EP 379 Religious Nationalists Have a Growing Influence on American Politics

While the number of religious nationalists may not be overwhelming their influence on American politics, and access to those in the White House, is a stunning political achievement. Some may envision evangelicals as fighting a culture war against modernity, but the movement described in Katherine Stewart’s book, ‘The Power Worshippers’, is so much more than that. Ignoring their aims, strategies and growing influence on the politics of our nation will inur to the detriment of those who understand the Constitution to be built on democratic values and not religious ones. They had, and still exercise, great influence on the Trump Administration and are focused on reconstituting the federal courts in such a way that will magnify their impact for decades to come. The Christian right employs a network of think tanks, advocacy groups, pastoral organizations and the fortunes of some very wealthy individuals in our society to re-imagine the principles upon which the Republic was first built. They are sophisticated and mobilized and barely towing the line separating church from state. It’s an important story that we describe on this podcast.

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