66 pages • 2 hours read
Tim AlbertaThe Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Index of Terms
Christian Coalition
The successor to the Moral Majority, the Christian Coalition was created by Ralph Reed, a politician, and Pat Robertson, a televangelist. The Christian Coalition morphed into the Faith and Freedom Coalition and was defined by a marked rise in extremist, apocalyptic rhetoric that surpassed the Moral Majority’s.
Christian Nationalism
Christian nationalism refers to the rising tide of Christians who decry the separation of church and state and call for political changes that would institute Christianity as a state religion. This is widely considered to be an extremist stance, yet some political figures, like Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene openly endorse it. Christian nationalism is often tied to white supremacy groups.
Evangelism
Originally from the Greek evangelos, meaning “good news,” evangelism has a nebulous definition. Though attempts have been made to define it, many different versions of evangelical philosophy exist in America today. Leaders like Jerry Falwell Sr. have taken advantage of the flexible definitions of “evangelical” to push partisan issues and acquire wealth and power.
January 6
January 6, 2021 was the date of an armed insurrection at the US Capitol Building. Encouraged by unfounded conspiracy theories about a fraudulent 2020 election and figures who espoused them, including former President Trump, citizens rioted and swarmed the building. This resulted in deaths, injuries, and property damage. They were searching for Democrat politicians they believed had stolen the election, as well as Mike Pence, the former vice president, who they believed had betrayed Trump. January 6 marked a strong change in American politics towards active extremism by some groups.
Moral Majority
The Moral Majority, instated by Jerry Falwell Sr., was the result of his decision to recruit “co-belligerents”—people of different beliefs but the same political aims—into a political voting bloc that could command power within the US government. His efforts were largely successful, though the height of the Moral Majority’s power peaked in the 1980s with Reagan’s support. It mostly focused on fighting culture-war issues like abortion, divorce, and queerness.
