A Strange Combination of the Secular and the Sacred


In January 2016, then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made a promise. “I will tell you, Christianity is under tremendous siege, whether we want to talk about it or we don’t want to talk about it,” Trump said. If he were to be elected president, he vowed that “Christianity would have power.”


For decades, the Christian Right has underscored many aspects of conservative politics, existing as a base of support for many Republican politicians and as a driving force behind many cultural issues. In its most extreme form, it exists as a powerful Christian nationalist movement. This movement is defined by an ideology known as Dominionism — the idea that regardless of theology, means or timetable, Christians have a right to exercise control over society’s political and cultural institutions. It is a belief in Christians’ God-given right to power in America.


Dominionism is a trans-denominational ideology. Founded in evangelical circles, it was embraced by Catholics joining Christian nationalist movements in the late 20th century. Today, its political goals are often oversimplified as a position against abortion rights, which has remained the most famous cultural issue among evangelicals and has driven a deep wedge in the Catholic electorate. In reality, Christian political organizations have cultivated “biblically correct” positions on dozens of issues, ranging from public schooling to taxes.


Dominionists frame their pursuit of political control as a defense of religious liberty. They do this by rejecting secularism as a principle of America’s foundation. Instead, they insist that the United States was founded on Judeo-Christian ideals that have been worn away over time. This revisionism has led some scholars to allege that some churches are held together more by political orientation and sociology than by theology. 


This is an ongoing project.

A statue of Jesus Christ in Columbia, Mo.
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A statue of Jesus Christ in Columbia, Mo. ×
A statue of Jesus Christ in Columbia, Mo. ×
James Imhoff prays the rosary on Nov. 3, 2020 at St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. He, along with a handful of other parishioners, prayed the church’s “Election Day rosary” in the hopes that the outcome of the election would advance the a
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James Imhoff prays the rosary on Nov. 3, 2020 at St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. He, along with a handful of other parishioners, prayed the church’s “Election Day rosary” in the hopes that the outcome of the election would advance the anti-abortion movement.

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James Imhoff prays the rosary on Nov. 3, 2020 at St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. He, along with a handful of other parishioners, prayed the church’s “Election Day rosary” in the hopes that the outcome of the election would advance the anti-abortion movement.

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An anti-abortion sign is posted outside St. Peter & Paul’s Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo.
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An anti-abortion sign is posted outside St. Peter & Paul’s Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. ×
An anti-abortion sign is posted outside St. Peter & Paul’s Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. ×
Nick Koval came to the United States as a 10-year-old religious refugee from the Soviet Union. Today, he leads a college ministry in Columbia, Mo. and has come to believe the American church and government have become too intertwined. He compares it to wh
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Nick Koval came to the United States as a 10-year-old religious refugee from the Soviet Union. Today, he leads a college ministry in Columbia, Mo. and has come to believe the American church and government have become too intertwined. He compares it to when Christianity became legitimized within the Roman Empire, and the church began to cater to secular leaders. “Caesar protected the church and the church approved the emperor. This is the downfall of the church in America. We look to D.C. to protect us, and we approve D.C.,” Koval said. “When we work so closely with Washington D.C., we destroy our ability to be a true witness for God.”

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Nick Koval came to the United States as a 10-year-old religious refugee from the Soviet Union. Today, he leads a college ministry in Columbia, Mo. and has come to believe the American church and government have become too intertwined. He compares it to when Christianity became legitimized within the Roman Empire, and the church began to cater to secular leaders. “Caesar protected the church and the church approved the emperor. This is the downfall of the church in America. We look to D.C. to protect us, and we approve D.C.,” Koval said. “When we work so closely with Washington D.C., we destroy our ability to be a true witness for God.”

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Anti-abortion pamphlets are posted alongside a cross in the entryway of St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo.
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Anti-abortion pamphlets are posted alongside a cross in the entryway of St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. ×
Anti-abortion pamphlets are posted alongside a cross in the entryway of St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. ×
A sign at the 2023 March for Life encourages the excommunication of Catholics who support abortion rights. Polling shows that despite Vatican teaching, abortion is a divisive issue for Catholic voters, with just over 50% of Catholics supporting abortion r
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A sign at the 2023 March for Life encourages the excommunication of Catholics who support abortion rights. Polling shows that despite Vatican teaching, abortion is a divisive issue for Catholic voters, with just over 50% of Catholics supporting abortion rights. ×
A sign at the 2023 March for Life encourages the excommunication of Catholics who support abortion rights. Polling shows that despite Vatican teaching, abortion is a divisive issue for Catholic voters, with just over 50% of Catholics supporting abortion rights. ×
University of St. Mary Students for Life President McKinzie Horsley and Vice President Landry Murley.  In 2023, they led the club on a pilgrimage to Washington, DC to take part in the first March for Life in a post-Roe v. Wade United States. Ideologically
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University of St. Mary Students for Life President McKinzie Horsley and Vice President Landry Murley. In 2023, they led the club on a pilgrimage to Washington, DC to take part in the first March for Life in a post-Roe v. Wade United States. Ideologically, Horsley and Murley believe in abortion restrictions without exception for rape or incest and both tie their activism to their Catholic faith. "You don’t have to be a Christian to believe that life is valuable,” Horsley said. “But for Christians specifically, that is so central to our faith, that life is sacred, that it was designed and created intentionally for a purpose is that we didn’t just happen. And if you’re truly living and acting out of that belief, I don’t know how you couldn’t do something.”

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University of St. Mary Students for Life President McKinzie Horsley and Vice President Landry Murley. In 2023, they led the club on a pilgrimage to Washington, DC to take part in the first March for Life in a post-Roe v. Wade United States. Ideologically, Horsley and Murley believe in abortion restrictions without exception for rape or incest and both tie their activism to their Catholic faith. "You don’t have to be a Christian to believe that life is valuable,” Horsley said. “But for Christians specifically, that is so central to our faith, that life is sacred, that it was designed and created intentionally for a purpose is that we didn’t just happen. And if you’re truly living and acting out of that belief, I don’t know how you couldn’t do something.”

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Ava Burghart, front left, and McKinzie Horsley, center right, exchange cards during a game of Uno on the 28-hour bus ride to Washington, DC. Founding the University of St. Mary’s Students for Life chapter was a years-long dream for Horsely. She has direct
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Ava Burghart, front left, and McKinzie Horsley, center right, exchange cards during a game of Uno on the 28-hour bus ride to Washington, DC. Founding the University of St. Mary’s Students for Life chapter was a years-long dream for Horsely. She has directed the club’s resources toward supporting crisis pregnancy care centers — religiously-affiliated institutions that provide ultrasounds despite not being licensed medical facilities and are often criticized for using aggressive tactics and misinformation to talk women out of abortions — and a failed ballot measure to ban abortion in Kansas. 

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Ava Burghart, front left, and McKinzie Horsley, center right, exchange cards during a game of Uno on the 28-hour bus ride to Washington, DC. Founding the University of St. Mary’s Students for Life chapter was a years-long dream for Horsely. She has directed the club’s resources toward supporting crisis pregnancy care centers — religiously-affiliated institutions that provide ultrasounds despite not being licensed medical facilities and are often criticized for using aggressive tactics and misinformation to talk women out of abortions — and a failed ballot measure to ban abortion in Kansas. 

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McKinzie Horsley carries a carnation to the Monument of the Unborn on Benedictine College’s campus on Jan. 18, 2023. “The challenge that’s presented to everyone in the pro-life movement is how do we bring about a revolution of the heart,” Horsley said. “Y
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McKinzie Horsley carries a carnation to the Monument of the Unborn on Benedictine College’s campus on Jan. 18, 2023. “The challenge that’s presented to everyone in the pro-life movement is how do we bring about a revolution of the heart,” Horsley said. “You can enact legislation. You can release decisions, like the one that came out in June [2022]. That still does not equate to changing minds and hearts on the issue or all thoughts surrounding abortion.” 

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McKinzie Horsley carries a carnation to the Monument of the Unborn on Benedictine College’s campus on Jan. 18, 2023. “The challenge that’s presented to everyone in the pro-life movement is how do we bring about a revolution of the heart,” Horsley said. “You can enact legislation. You can release decisions, like the one that came out in June [2022]. That still does not equate to changing minds and hearts on the issue or all thoughts surrounding abortion.” 

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Students leave carnations at the Monument of the Unborn on Benedictine College’s campus on Jan. 18, 2023. Students from the University of St. Mary joined students from Benedictine College — considered one of the most anti-abortion campuses in the country
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Students leave carnations at the Monument of the Unborn on Benedictine College’s campus on Jan. 18, 2023. Students from the University of St. Mary joined students from Benedictine College — considered one of the most anti-abortion campuses in the country — to make their pilgrimage and attend the 2023 March for Life. 

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Students leave carnations at the Monument of the Unborn on Benedictine College’s campus on Jan. 18, 2023. Students from the University of St. Mary joined students from Benedictine College — considered one of the most anti-abortion campuses in the country — to make their pilgrimage and attend the 2023 March for Life. 

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From left, Emma Coit, McKinzie Horsley and Weston Hutchings listen to a speaker at the 50th March for Life rally — the first since Dobbs v. Jackson Mississippi Women’s Health overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the power to legalize or restrict abortion to le
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From left, Emma Coit, McKinzie Horsley and Weston Hutchings listen to a speaker on Jan. 20, 2023,  at the 50th March for Life rally — the first since Dobbs v. Jackson Mississippi Women’s Health overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the power to legalize or restrict abortion to legislatures. 

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From left, Emma Coit, McKinzie Horsley and Weston Hutchings listen to a speaker on Jan. 20, 2023,  at the 50th March for Life rally — the first since Dobbs v. Jackson Mississippi Women’s Health overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the power to legalize or restrict abortion to legislatures. 

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Students from the University of St. Mary walk alongside other anti-abortion activists in the  50th March for Life on Jan. 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. Nationwide, roughly 47% of Catholics oppose abortion rights in all or most cases, as well as 63% of evang
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Students from the University of St. Mary walk alongside other anti-abortion activists in the 50th March for Life on Jan. 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. Nationwide, roughly 47% of Catholics oppose abortion rights in all or most cases, as well as 63% of evangelical Protestants. Both groups are vastly more opposed to abortion rights than nonreligious Americans, only 23% of whom oppose abortion rights.

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Students from the University of St. Mary walk alongside other anti-abortion activists in the 50th March for Life on Jan. 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. Nationwide, roughly 47% of Catholics oppose abortion rights in all or most cases, as well as 63% of evangelical Protestants. Both groups are vastly more opposed to abortion rights than nonreligious Americans, only 23% of whom oppose abortion rights.

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The March for Life makes its way toward the U.S. Capitol. In 2023, the march’s route was changed to walk by the Capitol before it reached the Supreme Court. The change was symbolic of the anti-abortion movement’s new focus on enacting abortion restriction
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The March for Life makes its way toward the U.S. Capitol. In 2023, the march’s route was changed to walk by the Capitol before it reached the Supreme Court. The change was symbolic of the anti-abortion movement’s new focus on enacting abortion restrictions at the federal and state level now that the Court overturned Roe v. Wade. 

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The March for Life makes its way toward the U.S. Capitol. In 2023, the march’s route was changed to walk by the Capitol before it reached the Supreme Court. The change was symbolic of the anti-abortion movement’s new focus on enacting abortion restrictions at the federal and state level now that the Court overturned Roe v. Wade. 

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A small group of counter-protesters met the anti-abortion activists attending March for Life on Jan. 20, 2023, outside of the U.S. Supreme Court. Bullhorn in arm, their leader yelled, “Thank God for abortion.”
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A small group of counter-protesters met the anti-abortion activists attending March for Life on Jan. 20, 2023, outside of the U.S. Supreme Court. Bullhorn in arm, their leader yelled, “Thank God for abortion.” 

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A small group of counter-protesters met the anti-abortion activists attending March for Life on Jan. 20, 2023, outside of the U.S. Supreme Court. Bullhorn in arm, their leader yelled, “Thank God for abortion.” 

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A chapel stands just off the geographic center of the contiguous United States, just outside of Lebanon, Kan. It seats eight people and is open to visitors 24 hours a day. It is, unequivocally, a tourist attraction — a photo opportunity just a couple mile
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A chapel stands just off the geographic center of the contiguous United States, just outside of Lebanon, Kan. It seats eight people and is open to visitors 24 hours a day. It is, unequivocally, a tourist attraction — a photo opportunity just a couple miles off the highway. 

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A chapel stands just off the geographic center of the contiguous United States, just outside of Lebanon, Kan. It seats eight people and is open to visitors 24 hours a day. It is, unequivocally, a tourist attraction — a photo opportunity just a couple miles off the highway. 

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It was outside a movie theater in Springfield, Mo. that Leighton Shepherd realized he couldn’t go to church anymore. He was attending a church retreat along with most of his friends, when one of them brought up something that had happened within the churc
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It was outside a movie theater in Springfield, Mo. that Leighton Shepherd realized he couldn’t go to church anymore. He was attending a church retreat along with most of his friends, when one of them brought up something that had happened within the church — a student working on the digital team was asked to step down because he was gay. For Shepherd, who is gay and had been hiding his identity from the church, his family and his friends, that incident was like a wake-up call. Years removed from his former church, Shepherd is now an atheist. “Christianity, on another level, is a toxic religion,” Shepherd said. “How does one community get to decide ‘God sent this man’ and now he’s in power?”

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It was outside a movie theater in Springfield, Mo. that Leighton Shepherd realized he couldn’t go to church anymore. He was attending a church retreat along with most of his friends, when one of them brought up something that had happened within the church — a student working on the digital team was asked to step down because he was gay. For Shepherd, who is gay and had been hiding his identity from the church, his family and his friends, that incident was like a wake-up call. Years removed from his former church, Shepherd is now an atheist. “Christianity, on another level, is a toxic religion,” Shepherd said. “How does one community get to decide ‘God sent this man’ and now he’s in power?”

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A woman prays and dances during a “prayer and praise” event held on March 20, 2023 in the rotunda of the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. The religious event was held in support of SB49, a bill that would criminalize gender affirming health care fo
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A woman prays and dances during a “prayer and praise” event held on March 20, 2023 in the rotunda of the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. The religious event was held in support of SB49, a bill that would criminalize gender affirming health care for transgender children in Missouri. 

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A woman prays and dances during a “prayer and praise” event held on March 20, 2023 in the rotunda of the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. The religious event was held in support of SB49, a bill that would criminalize gender affirming health care for transgender children in Missouri. 

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Three men stand on the steps of the Missouri Capitol during a political and religious rally in support of a law banning gender affirming health care on March 20, 2023. The men’s sign invokes Matthew 18:6 — “but whoever causes one of these little ones who
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Three men stand on the steps of the Missouri Capitol during a political and religious rally in support of a law banning gender affirming health care on March 20, 2023. The men’s sign invokes Matthew 18:6 — “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” 

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Three men stand on the steps of the Missouri Capitol during a political and religious rally in support of a law banning gender affirming health care on March 20, 2023. The men’s sign invokes Matthew 18:6 — “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” 

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A vendor sells both Christian flags and flags exclaiming “Let’s Go Brandon,” — a conservative euphemism for “Fuck Joe Biden” — near the National Mall in Washington DC.
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A vendor sells both Christian flags and flags exclaiming “Let’s Go Brandon,” — a conservative euphemism for “Fuck Joe Biden” — near the National Mall in Washington DC. 

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A vendor sells both Christian flags and flags exclaiming “Let’s Go Brandon,” — a conservative euphemism for “Fuck Joe Biden” — near the National Mall in Washington DC. 

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Pastor Ken Peters is the pastor of Patriot Church, where Christianity and conservative politics are explicitly intertwined. To him, his church is a fortress on the front lines of political culture wars, from where Peters can fight for the Judeo-Christian
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Pastor Ken Peters is the pastor of Patriot Church, where Christianity and conservative politics are explicitly intertwined. To him, his church is a fortress on the front lines of political culture wars, from where Peters can fight for the Judeo-Christian beliefs on which he believes the country was founded. He has also used it to promote the conspiracy that the 2020 election was fraudulent and that Donald Trump is the true president of the United States. 

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Pastor Ken Peters is the pastor of Patriot Church, where Christianity and conservative politics are explicitly intertwined. To him, his church is a fortress on the front lines of political culture wars, from where Peters can fight for the Judeo-Christian beliefs on which he believes the country was founded. He has also used it to promote the conspiracy that the 2020 election was fraudulent and that Donald Trump is the true president of the United States. 

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The barn in which Patriot Church meets, in Lenoir City, Tenn., is adorned with a massive American flag painted on the roof. Experts say that evangelical support for Trump is best understood the the context of Christian nationalism, an ideology that blends
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The barn in which Patriot Church meets, in Lenoir City, Tenn., is adorned with a massive American flag painted on the roof. Experts say that evangelical support for Trump is best understood the the context of Christian nationalism, an ideology that blends Christian and American identity. Supporters of Christian nationalism are more likely to espouse racist and pro-authoritarian views and to view political violence as acceptable. 

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The barn in which Patriot Church meets, in Lenoir City, Tenn., is adorned with a massive American flag painted on the roof. Experts say that evangelical support for Trump is best understood the the context of Christian nationalism, an ideology that blends Christian and American identity. Supporters of Christian nationalism are more likely to espouse racist and pro-authoritarian views and to view political violence as acceptable. 

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From left, Jack Miller, Karis Peters, Alona Savchenko and Jenna Nepomuceno attend morning service on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. The group of students, most of whom were on Thanksgiving Break from the conservative Pensacola Chris
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From left, Jack Miller, Karis Peters, Alona Savchenko and Jenna Nepomuceno attend morning service on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. The group of students, most of whom were on Thanksgiving Break from the conservative Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Fla., led Patriot Church’s worship service that morning. 

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From left, Jack Miller, Karis Peters, Alona Savchenko and Jenna Nepomuceno attend morning service on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. The group of students, most of whom were on Thanksgiving Break from the conservative Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Fla., led Patriot Church’s worship service that morning. 

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The book “Church & State: How the Left Used the Church to Conquer America” is laid next to Ken Peters’ American flag-decorated Bible ahead of his sermon on on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. The book claims, “Marxists have been infil
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The book “Church & State: How the Left Used the Church to Conquer America” is laid next to Ken Peters’ American flag-decorated Bible ahead of his sermon on on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. The book claims, “Marxists have been infiltrating every aspect of our American way of life in an attempt to fundamentally change our great country” and frames the evangelical church as “the last beacon of hope to push back against their progressive, leftist socialist agenda.” 

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The book “Church & State: How the Left Used the Church to Conquer America” is laid next to Ken Peters’ American flag-decorated Bible ahead of his sermon on on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. The book claims, “Marxists have been infiltrating every aspect of our American way of life in an attempt to fundamentally change our great country” and frames the evangelical church as “the last beacon of hope to push back against their progressive, leftist socialist agenda.” 

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Pastor Ken Peters yells during his sermon on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. Peters’ sermon focused on ideas of “freedom” in both a Biblical and American context, as he preached from the Book of Galatians and pulled inspiration from
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Pastor Ken Peters yells during his sermon on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. Peters’ sermon focused on ideas of “freedom” in both a Biblical and American context, as he preached from the Book of Galatians and pulled inspiration from American founding father Patrick Henry, famous for his quote, “Give me liberty or give me death!” 

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Pastor Ken Peters yells during his sermon on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. Peters’ sermon focused on ideas of “freedom” in both a Biblical and American context, as he preached from the Book of Galatians and pulled inspiration from American founding father Patrick Henry, famous for his quote, “Give me liberty or give me death!” 

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A worshiper raises a hand as they sing on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. Patriot Church does not align with any specific denomination, but it is evangelical. Theologically, evangelical beliefs are defined by a literal interpretation
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A worshiper raises a hand as they sing on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. Patriot Church does not align with any specific denomination, but it is evangelical. Theologically, evangelical beliefs are defined by a literal interpretation of the Bible, the ability to be “born again” and a mandate to convert nonbelievers. Politically, however, “evangelical” has become a catchall term for anyone who is Christian, White and votes Republican. 

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A worshiper raises a hand as they sing on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. Patriot Church does not align with any specific denomination, but it is evangelical. Theologically, evangelical beliefs are defined by a literal interpretation of the Bible, the ability to be “born again” and a mandate to convert nonbelievers. Politically, however, “evangelical” has become a catchall term for anyone who is Christian, White and votes Republican. 

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Members of Patriot Church worship on the morning of Nov. 29, 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pastor Ken Peters has used his pulpit to rail against LGBTQ rights, abortion rights, socialism, Black Lives Matter and various safety precautions
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Members of Patriot Church worship on the morning of Nov. 29, 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pastor Ken Peters has used his pulpit to rail against LGBTQ rights, abortion rights, socialism, Black Lives Matter and various safety precautions enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Peters has described his ideology and his church’s mission in a humble manner: “On Sunday mornings, we speak about politics in a Biblical basis.” 

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Members of Patriot Church worship on the morning of Nov. 29, 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pastor Ken Peters has used his pulpit to rail against LGBTQ rights, abortion rights, socialism, Black Lives Matter and various safety precautions enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Peters has described his ideology and his church’s mission in a humble manner: “On Sunday mornings, we speak about politics in a Biblical basis.” 

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A cross and signs saying “Time’s Up, Turn to Jesus” stand along a side road on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 outside Fair Grove, Mo. Apocalyptic language and a belief in the rapture have historically played a role in Dominionist ideology.
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A cross and signs saying “Time’s Up, Turn to Jesus” stand along a side road on  March 1, 2023 outside Fair Grove, Mo. Apocalyptic language and a belief in the rapture have historically played a role in Dominionist ideology.

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A cross and signs saying “Time’s Up, Turn to Jesus” stand along a side road on  March 1, 2023 outside Fair Grove, Mo. Apocalyptic language and a belief in the rapture have historically played a role in Dominionist ideology.

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A set of flags — one American, one Christian — hang limp as the sun sets on March 1, 2023 off a country road outside of Macks Creek, Mo.
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A set of flags — one American, one Christian — hang limp as the sun sets on March 1, 2023 off a country road outside of Macks Creek, Mo. 

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A set of flags — one American, one Christian — hang limp as the sun sets on March 1, 2023 off a country road outside of Macks Creek, Mo. 

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A member of Emmanuel Chapel in Lebanon, Mo. throws a trash bag full of books, DVDs and other “ungodly” items into a massive fire on Oct. 31, 2023, during a book burning held at the church. The event was organized by pastor Dusty Hill after his wife Anita
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A member of Emmanuel Chapel in Lebanon, Mo. throws a trash bag full of books, DVDs and other “ungodly” items into a massive fire on Oct. 31, 2023, during a book burning held at the church. The event was organized by pastor Dusty Hill after his wife Anita Hill said she had a vision from God telling her to do so. 

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A member of Emmanuel Chapel in Lebanon, Mo. throws a trash bag full of books, DVDs and other “ungodly” items into a massive fire on Oct. 31, 2023, during a book burning held at the church. The event was organized by pastor Dusty Hill after his wife Anita Hill said she had a vision from God telling her to do so. 

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A wooden cross is displayed next to a bonfire on Oct. 31, 2023, during a book burning held by Emmanuel Chapel in Lebanon, Mo. Justifying the event, pastor Dusty Hill invoked Acts 19, in which pagan and Jewish magicians burn scrolls of spells and convert t
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A wooden cross is displayed next to a bonfire on Oct. 31, 2023, during a book burning held by Emmanuel Chapel in Lebanon, Mo. Justifying the event, pastor Dusty Hill invoked Acts 19, in which pagan and Jewish magicians burn scrolls of spells and convert to Christianity after witnessing the apostle Paul perform an exorcism. “We're just trying to follow the Bible, the way we believe in the way that God would want us to follow it,” Hill said. 

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A wooden cross is displayed next to a bonfire on Oct. 31, 2023, during a book burning held by Emmanuel Chapel in Lebanon, Mo. Justifying the event, pastor Dusty Hill invoked Acts 19, in which pagan and Jewish magicians burn scrolls of spells and convert to Christianity after witnessing the apostle Paul perform an exorcism. “We're just trying to follow the Bible, the way we believe in the way that God would want us to follow it,” Hill said. 

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Dani Grace is a student at Asbury University, a Christian university in Wilmore, Ky., studying worship arts with minors in music and art. He is also queer and, while he has faced mistreatment by fellow Christians due to his identity, Grace has worked to e
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Dani Grace is a student at Asbury University, a Christian university in Wilmore, Ky., studying worship arts with minors in music and art. He is also queer and, while he has faced mistreatment by fellow Christians due to his identity, Grace has worked to ensure intentional, inclusive spaces for himself and other queer Christians. “One of the Biblical images that has been stuck on my mind since day one is having a seat at God’s table,” Grace said. 

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Dani Grace is a student at Asbury University, a Christian university in Wilmore, Ky., studying worship arts with minors in music and art. He is also queer and, while he has faced mistreatment by fellow Christians due to his identity, Grace has worked to ensure intentional, inclusive spaces for himself and other queer Christians. “One of the Biblical images that has been stuck on my mind since day one is having a seat at God’s table,” Grace said. 

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LGBTQ-affirming pins and stickers are displayed on a desk at The Neighborhood in Columbia, Mo. The Neighborhood is a queer-affirming and deconstructing college ministry that encourages its members to “question everything.”
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LGBTQ-affirming pins and stickers are displayed on a desk at The Neighborhood in Columbia, Mo. The Neighborhood is a queer-affirming and deconstructing college ministry that encourages its members to “question everything.” 

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LGBTQ-affirming pins and stickers are displayed on a desk at The Neighborhood in Columbia, Mo. The Neighborhood is a queer-affirming and deconstructing college ministry that encourages its members to “question everything.” 

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A picture of Jesus is displayed near a sidewalk on Monday, March 23, 2023 in Jefferson City, Mo. To its right rises the steeple of St. Peter Interparish School. To its left is the Missouri Capitol building.
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A picture of Jesus is displayed near a sidewalk on Monday, March 23, 2023 in Jefferson City, Mo. To its right rises the steeple of St. Peter Interparish School. To its left is the Missouri Capitol building. 

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A picture of Jesus is displayed near a sidewalk on Monday, March 23, 2023 in Jefferson City, Mo. To its right rises the steeple of St. Peter Interparish School. To its left is the Missouri Capitol building. 

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Tristen Rouse is a documentary photographer and photo editor born and raised in southwest Missouri. He was also raised in the Southern Baptist Church.


In 2016, he saw many of those he knew in the church begin to support a presidential candidate who dehumanized refugees, bragged about assaulting women and advocated for violence against those who opposed him — but promised to secure Christianity as a powerful force in the United States. In this candidate and in the members of his faith who supported him, Rouse did not recognize the values espoused by Jesus Christ. That year, Rouse left organized Christianity. Today, his relationship with God is simple, but his relationship with Christianity is complex. He believes in the values of Jesus Christ but does not see them in some of His supporters. He does not attend church but carries a Bible that once belonged to his mother. He understands Christianity to be one of the most influential voting blocs in modern conservative politics but does not understand why. 


This project is a reconciliation for Rouse as he searches for reason within the relationship between scared beliefs and secular politics.

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