who rejected their parents' interpretations of the Bible but wanted to follow what they saw as Jesus' radically socialist teachings.
- The church was founded in 1996 by Rod and Gwen White.
- It became a collective of about 700 people.
- The church aimed to follow Jesus' teachings in a radically different way from conservative evangelicals.
Shownotes Transcript
