+1 to everything you said in this thread but layered in with that, there's a documented history describing how Paul Wyrich, in league with Falwell and others, reacted to the Bob Jones University IRS decision by acting to create a deliberate political movement which...
while actually founded in racial segregationist bigotry (and dressed up in the costume of being anti-abortion) was framed and founded on victimology. Whatever target group they identified as a threat, whether another race or ethnicity, or "the gays!" or Hollywood liberals...
the through line was "they are out to get us" because propagandists know that the two best tools for manipulating a crowd are fear and anger. While there are historical roots of this sort of thinking that go beyond the 70's, for the last 40 years the "Evangelical Media"...
has with malice aforethought manipulated their audience into the worldview that they are under constant threat of persecution. This thinking didn't grow organically, it was deliberately indoctrinated. And for very deliberate reasons. The whole business is a scam.
the only thing that has actually ben gained by "movement conservatism" among white evangelicals is political power and profitable bottom lines. Consider this: Let's take AFA for example. Remember what Don Wildmon set out to do when he founded then AFD?
supposedly the intention was to "clean up" indecency in all forms of entertainment media, right? How did that mission turn out, 40 years hence? In fact, basically EVERY thing they have identified as a goal has not been accomplished but has rather gone in the opposite direction...
and yet AFA is far bigger, wealthier, and more profitable than ever before. Having failed at everything - everything EXCEPT propogandizing trusting believers to keep sending in those contributions and voting as instructed. Same goes for all the rest of those "ministries" that...
operate on the same model and the "big name" thought leaders who run them. But wait, there's more. Let's take ADF for example this time. ADF writes model legislation for Republican legislatures to pass, knowing that it will be challenged in court, and promise lawmakers that...
they will defend the laws for no cost. Then, when the suit comes the send out money begs saying "we're fighting for this anti-gay (or whatever) law, send us money to help" and get more in contributions than they could have billed the state. If they win, the next letter...
says "Victory! Send us more money so we can keep winning like this against the forces of liberal evil"...if they (usually) lose, the next letter says "Look what horrible liberal judges did! Send us money so we can keep fighting them!" Both letters work, profit either way.
In conclusion, the rank and file white evangelical, while not absolved of responsibility completely, are merely tools and pawns of a "Christian Media" machine that profits financially and politically by keeping them angry and afraid that they are being persecuted.
