What is the political thought of the evangelical movement in the early 21st century? Political scientists have written about evangelical influences on Christian right policy in the late 20th century, but how has the movement shifted in the new millennium? This study focuses on a revival that began among evangelicals in the late 1990’s and continues today. This revival seeks to reestablish evangelicals as primarily spiritual – rather than political – beings. Looking at the political theory that underpins the revival, I argue that contemporary evangelicals have an atypical philosophy of time that is apocalyptic and perfectionistic; a theory of being that focuses on a divine plan orchestrating human lives; and a concept of personhood in which the individual is capable of attaining heaven-on-earth through an emotional-spiritual relationship with God. As a result of this theoretical transformation, the evangelical movement has shifted from a policy-driven politics to an ontologically driven politics. Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s political theory of emotion, critical theories of time from Walter Benjamin to Jack Halberstam, and theories of belief from Talal Asad, Tanya Luhrmann, and Moshe Sluhovsky, this study seriously considers the political thought of contemporary evangelicalism, which has not previously been explored.

Joanna Tice works at the intersection of political theory, feminist thought, and queer theory. Her current project describes the political thought of contemporary evangelicalism as it pivots away from the Christian right. Previous projects include the study of “fundamentalist feminisms,” and analysis of the U.S. discourse around undocumented immigration. Joanna holds a B.A. in Politics and Philosophy from Wesleyan University and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the CUNY Graduate Center.