The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory by Tim Alberta

Author:Tim Alberta [Alberta, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-12-05T05:00:00+00:00

THE FIRST POLITICAL EVENT WAGNER EVER ATTENDED WAS IN THE spring of 2022: a Mastriano for Governor rally. It was an otherworldly experience. The pastor, who avoided politics and rarely voted in local or national elections, was taken aback by the tone of the environment. People seemed restive, dismayed, fearful. When he went to leave, one of the campaign workers asked if he would walk the blocks vouching for Mastriano.

“And I was like, ‘No, but I’ll go around and talk to ’em about Jesus Christ,’” Wagner recalled with a broad smile. “I’m not talking to people about politics. It’s just not that important to me.”

Wagner, a man in his mid-forties with a thin goatee and a gentle demeanor, described himself as blissfully ill informed of current events. He doesn’t “waste time with the news—no TV, no talk radio, no newspapers.” Wagner’s only window into the world of politics is his Facebook feed. Back in 2020, when he saw Christian friends recommending Mastriano’s “fireside chats”—daily, direct-to-camera videos in which the senator talked about his faith and his views on COVID-19, among other issues—Wagner tuned in. The pastor wasn’t sold on everything Mastriano said. But he appreciated how the man was unapologetic about his Christian beliefs. When Mastriano announced his campaign for governor, and swung through Erie, Wagner decided to check it out.

He was encouraged by some of what he heard. To the extent Wagner had political priorities, the big one was abortion, and Mastriano had staked out a hard-line position. His number one priority as governor, the Republican candidate had said, would be outlawing abortion without any exceptions. The pastor approved. But some of the candidate’s other obsessions—such as whipping up outrage over the “stolen election” of 2020—were lost on Wagner. He planned to vote for Mastriano in the fall election but decided that one political rally was enough.

And then, six months later, a local Republican called Wagner and asked him to deliver the invocation for Mastriano’s return event in Erie. The pastor felt conflicted. He hadn’t given Mastriano much thought since that rally and wasn’t keen to relive the adventure. Praying over the proceedings wouldn’t be a problem with his congregation—Wagner said his church is overwhelmingly conservative—but he did worry about sending mixed signals to his flock. The pastor had a long-standing policy: The only time politics were mentioned in the church was when they prayed for their leaders on Sunday mornings. Accepting Mastriano’s invitation, he fretted, might give outsiders a false impression about “the real purpose of our church.”

Ultimately, Wagner felt compelled to say yes. The rally would be held just a few miles from Garden Heights Baptist—a quaint, brick-and-tan building in a residential neighborhood—and lots of local nonchurchgoers would be in attendance. He viewed it as an opening to evangelize the community.

As we spoke afterward, it was clear that Wagner was processing the event. He seemed a genuine political greenhorn; some of my small talk about the national electoral climate, and even some recent happenings in Pennsylvania, were met with a blank stare.

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