The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism

For the past several years there have been many books published about the rise of the religious right and its role in the modern Republican Party, especially after the fall of Nixon and the rise of Reagan. While there have been many excellent books, a few duds, this one falls squarely in the middle of the pack. Where most of them fall and belong. Not great, but not terrible. It does not offer more than general insight as Katherine Stewart works to talk to leaders, in generally Baptist churches, about the role that religion plays in their voting for one particular party no matter who the candidates are. Most of her reporting takes her to smaller towns in the Deep South, though she does work at providing some backstory, though if people already know the story it is generally a rehash of the major points and the rise of Jerry Falwell. Maybe the best thing about it is the interviews she conducts, though she is experienced as an investigative reporter and that shows in her interviews. Though sometimes her big-city bias about small towns does appear from time to time.