The End of White Christian America

Winner of the 2019 Grawemeyer Award in Religion

Robert P. Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, spells out the profound political and cultural consequences of a new reality--that America is no longer a majority white Christian nation. "Quite possibly the most illuminating text for this election year" (The New York Times Book Review).

For most of our nation's history, White Christian America (WCA) set the tone for our national policy and shaped American ideals. But especially since the 1990s, WCA has steadily lost influence, following declines within both its mainline and evangelical branches. Today, America is no longer demographically or culturally a majority white, Christian nation.

Drawing on more than four decades of polling data, The End of White Christian America explains and analyzes the waning vitality of WCA. Robert P. Jones argues that the visceral nature of today's most heated issues--the vociferous arguments around same-sex marriage and religious and sexual liberty, the rise of the Tea Party following the election of our first black president, and stark disagreements between black and white Americans over the fairness of the criminal justice system--can only be understood against the backdrop of white Christians' anxieties as America's racial and religious topography shifts around them.

Beyond 2016, the descendants of WCA will lack the political power they once had to set the terms of the nation's debate over values and morals and to determine election outcomes. Looking ahead, Jones forecasts the ways that they might adjust to find their place in the new America--and the consequences for us all if they don't. "Jones's analysis is an insightful combination of history, sociology, religious studies, and political science....This book will be of interest to a wide range of readers across the political spectrum" (Library Journal).

“"The 2016 election campaign revealed to all and sundry that we live in a new country. Robert Jones has written the best guide I have seen to the America taking shape around us."”

"Robert Jones has established himself as one of the country's most intelligent and fair-minded explorers of the American religious and political minds. So it's not surprising that The End of White Christian America is meticulous, engagingly written and full of insight. It describes one the most consequential changes in our nation's history with genuine empathy for both the old and the new majorities, a truly blessed achievement at a time of so much stress and anger. The charts and graphs alone are worth the price of the book and make Jones' thesis instantly understandable. This book is an important achievement that will be discussed not for years but for decades."--E. J. Dionne Jr., author of WHY THE RIGHT WENT WRONG: Conservatism from Goldwater to the Tea Party and Beyond

Robert P. Jones is the president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and a leading scholar and commentator on religion and politics. Jones writes regularly on politics, culture, and religion for The Atlantic, TIME, and Religion News Service. He is frequently featured in major national media, such as MSNBC, CNN, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and others. He holds a PhD in religion from Emory University and a MDiv from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, which won a 2021 American Book Award, and The End of White Christian America, which won the 2019 Grawemeyer Award in Religion. He writes a regular Substack newsletter at RobertPJones.substack.com.

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