The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism

by Tim Alberta

Not long ago, Locke was a small-time Tennessee preacher. Then, in 2016, he went viral with a selfie video, shot outside his local Target, skewering the company’s policies on bathrooms and gender identity. The video collected more than 18 million views and launched Locke as a distinct evangelical brand. Casting himself on social media as a lone voice of courage within Christendom, he soon aligned himself with figures like Trump henchman Roger Stone, propaganda filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, and right-wing rabblerouser Charlie Kirk to gain clout as one of the evangelical world’s staunchest Trump supporters. All the while, his congregation swelled—moving from their old church building, which seated 250, into a large outdoor tent, then into an even bigger tent, and eventually into the current colossus. The tent holds three thousand people and would be the envy of both Barnum and Bailey.