Christian nationalist priorities transformed American democratic institutions

Evidence

Now and then I wish I could go back to those happy afternoons on the California coast, where none of this would have seemed worthy of placing before the public. But I can’t so easily forget what I have learned. Anyone who cares about what is happening in American politics today needs to know about this movement and its people. Their issues—the overwhelming preoccupation with sexual order, the determination to unite the nation around a single religious identity, the conviction that they are fighting for salvation against forces of darkness—have come to define the effort that has transformed the political landscape and shaken the foundations upon which lay our democratic norms and institutions. This is the movement responsible for the election of the forty-fifth president of the United States, and it now determines the future of the Republican Party. — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 24

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: The framing of this movement’s three defining preoccupations—sexual order, single religious identity, salvation against darkness—echoes the sacrificial/identity structure useful for the sacrifice essay’s broader argument pattern.
• XREF: connects to: Christian nationalism exerts unique unrecognized influence on American political division — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 13; Christian nationalist Bible-study groups aim to saturate every level of US government — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 179; Christian nationalist strategy targets political leaders as force-multipliers for national evangelization — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 211 (+8 more)

Broader Connections

• Christian nationalism is radical, not conservative, and undermines democratic institutions #expands (0.90) — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 33
• Christian nationalism, not denomination, now predicts Americans’ politics #corroborates (0.85) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 454
• White Christian nationalism drives right-wing populism in America #corroborates (0.85) — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross, 178
• Christian nationalism predicts approval of the Capitol rioters and political violence #exemplifies (0.85) — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 219
• Christian nationalism fuses ethnic, racial, and political hierarchy with religious identity #expands (0.80) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 66
• Christian nationalism seeks power, not pluralistic cultural influence #corroborates (0.80) — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 26
• Christian nationalist adherence is primarily political rather than religious #corroborates (0.80) — Andrew L. Whitehead; Samuel L. Perry, Taking America Back for God, 214