Large portions of the non-evangelical population (Christians and non-Christians) accurately see the religious right as self-righteous, cruel, selfish, and dishonest people. This should be heartbreaking for a group allegedly trying to win souls for Christ. Instead, it’s worn as a badge of honor under the guise of persecution.
I understand leaders cynically using faith to acquire wealth and power, but the rank and file evangelical believer trading the Gospel for this other belief, and thereby poisoning the true message of the Gospel in our culture, is another thing entirely. Donald Trump, the supposed Christian leader and pro-faith president, has done more to advance the cause of atheism in America than all notable atheist thinkers and writers combined.
I was also surprised by how much competent leadership matters. Even recent bad presidents have a certain stability of competency. It can often feel like who is president doesn’t matter in our day to day lives, and then you have 400,000 dead and a terrorist attack on the Capitol.