Clearly there is a problem.

An expert perspective of a by and largely unrealized problem.

Sometimes it is simply better to present the work of others who have demonstratively produced a superior explanation about what should, by now at least, be becoming a clear and obvious problem. Robert J. Rei, May 16, 2023.

From  the preface:

Scholarly literature focuses on technical aspects, voter mobilization, coalition building, and demographic correlations. Outside of scholarly books and journals, the CR [Christian Right] is generally decried as reactionary and authoritarian, committed to establishing a theocracy and constituting an American Taliban. The analysis of the CR, both scholarly and in the media, either misses key aspects of its underlying motivations or mischaracterizes its supporters. What I find instead is a coalition of interest groups whose leaders are deeply dedicated to democratic ideals.

The CR in America, however, does not compete for political outcomes within an assumed liberal or pluralistic democratic framework. Rather, its leaders make value judgments based on …