Christian nationalist politics is shaped top-down by wealthy funders, not grassroots voters

Evidence

Outside observers tend to think that the political religion of the movement emanates from the large population of conservative Christian voters to whom it appeals. According to the conventional wisdom, the movement is simply an effort to preserve so-called traditional values and, perhaps more critically, to restore a sense of pride and privilege to a part of the American population that feels that its status is slipping. But a closer look at the substance of that political religion, in the context of the movement’s involvement with political elites, tells a very different story. Most of the political vision of Christian nationalism is decided in the inside game. After all, the Bible can be used to promote any number of political positions. Many would argue that it generally favors helping the poor, for example. But the Bible of Christian nationalism answers to the requirements of the individuals who fund the movement and grant it power at the highest levels of government. — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 141

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to my earlier reading on how ‘compassionate’ or religious rhetoric serves elite accumulation — parallels the French colonial ‘civilizing mission’ as utilitarian egoism, and the finding that popular culture both contains and is steered by dominant power. — connects to: Christian nationalism operates as a top-down elite project, not a grassroots uprising — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 37; Christian nationalist power operates through elite inside channels, not just voters — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 139
• SEED: Angle for an essay: ‘whose Bible is it’ — how any scripture can legitimate opposite policies, and which version wins power because the inside game decides.

Broader Connections

• Christian nationalist power operates through elite inside channels, not just voters #corroborates (0.90) — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 139