Christian nationalism operates as a top-down elite project, not a grassroots uprising

Evidence

The Christian nationalist movement is not a grassroots movement. Understanding its appeal to a broad mass of American voters is necessary in explaining its strength but is not sufficient in explaining the movement’s direction. It is a means through which a small number of people—quite a few of them residing in the Washington, D.C., area—harness the passions, resentments, and insecurities of a large and diverse population in their own quest for power. — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 37

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the general literature on manufactured consent and elite-driven moral panics (e.g., the mugging-construction material by Hall in the reader’s knowledge base). — connects to: Christian nationalism seeks power, not pluralistic cultural influence — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 26; Christian nationalism is radical, not conservative, and undermines democratic institutions — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 33; Christian nationalism functions as a power grab disguised in religious language, not genuine piety — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 455 (+2 more)
• QUESTION: Worth chasing: who exactly are the small number of DC-area leaders named, and what is the documented funding/infrastructure? The chapter numbering suggests more detail follows.

Broader Connections

• Christian nationalist politics is shaped top-down by wealthy funders, not grassroots voters #corroborates (0.95) — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 141
• Christian nationalism functions as a power grab disguised in religious language, not genuine piety #complicates (0.72) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 455