This weekend I've started reading @jackmjenkins "American Prophets". I think it's a good follow up to @RobertDPutnam 's "American Grace". Over the last 40 years "religiosity" has become a line of demarcation, even if we struggle to define the term. 1/8

There are multiple pieces to this. The rise of the "religious right" in the 80s, the reaction to this rise by man who (because of the politics) said "if that's religion I don't want any part of it..." 2/8

There's an early remark in @jackmjenkins book that many in the "movement" he's writing about are uncomfortable with "religious left", partly because of the connection with "religious right" but I suspect for some partly of "religious" 3/8

I wonder, if you counter per-week church attendance comparing Ronald Reagan and DJT and compared it to Jimmy Carter, Bill and Hillary, John Kerry, and Joe Biden who actually sits in the pew more and is served the body of Christ? 4/8

But it plays differently on both sides. Why? @BarackObama religious story is interesting yet I think perhaps defines the narrative. How he played the religious card I think is an important moment in this story 5/8

Now a lot of my more conservative friends will kvetch "but the churches these Dems attend..." Yeah, but remember that RELIGIOSITY became the line of demarcation. @BarackObama played the "religion" card in ways most Dems weren't comfortable with 6/8

Part of this has to do with traditional (and mainline) reluctance to play that card that the black church doesn't have, especially since MLKJr. who mobilized people through churches... 7/8

The "Weird Christianity" movement as written by @roddreher , @NotoriousTIB and @CaseySpinks comes as a reaction to new atheism sparked by @jordanbpeterson resulted in liturgically expressive religiosity: vestments, icons, etc. 8/8