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Tim Alberta

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CALS Speaker Series presents Tim Alberta

Author of The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory

2024-05-09 18:30:00 2024-05-09 19:30:00 America/Chicago CALS Speaker Series presents Tim Alberta Staff writer for <i>The Atlantic</i> follows up his <i>New York Times</i> bestseller <i>American Carnage</i> with this rigorously reported, and deeply personal examination of the divisions that threaten to destroy the American evangelical movement. Ron Robinson Theater - Ron Robinson Theater

Thursday, May 09
6:30pm - 7:30pm

Add to Calendar 2024-05-09 18:30:00 2024-05-09 19:30:00 America/Chicago CALS Speaker Series presents Tim Alberta Staff writer for <i>The Atlantic</i> follows up his <i>New York Times</i> bestseller <i>American Carnage</i> with this rigorously reported, and deeply personal examination of the divisions that threaten to destroy the American evangelical movement. Ron Robinson Theater - Ron Robinson Theater

Ron Robinson Theater

Ron Robinson Theater

Staff writer for The Atlantic follows up his New York Times bestseller American Carnage with this rigorously reported, and deeply personal examination of the divisions that threaten to destroy the American evangelical movement.


Join us on Thursday, May 9, for a discussion with Tim Alberta on his new book, The Kingdom, the Power, and The Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism. This CALS Speaker Series event will be moderated by Nate Coulter. WordsWorth Books will be selling copies of the book at the event.

About the book:

The son of an evangelical minister, The Atlantic staff writer Tim Alberta was sickened when, on the day of his father’s funeral, some members of the congregation eschewed compassion at this moment of grief and took him to task for what he had written about the rise of Donald Trump in his New York Times bestseller American Carnage. “What the hell is wrong with these people?” his wife asked—an off-the-cuff question that grew in Alberta’s mind and inspired the journalist in him to attempt to find answers. In THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY: American Evangelicals in the Age of Extremism (Harper; December 5, 2023), Alberta—a practicing Christian—investigates the corruption of American Christianity and the subsequent fracturing of individual relationships and church congregations alike.

In search of answers, Alberta spent some four years embedded inside the modern evangelical movement. From the highest echelons to struggling congregations, he toured half-empty sanctuaries and standing-room-only auditoriums while shadowing big-city televangelists and small-town preachers. Reporting from inside hundreds of churches, Christian colleges, religious advocacy organizations, denominational nonprofits, and assorted independent ministries, Alberta offers a definitive account of American Christianity's decline. What he describes is a faith cheapened by partisan subterfuge and stained by scandal. The idea of America as God’s blessed land has abruptly given way to a right-wing nationalist fervor that merges two kingdoms into one and trivializes the witness of Jesus Christ. The Trump presidency and pandemic bolstered long-held church teachings pointing toward disaster.

Alberta finds that many of today’s believers are desperate for power that is frivolous, fleeting, and runs counter to New Testament teachings. “The crisis of American evangelicalism comes down to an obsession with … worldly identity,” he writes. “Instead of fixing our eyes on the unseen, ‘since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal,’ as Paul writes in Second Corinthians, we have become fixated on the here and now. Instead of seeing ourselves as exiles in a metaphorical Babylon, the way Peter describes the first-century Christians living in Rome, we have embraced our imperial citizenship. Instead of fleeing the temptation to rule all the world, like Jesus did, we have made deals with the devil.”

If the American evangelical movement has ceased to glorify God, then what is its purpose? THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY offers a thoroughly reported and deeply personal exploration that meets at the intersection of real cultural displacement and perceived religious persecution.

About the author:

Tim Alberta is a staff writer for The Atlantic, the former chief political correspondent for Politico, and has written for dozens of other publications, including the Wall Street JournalSports Illustrated, and Vanity Fair. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump. He co-moderated the final Democratic presidential debate of 2019 and frequently appears as a commentator on television programs in the U.S. and around the world. He lives in Michigan with his wife and three sons.

AGE GROUP: | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Society & Culture | Literature & Language |

TAGS: | SpeakerSeries | RonRobinsonTheater |

Ron Robinson Theater

Phone: 501.320.5715

Hours

Ron Robinson Theater

Today's hours

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Address
100 River Market Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72201
Tel: 501.320.5715

About the branch

The Ron Robinson Theater is a 315-seat multi-purpose event venue. Part of the Central Arkansas Library System’s (CALS) Main Library campus, it is designed to provide programs for all ages including films, music performances, plays, readings, lectures, speakers, and children’s activities. The theater is equipped with a state-of-the-art DCI-compliant Barco digital cinema projection system and 32′ wide retractable screen; and, a versatile sound system capable of Dolby 5.1 surround audio for movies, with a CL3 digital mixing console with ample inputs for traditional music concerts.

Upcoming Events

Tue, Sep 02, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Celebrate the 40th anniversary of After Hours—Martin Scorsese’s offbeat classic that plunges viewers into a surreal night of mishaps in New York City.Register

Thu, Sep 04, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Join us for the 30th anniversary of Se7en, David Fincher’s dark, gripping thriller that follows detectives played by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as they hunt a serial killer obsessed with the seven deadly sins.Register

Fri, Sep 05, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Celebrate 40 years of one of the quirkiest comedies of the ‘80s!Register

Sat, Sep 06, 7:00pm - 9:30pm
Ron Robinson Theater
VIP & General Admission tickets available.

Tue, Sep 09, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Saddle up for the 65th anniversary of The Magnificent Seven!Register

Thu, Sep 11, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Terry Gilliam’s mind-bending sci-fi masterpiece 12 Monkeys celebrates its 30th anniversary!Register

Fri, Sep 12, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Join us on the 2nd Friday of each month for Art Night at the Theater during downtown's 2nd Friday Art Night!Register

Sat, Sep 13, 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead started it all—the zombie genre as we know it.Register

Sat, Sep 13, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
“They’re coming to get you… in the mall!”Register

Sat, Sep 13, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
The gory finale of Romero’s original zombie trilogy turns 40! Register

Tue, Sep 16, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Celebrate 50 years of A Boy and His Dog, the darkly satirical post-apocalyptic cult classic starring a young Don Johnson.Register

Thu, Sep 18, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
The name’s Bond. James Bond.Register

Sat, Sep 20, 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Michelangelo: Love and Death offers a cinematic journey through the great chapels and museums of Florence, Rome and the Vatican, to the print and drawing rooms of Europe, to explore Michelangelo's tempestuous life.Register

Sat, Sep 20, 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Let’s do the Time Warp again!Register

Tue, Sep 23, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Celebrate the life and music of Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla in this heartfelt biopic starring Jennifer Lopez in her breakout role.Register

Thu, Sep 25, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Grab your Post-its and your pink outfits—Romy and Michele are back!Register

Fri, Sep 26, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
“Put the bunny back in the box!” Register

Sat, Sep 27, 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Go the distance with Disney’s Hercules! Register

Sat, Sep 27, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Suit up!Register

Sat, Sep 27, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Ron Robinson Theater
Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, and Gary Oldman star in Luc Besson’s stunning sci-fi extravaganza The Fifth Element.Register