That’s because you’re not thinking about evangelical pastors. You’re thinking about a small population of high-living televangelists and a scatter of troublesome megachurch entrepreneurs.

The weird thing about religious fanaticism is that… what if you are on the wrong side and are killing God’s actual servants while you are part of Satan, the opposition? Nobody wants to think that when they are using their Profits to molest children, buy sports cars, and lord it over the congregation as Pastors and Reverends.

The problems of evangelicalism don’t have much to do with the political engagement of lay evangelicals. The evangelical leadership stratum has now and again been too explicit in its political activities, and movement evangelicals have now and again offered an overly elaborate menu of political objects. Nothing movement evangelicals have done has injured the cause of what the Republican Party putatively stands for one-tenth as much as the general incompetence and vapidity of people like A.M. McConnell.

As for the problems of evangelicalism as a religious dispensation, you’re better off reading S.M. Hutchens, who has a granular knowledge of that territory. And, while we’re at it, they cannot begin to approach in thoroughness the failures of the last three generations of mainline clergy.

Hart and Buckley bore no responsibility for the failure theatre of Republican politicians.

“He has gone to a good school, maybe shops at J. Press, maybe plays tennis or golf, and drinks either Bombay or Beefeater martinis, or maybe Dewar’s on the rocks, or both.”

Obama went to prep school, then Occidental, then Columbia, and Harvard Law. Don’t know whether he shops at J. Press, but his pants are creased razor-sharp. He plays golf, and I’m sure he’d just love a Beefeater martini!

What’s not to like?

Hart never felt himself or his country in danger, apparently. Superb and secure arrogance, a feature of the Ruling Class. Not my kinda guy, and I was once upon a time a tenured Duke faculty member. I left because of the arrogance, the pretense of nobility.

I just finished Jordan Peterson’s “Twelve Rules,” and his vitae (sometimes mentioned in the book) is amazing in the degree to which he actually worked for a living outside of academia: dishwasher, gas jockey, bartender, short-order cook, beekeeper, oil derrick bit re-tipper, plywood mill labourer, railway line worker.
PLUS consultant to the UN, clinical psychologist, adviser to law firms, professor, public lecturer, and published author of more than 100 scientific papers (not social science hogwash) – plus his massive book “Maps of Meaning.”

I am sure this experience forms the core of both his erudition and his popularity with the multitudes, who are hungry for someone who knows great things and can still talk to regular folks. Victor Davis Hanson is of the same ilk.

I usually refer to this tone of voice as ‘serious, but not solemn’.