Abbott, Greg, 5
abortion, 85, 102, 123, 124–125, 135, 230
Affordable Care Act (ACA), 63
African Americans. See Black Americans
agnostics, 201
Agudath Israel Synagogue, 113–114, 120
AIDS, 130
Alliance Defending Freedom, 100, 102–103, 109, 129. See also Christian Legal Movement
American Center for Law and Justice, 103. See also Christian Legal Movement
antichrist, 20
Arizona, 137
Armageddon, 25
Asian Americans, 78–79, 81, 83, 87, 89–90, 93–95, 136, 171–173, 176, 180–181, 185–187, 189–190, 193
attendance. See services, religious
Australians, 39
authoritarianism, 101
baby boomers, 235
Barr, William, 126
Bauer, Gary, 124
beliefs, religious, 13–14, 87. See also prosperity gospel
Beshear, Andy, 103
Bible, 57, 230–231, 241; literal views of, 143, 146, 151–152, 165, 168, 231, 234, 237
Biden, Joe, 80, 107, 125, 137, 242
bike shops, 120
Black Americans, 42, 43, 45, 46, 64, 78–82, 83, 87, 89–90, 93–95, 119, 136, 244; differential effects of COVID-19 on, 69, 171 (see also COVID-19, racial disparities of); enslavement of, 73–74; police treatment of, 47, 49, 52, 75; religious affiliation of, 185–187; religious service attendance of, 77, 166–167, 175–177, 217, 219, 221, 224, 228; segregation of, 71, 75, 172; strength of faith and, 180–181, 189–190, 192–195, 212; trust in science and, 179–180 (see also trust in science/scientists). See also racism
Black church, 76–77, 82, 83–84, 136, 172–173, 187, 240; variability within, 86. See also Church of God in Christ
Black Lives Matter (BLM), 42, 122–123, 127, 131, 134–136, 139, 242, 244; public opinion on, 131
bleach, 76
born-again Christians. See evangelicals
British, 39
Brown, Khari, 95
Bush, George, 127
California, 61, 103, 109, 117, 129
Calvary Chapel v. Sisolak (2020), 118
Catholics, 37–38, 84, 104, 113–115, 118, 124, 148–149, 151, 153, 186–187, 200–201, 207, 213, 217, 219, 221, 228
Centers for Disease Control, 58, 73, 74, 104, 141, 149, 152
Christian Coalition, 122
Christian legal movement (CLM), 100–104, 108–110, 120, 129; composition of, 102
Christian nationalism, 43–44, 45, 52, 53, 55, 58–60, 62–67, 101; and authority, 57; defined, 55–56; measures of, 56; and racial differences in effect, 65–66; and racism, 64–65, 242; and science, 57, 60, 241
Christian Right, 122–127, 130–139. See also Christian Legal Movement, and specific organizations
Christianity Today, 123
Church of God in Christ (COGIC), 3, 86
Civil Rights Movement, 77, 124
clergy, 3, 17, 77–81, 83–84, 103, 122, 129, 141, 159–160, 228, 232, 234, 240, 243; address of the coronavirus, 88–90, 92–96, 122; encouragement for members to attend in person, 88, 90–91, 95; misperception of, 88; representative role of, 86
collective action, 15, 16, 27, 77; problems, 1, 13, 60
Collins, Francis, 3
confirmation bias, 31
congregations (religious), 2, 87–88, 116–118; burden felt by COVID-19 restrictions, 111–121; closure/openness of, 2, 5, 17, 42, 43, 77, 90–91, 104, 138; as essential, 116–118, 128–129, 133; mitigation strategies of, 3, 85, 103, 109, 138; offering remote worship by, 91, 114; partnerships of with public health providers, 85; racial distribution in, 85; reliance on, 16; reopening of, 2, 17; social distancing in, 6, 84, 90; social service provision of, 85. See also services, religious
Congress, 207
conservative Christians. See evangelicals
conspiracy beliefs, 6, 23, 28, 30–31, 241; determinants of adopting, 29–33; health effects of believing, 40, 76; religious effects on, 28, 30–31, 35–39; role of elites in promoting, 5, 32–33, 76; survey measurement of, 33. See also QAnon
conspiracy theories. See conspiracy beliefs
Copeland, Kenneth, 14
Coronavirus. See COVID-19
Cotton, Tom, 132
COVID-19: as “Chinese Flu,” 5, 28–29, 64–66, 76, 83, 127, 135 (see also conspiracy beliefs); concern with, 15, 50, 52–53, 77–78, 109, 225; death toll of, xi, 1, 54, 239; disease, description of, 1; hysteria over, 19, 20, 23, 178–179, 230, 232, 235, 236; misinformation about, 28, 32–33, 54, 55, 109, 140, 174 (see also conspiracy beliefs); partisan concentration of, 1, 229; perceptions of cases, 141, 147, 153; personal behaviors regarding, 58–59, 127, 130; precautions regarding, 54, 55, 58–59; racial disparities and, 64–65, 69–72, 81, 83, 94; rates of, 2, 5, 13, 32, 54; regional concentration of, 1, 54; stimulus package for, 128; threat from, 16, 20, 22–23, 47, 86–87, 95, 114, 178, 229–230; vaccines for (see vaccines); variants of, 4; waves of, 1, 17, 32
creationism, 57
culture wars, 54, 99, 100–101, 103, 109, 121
Cuomo, Andrew, 110
Davis, Kim, 102
Democratic Party, 17, 26, 47, 55, 122, 128, 173, 201–202, 230, 231, 235, 236
denominations, religious, xi
disability, 244
discrimination, 5, 72, 101, 110, 115–120, 124, 126, 129
disgust, 101
distrust. See trust
Dobson, James, 124
dogmatism, 34
Dolben Act, 73
Dollar, Creflo, 14
economy, 62
establishment clause, 112, 120. See also First Amendment, religious freedom
ethnoreligious, xi
eugenics, 75
Europe, 239
evangelicals, 15, 35, 43, 44, 47, 50, 52, 114, 116, 118, 179; measurement of, 33, 49; media usage, 142, 147; religious service attendance, 217, 221, 224, 175–176; resistance to government health orders, 43, 99, 101; and sources of pandemic information trust, 141, 149, 151; strength of faith and, 193; support for Trump, 33, 143; theology/beliefs of, 15, 87; and the Trump Administration, 36, 203
Evangelical Advisory Board, 132
Evers, Tony, 61
exclusive values, 24–25
faith healing, 15, 24, 30. See also prosperity gospel
faith, 243; strength of, 180, 188–189, 192–193, 194. See also religiosity
Faith and Freedom Coalition (FFC), 122–124, 127, 128, 130, 133–138
Falwell, Jerry, Jr., 124
Family Research Council (FRC), 122–131, 134–138
Fauci, Dr. Anthony, 140
Fea, John, 124
Firearm Industry Trade Association, 42
First Amendment, 41, 42, 100–101, 109–110, 112, 128, 229; weaponizing of, 101. See also establishment clause, free exercise clause, religious freedom
First Liberty, 100, 103, 110. See also Christian Legal Movement
Florida, 220
Floyd, George, 9, 42, 46, 47, 130–131, 135. See also Black Lives Matter, protests
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 32
Fox News, 34, 38, 99, 140, 147, 153–154, 226, 229, 231
free exercise clause, 112–115, 117–120. See also religious freedom
fundamentalism, 45
funerals, 3
Galli, Mark, 123
gender, 50, 163, 185, 193, 232; and leadership, 160, 169
Generation Z, 235
Gohmert, Louie, 137
Google Trends, 47–48
Gorsuch, Neil, 109, 116, 118–120
government health orders, 15, 17, 20, 42, 46, 55, 58, 61–62, 76, 81, 84, 99, 100, 109, 111, 116–117, 123, 126, 128–129, 133, 219–220, 225, 226, 240; attitudes about, 55, 60, 63, 67, 105–106; defiance of, 21, 23–24, 25–26, 42, 43, 84, 88, 92–95, 100, 102–106, 109, 111–112, 117, 129–130, 240. See also Christian Legal Movement
Graham, Franklin, 61, 124, 132, 202
guns, 230; background checks for purchasing, 45; ownership of, 48, 205; policy, 47, 56; purchasing of, 41, 43–53; sales of, 41; shops, 41
Hawley, Josh, 137
health, 71–72, 74; maternal, 72, 74–75; social determinants of, 70–72
health care: access to, 5, 69, 72–75, 83; utilization of, 73–74, 76
health orders. See government health orders
Hibbs, Jack, 137–138
Hice, Jody, 137
Hispanic Americans. See Latina/o/x Americans
houses of worship. See congregations
housing, 71
hunting, 44
Hyde Amendment, 125
immigrants/immigration, 5, 56, 65–66
Inazu, John, 109
incautious behaviors. See COVID-19, personal behaviors regarding; COVID-19, precautions regarding
independents, 194
influenza pandemic, xi
Institutional Review Boards, 74
insurrection (Jan. 6, 2021). See January 6th
Insurrection Act, 132
Israel, 124
Italy, 213
Jackson, Jesse, 77
Jakes, T. D., 14
January 6th (2021), 137–138, 242
Jewish Americans, 3, 33, 113–115, 119, 151, 155, 186, 200, 228
Jim Crow Laws, 74
Johnson, Mike, 137
Johnson Amendment, 125
Kavanaugh, Brett, 116, 119, 120, 127
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 244
Krugman, Paul, 110
Lacks, Henrietta, 75
Land, Richard, 124
Latina/o/x Americans, 70, 78–79, 81–82, 83–84, 87, 89–95, 136, 171, 176–177, 180–181, 185–187, 189–190, 192–195
Lewis, John, 77
Liberty Counsel, 100, 102. See also Christian Legal Movement
Liberty University, 64
lockdowns. See government health orders, stay at home orders
Loeffler, Kelly, 137
MacArthur, John, 55, 61, 103, 109
magical thinking, 28, 30–32; and the prosperity gospel, 30. See also faith healing
Mainline Protestants, 44, 147, 151, 186, 217, 219, 221, 228, 234
Manichean thinking, 31–32, 34, 36–39. See also evil, dogmatism
March for Life, 125
mask mandate, 17, 55, 60, 117. See also government health orders
Massachusetts, 70
Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, 126
McConnell, Michael J., 117
media: religiosity and consumption of, 143–144. See also trust, in the media
Medicaid, 75
medical mistrust. See trust, in doctors/health professionals
Medicare, 74
megachurch, 20, 24, 55, 61, 109
Metaxas, Eric, 124
Middle Eastern Americans, 193
Minnesota, 129
Mississippi, 129
mistrust. See trust
Moore, Johnnie, 132
Mormons/Latter-day Saints, 151, 187, 200
Multiracial Americans, 193
Murphy, Greg, 127
Muslim Americans, 33, 101, 108, 151, 155, 187, 199–200, 206–208, 242
National Research Act, 74
Native/Indigenous Americans, 171, 193
natural disasters, 212
Neuhaus, Richard J., 240
Nevada, 103, 109, 114, 118, 120
New York, 41, 109, 118, 120, 210–211, 242
New Zealand, 212
9/11, 46, 199, 210–211, 213, 243
non-Christians, xi. See also Buddhists, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu Americans, and nones
nones, 33, 37, 149, 151, 185–186, 217, 228, 243
nonreligious. See nones
Norplant, 75
Norquist, Samah, 126
North Carolina, 75
NRA (National Rifle Association), 41
Obergefel v. Hodges (2015), 102, 126
Oklahoma, 220
Oregon, 102
Orthodox Christians, 187
Ossof, Jon, 137
Pacific Islander, 193
pandemic. See COVID-19
partisanship, xi, 19, 22–26, 29, 46, 49, 50, 51, 55, 80, 99, 101–102, 104–110, 127, 131, 147, 149–152, 168, 177, 180, 185, 193, 197, 199, 206, 208, 229, 232, 235–236, 240
Paxton, Ken, 41
Peale, Norman Vincent, 19
Pelosi, Nancy, 128
Pennsylvania, 137
pentecostals, 24
Perdue, David, 137
Perkins, Tony, 122, 124, 126, 129, 131, 134–135, 137–139
Planned Parenthood, 75, 128, 129, 134
polarization, 53, 60, 67, 100–101, 103–104, 107–110
political institutions, 162–163
prayer, 39, 190, 192–193, 211, 213–219, 227, 243
prejudice, 244
presidential election of 2020, xi, 47, 50–52
prosocial behaviors: religion and, 185, 193, 241
prosperity gospel, 13, 87, 91, 95, 109; beliefs of, 13–15, 31, 91; distribution of, 18–19, 26, 34; effects of, 14–15, 16, 22–25; links to other religious attributes, 19, 25; measurement of, 18; and partisanship, 19, 22–24; and race, 25–26, 91, 240, 244; reach of, 14
Protestants, 44, 114–116, 119. See also evangelicals, Mainline Protestants
protests, xi, 47, 104, 122–123, 131–135; effects on gun purchasing, 43, 45, 46, 50, 51–53. See also Black Lives Matter
PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute), xi, xiii, 28–29, 33y, 101, 116
public health orders. See government health orders
Puerto Rico, 75
punitiveness, 45
purity, 5
QAnon, 3
racism, 55, 56, 64–68, 69–73, 83, 135
Reed, Ralph, 122, 124, 132–133, 136, 137–139
religion, 55; dogmatic, 5; online meetings of (see services, religious); and racial minorities, 6; roles of, 4–5, 6
religiosity, 39, 43, 44, 49, 50, 53, 55, 62, 67; racial differences and, 84–85, 95
religious freedom, 23, 25–26, 61, 99–104, 108–110, 112, 114–119, 123, 124–126, 129, 135, 139, 228–229, 237, 241, 242; and discrimination, 101; jurisprudence concerning, 100, 103, 109–110, 111–119; public opinion on, 101, 104–107, 116, 119. See also services religious
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA, 1993), 101
religious institutions. See congregations
religious liberty. See religious freedom
religious traditions, 19
Reno, R. R., 15
Republican Party, 17, 19, 26, 47, 55, 60, 104, 122, 154, 161, 173, 201–202
research designs, 7
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo (2020), 109, 118
Romney, Mitt, 116
Roy, Chip, 137
rural areas, 44
same-sex marriage, 25, 56, 85, 101
Satan. See devil
Scalise, Mike, 127
Schindler, Oskar, 124
Schlapp, Matt, 137
science: denial of, 29–30, 230; relationship with religion of, 3, 30
Second Amendment, 41
services, religious, 77, 111, 114, 163; attendance of, 34, 38–39, 59, 62, 77, 88, 90, 91–92, 95, 168, 187, 191, 211, 213–221, 223–225, 242; cancellation of, 165–166, 176, 213; encouragement to attend in person, 88, 90–91, 95; as spreader events, 42, 43, 55, 61; virtual or online, 77, 91, 99, 111, 114, 211, 213–219, 221–224, 244
Shelter-in-place. See stay-at-home orders
Sherbert test, 112–113
silent generation, 235
Sims, J. Marion, 74
slavery, 73–75. See also Black Americans, enslavement of
social distancing, 6, 27, 88, 91–92, 95, 130, 135, 177; defiance of, 16. See also congregations, social distancing in
social justice, 85
Solid Rock Church, 5
Soros, George, 136
South Dakota, 220
Spell, Tony, 15
spirituality, 213
Staver, Mat, 103
“stay at home” orders, 17, 41, 47, 86, 117–118, 129, 184, 191, 192–194, 202. See also government health orders
Tennessee, 220
Texas, 83
Thanksgiving, 111
Thomas, Clarence, 119
Thomas More Law Center, 100, 103. See also Christian Legal Movement
threat, 5, 46, 53, 101–102, 123, 135, 139; elite communicated, 5
Tocqueville, Alexis de, 4–5, 240
transgender, 125
travel ban, 64
Trump, Donald J., 19, 21, 29, 41, 80, 83, 102, 107–108, 110, 123–124, 127, 131–139, 202, 226–227, 234, 243; administration of, 21, 29, 32, 103, 124–125, 129; approval of, 38; COVID-19 diagnosis of, 32, 76; and pandemic information, 33, 34, 58, 60, 64, 83, 104, 130, 140, 149, 208, 242; at St. John’s Church, 42; support for, 60; 2016 election of, 26
Trump, Donald Jr., 104
trust, 76, 81; in clergy, 77–82, 160, 164, 167; in doctors/health/medical professionals, 70, 72–75, 77–82, 106; in government, 2, 21, 29, 34–35, 38, 72, 76, 83, 141, 151–152; in the media, 29, 55, 60, 99, 142, 152; in others, 2, 16, 21, 24–26, 29, 45, 53; in science/scientists, 29, 43, 55, 78–80, 142, 178–179
Tuskegee Study, 73–74
unaffiliated. See nones
unemployment, 184
unrest, civil. See protests
unvaccinated population, 4
U.S. Supreme Court, 242
vaccine(s), 4, 63, 67, 70, 76, 82, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243
values, religious, 14, 24–25, 42
victimization, 46
White, Paula, 16
Wiccan, 187
work, remote, 71
World Health Organization (WHO), 32
worldviews. See beliefs, religious, and values, religious
Wuhan, China, 6, 32. See also China, conspiracy belief
xenophobia, 63–68
Zoom, 111