One of America's top CN researchers is Katherine Stewart. She wrote a short paper, Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism. A few key points.
- Christian nationalism succeeds by cultivating and exploiting a mindset with four key features: the belief in a particular, authentic, and superior identity group within America; the conviction that the members of this group are the most persecuted group in society; the apocalyptic fear that the nation is on the verge of collapse; and an affinity for strongman leadership.
- What exactly is Christian nationalism? For starters, it is not a religion. It is an anti-democratic political ideology as well as a political phenomenon, more specifically a political movement. It appeals to religious ideas and tropes, yet it contains a multitude of denominations and doctrines, lacking internal theological consistency. As a political ideology, the main idea of Christian nationalism is that the United States is defined neither by its commitment to equality nor any other constitutional principle, but rather by its particular national, cultural, and religious heritage; that this heritage is now under existential threat from progressivism, “wokism,” secularism, immigration, and other supposedly anti-American forces; and that the only solution is to turn all power over to an authoritarian leader who is above the law and can defend “real” Americans against the internal enemy.
- Money plays a big role in driving the movement, and big money plays an especially central role. The wealthy funders are a diverse group who overwhelmingly hail from the very top of the economic ladder. They include evangelicals, Protestants, ultra-conservative Catholics, Jews, and even atheistic types–though the latter may adopt a quasi-religious identity for strategic reasons. The movement does invest considerable effort in grassroots fundraising, with donations from individuals, churches, and other conservative and religious organizations funneled into partisan operations. But the biggest piece of the pie comes from this relatively small number of plutocratic donors.
- Among the underappreciated parts of this political machine are the pastor networks that mobilize tens of thousands of conservative-leaning religious and community leaders, who help turn out millions of voters for far-right candidates. Movement leaders understand that their power derives from their ability to drive voters to the polls. Yet this does not mean they aim to satisfy expressed voter preferences or safeguard their interests. On the contrary, they have exploited their power to protect their agenda from democratic influences. The best illustration of this is their relentless focus on capturing and using the courts to impose policy that is broadly unpopular and, by their own admission, would not stand a chance in democratic elections.