Of the many currents at the nexus of American religious and political life, Christian Nationalism is unquestionably the dominant force. Christian Nationalists and allied elements of the far right have taken over the Republican Party; purged moderate Republicans from the precinct level as well as their side of the House and much of the Senate; […]

Read more

On May 19 Air Force One landed in Detroit, Michigan, delivering Joe Biden to the Freedom Fund Dinner of the NAACP. It was a classic campaign event, with homage to Michigan state party leaders, an audience seated sedately at their tables, and a series of speeches from a podium. But some 50 miles away, quite […]

Read more

If you want to know where the Republican Party is headed, you need to set aside your assumptions and simply listen to what its leaders and activists say—especially when they’re talking amongst themselves. As a reporter and author on the religious right beat over the past dozen years, I’ve made a point of attending such […]

Read more

As we head into the fall elections, there is increasing recognition of the critical role played by religious conservatives in the Republican Party and a corresponding curiosity over the seeming contradiction between the supposed values of this constituency and their rock-ribbed support of Donald Trump. Outside observers often marvel at how Christian nationalists put up […]

Read more

“As critics from many sides accused the government of fanning the flames of intolerance, Premier François Legault came to the defense of Quebec’s secularism bill on Friday by saying ‘we have to think of what’s best for our children.’” ­—Jason Magder, Montreal Gazette, April 5, 2019. In June 2019, Quebec’s National Assembly, the provincial legislature, […]

Read more