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"The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism"

Aired on Wednesday, May 18th.
Aired on Wednesday, May 18th.

"The book's title is a pun, and it's an apt one. What stands out the most from this gripping volume is how a reverence for authority -- if the right person is in charge -- is encoded into the various strands of this movement.... Required reading for anyone who wants to map the continuing erosion of our already fragile wall between church and state." -- The Washington Post

Our guest is journalist Katherine Stewart, who writes about politics, policy, and religion for The New York Times, Washington Post, The New Republic, and other publications. Her book "The Power Worshippers" first appeared a couple of years ago; it's now being issued in an updated edition. She joins us to talk about this book, which traces the full history of the decades-in-the-making alignment between the religious right and the GOP. Per The Boston Globe: "Stewart has produced both a warning about the influence of religious nationalists and, in a brisk epilogue, the beginnings of a handbook about combating religious nationalists. The tools of the counter-revolution she hopes will stanch the religious nationalist drive to power are [an end to] gerrymandering, fresh initiatives to enforce voter rights, and vigilance against abuses at the ballot box.... [This] is both an examination of a new social and cultural phenomenon -- and a call for action."

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