Sharing a Sneak Preview of My BACKSLIDE Audio Book
Plus an early Library Journal review: "A thoughtful critique of current politics"
Dear Redeeming Democracy readers,
As we wrap up a long summer week (could Independence Day have been just 6 days ago?), I’m looking ahead and realizing that we’re now within two months of the release of my new book, BACKSLIDE: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation after the Christian Turn Against Democracy. After years of working on this book, I’m excited to see it coming into the world.
Right on cue, I received word that the audio book recording of BACKSLIDE has now been finalized, along with a sneak preview from the first chapter, entitled “Future Regret,” which I’m glad to be able to share with you here.
BACKSLIDE is available on all audiobook platforms, including the following:
I also want to say a public “thank you” to the talented actor Holter Graham, who has now skillfully read each of my last four books. Graham has been all over film, television, and theatre since the 1980s. And he’s done narration work for the likes of Stephen King, Scott Turow, and Bob Woodward. My wife Jodi Kanter is a theatre professor at George Washington University, so the considerable skill involved in delivering polished audio is not lost on me. It’s odd to owe a debt over a span of a decade to someone I’ve never met, so I at least wanted to express my gratitude and admiration to Graham for his craft.
Review of BACKSLIDE from Library Journal
I posted this positive early review of BACKSLIDE from Publisher’s Weekly a few weeks ago:
“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
This week, another early review dropped at Library Journal:
Jones (The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy), the founder and president of Public Religion Research Institute, was raised a white Southern Baptist in Jackson, MS. Steeped in the faith, he remembers training for witnessing but never straying into Black neighborhoods to save new souls. In fact, it was not until he attended a Baptist seminary that he discovered his denomination had split from Northern Baptists to justify keeping Black people enslaved. His church used the term “backslide” to refer to a lapse in religious belief or conduct. Such a lapse would require a personal realization of the need to return to God. In his latest book, Jones connects white Christian nationalism to the backsliding, or deterioration, of democracy in the U.S. He sees a link between the push for a Christian theocracy and a decline in liberal democracy. The book’s chapters use terms that describe the Christian need to examine one’s souls: intention, examination, formation, confession, transformation, and redemption. The epilogue brings his thesis into the current political situation, exhorting Christians in the U.S. to oppose cruelty under the Trump administration.
VERDICT: A thoughtful critique of current politics from a Christian perspective.
What a great recording! I love the inflection in his voice. Thanks for sharing that. I just want to thank you again for last weeks group watch, brilliant idea and hope we can do it again! It was extremely helpful.
Robby? I know you only from your books, PRRI, and a talk you gave at Rutgers so I think I'll keep calling you Robert. Thank you for this, and ALL your work. I used the Doctrine of Discovery book in a class I taught in Fall 2025 and the students loved it. I'm so glad I found your SubStack.