Tim Alberta starts The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory on the worst day of his life. While he was being interviewed on the Christian Broadcasting Network about his prior book, American Carnage, his father dropped dead. Dick Alberta was an evangelical pastor and as Tim stands in the funeral receiving line with his brothers, parishioners - people who have literally known Tim all his life - take the opportunity to berate him for criticizing Rush Limbaugh. This, and a nasty letter sent after Tim's eulogy calls out the politicization of religion, inspired his next book. It's a bit more of an insider's view of evangelicalism's takeover by right wing politics than Kristen du Mez's Jesus and John Wayne and it's clear that Alberta holds a deep Christian faith. While he discusses religious figures like Jerry Fallwell Sr. (more interested in power) and Jr. (more interested in money) who don't follow the path, he focuses on ministers and theologians who are being pushed out because they don't preach right-wing politics. Their story has been neglected, and Alberta also points out that the loudest, most prejudiced voices often belong to people who are also doing many of the congregation's good works. However, I don't believe that they're as small of a minority as Alberta states (or perhaps wants to believe). If they truly were only a "vocal" 15-20% of their sects, could they have so completely taken over their churches?
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