The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism with Holly Berkley Fletcher PhD

Missionary kids often carry the weight of their parents’ choices. They are inculcated into the faith without opportunity for independent thought, according to author, historian, and former intelligence analyst Holly Berkley Fletcher, PhD. Her parents were Evangelical Christian missionaries in Kenya, and she speaks about that and the experiences of other children with similar backgrounds through her book, The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism. “The mission field has long been the rugged frontier in a grand evangelical narrative, the ultimate proof of the American church’s virtue, rightness, and importance,” she writes in the book’s introduction.Holly’s unique first-hand knowledge of missionary work has enabled her to explore the role of missionaries as “Super Christians” in the eyes of the church. Likewise, she has been able to write about the more devious aspects of mission culture, including physical or sexual abuse, neglect of children, and other crimes often not prosecuted due to jurisdictional gaps in the legal relationships between nations. Holly would eventually return to the United States, go on to teach at universities, and work for 19 years as an Africa analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency.

Then she noted that the Trump / MAGA movement “would not exist without white evangelicals.”

“That’s really the foundational, most solid support base that he’s had this entire time,” she concluded. She called White Evangelical Christianity a high-control religion with a persecution complex that has empowered a malignant narcissist. She said that’s what inspired her to write the book. “I felt like the missionary kid experience was a great way to shine a light on it, because it’s not a well-known facet to the broader public, but it is kind of the distillation of a lot of what white evangelical is.”

While reading her book, I noticed that the religion reflected both a male-centric and colonialist perspective, as well as a problematic treatment of children. As I put it, “The kids get farmed off to boarding schools and to other places, while the parents do God’s work.” Holly agreed, explaining that she specifically included the term “White” Evangelical Christianity because the racial dimension is deeply rooted in the culture. She acknowledged that while the movement has become global, with many White Evangelicals who are not white, “you see similar dynamics in other cultures replicating this both on the political front and on the religious front as well.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices