David Brody - The Teavangelicals: The Inside Story of How the Evangelicals and the Tea Party are Taking Back America

I DIDNT WANT TO WRITE THIS BOOK BUT HISTORY FORCED ME TO. I couldnt help the fact that the Tea Party created a new political movement in this country. I couldnt help the fact that evangelical Christians became a significant portion of this crusade. It happened organically, like a YouTube clip spreading virally. Theres no stopping it. Just like me at the buffet table.

So there I was, the day after the 2010 midterm elections, sitting bleary eyed at my desk inside the Christian Broadcasting Networks Washington, DC, bureau, when I noticed something interesting. The postelection data showed just how instrumental the Tea Party was in the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives. Those Tea Partiers comprised 41% of Americans who went to the polls on November 2, 2010. But just as interesting was the fact that self-identified evangelicals made up the largest constituency group in the midterm elections. And then came this crossover beauty: more than half of the Tea Partiers also said they were conservative evangelicals.

My mind started to race. My experience on the campaign trail compelled me to acknowledge the fact that evangelical Christians were popping up everywhere at Tea Party rallies around the country. I had always known that evangelicals played a significant role within the Tea Party movement, but now I had the raw data to prove it. I figured there must be a way to sum up this fascinating convergence. How could I best describe this relationship? I needed a name. Tea Party Christian? Too boring. Christian Tea Partier? Too radical. It needed to be catchy yet simple. And then, as I stared at a bagel with cream cheese on my desk, it came to me. To borrow a verse from the Bible (and taken completely out of context!), The two shall become one. Hence, the birth of the term Teavangelical. It made perfect sense!

Still, coming up with the title didnt compel me to write this book. As a matter of fact, since 2008 friends and colleagues have been suggesting I write a campaign-style book. They knew as chief political correspondent for CBN News that I had been blessed to interview the top political and evangelical newsmakers in the country. With multiple appearances on NBCs Meet the Press, CNN, CSPAN, and Fox News, I have gained a reputation as a reliable and fair evangelical political analyst (talk about a niche!). Its humbling and pretty funny too, considering I grew up Jewish (that should be a separate book). But doing a book during the 2008 presidential campaign never felt right. And this time around in the 2012 election cycle, I felt the same waythat is, until a trip to the bus stop changed everything.

In early January 2011, I woke up in a grouchy mood. Maybe I had too much Mexican food the night before. I dont know what it was, but I was just cranky for no particular reason. As I got ready to go off to work on a chilly morning, I noticed there was no car available for my wife to drive me to the Metro station. So I had to walk to the bus stopwith the temperature at about 10 degrees! Ugh! Mumbling and grumbling, I closed the front door behind me, secured my iPod on top of my frigid head, and trudged off to the dreaded bus stop.

On the way there, something happened. I cant explain it other than to say that I felt the presence of God walking with me the entire way. I began praying to him, asking for my crabbiness to go away. I then looked up in the sky and saw the most beautiful full moon Ive ever seen, reminding me of Gods majesty and creation. And while all of this was happening the song In Christ Alone started playing on my iPod. The song spoke to me about how God has blessed our lives more than we will ever know (true!) and how we must put our trust in him alone. Then I heard a lyric that touched my heart like no other: In every victory, let it be said of me / My source of strength, my source of hope is Christ alone.

At that point I felt a tugging on my heart and soft inner words that said, Write the book. I figured that had to come from God since it sure wasnt what I wanted to do, considering I was very busy at work and home. Yet God was clearly trying to tell me something that I may be busy, but I needed to rely on him as my source of strength. Well, my arms are too short to box with God, so here we are. I bring you the story of the Teavangelicals.

As youll see, Teavangelical organizers and voters come in all shapes and sizes, and youre about to get acquainted with them through their personal stories. In addition, as CBN News Chief Political Correspondent, Ive received behind-the-scenes access during this presidential campaign, garnering stories and interviews from the Republican presidential candidates who are navigating the Teavangelical waters.