In this episode, Matt is joined by journalist Talia Lavin to discuss her book, Wild Faith: How the Christian Right is Taking Over America, one of the most fascinating and unique books published on the Christian right during the Trump-era. Lavin takes her subjects seriously, but not uncritically, and especially focuses on the wrecked and ruined lives left in the wake of conservative evangelicalism’s more conspiratorial and authoritarian elements, from the Satanic Panic to James Dobson’s parenting manual on how to discipline a “strong-willed child” into compliance. Along the way, they talk about the triumph of QAnon, End Times theology, the importance of the New Apostolic Reformation, and more—all with an eye toward how these religious views and practices help explain conservative evangelicals’ overwhelming support for Donald Trump.
More content from this blog
- Earthquakes and Governance: Why We Need a Gender Lens in Venezuela’s Compounding Crises, by Masaya Llavaneras Blanco – 4 August 2026
- After Venezuela, What Now for Taiwan?, by Brian Hioe – 5 January 2026
- Monroe Doctrine Redux: New Americanism and the Echoes of Empire in China and Japan, by Craig A. Smith – 5 January 2026
- “We Are the Palestinians of Burma”. Interview with a Spokesperson for the Progressive Muslim Youth Association – 21 April 2025
- Tabula Rasa. Han Settler Colonialism and Frontier Genocide in “Re-Educated” Xinjiang, by Joanne Smith Finley – 3 November 2022
Except where noted otherwise, original writing and translations produced by the Left Renewal Blog Collective are published under a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Republished and translated material remains subject to the licence and terms of its original publication.