In light of Renn's recent podcast, one can categorize evangelical elites, like Russ Moore, as "class seekers". They're not accepted by elite in mainstream society, but they want to be. This, they call "gospel-witness". We call it "class-seeking" or the "aspirational class." 1/

The goal of class-seeking is to move into a higher social class, which assumes one is conscious of the fact that one is not there yet but in a lower class. 2/

The way to do this is like game theory: signal and frame. Signal your higher status by devaluing those below you. Moore does this to evangelicals who voted for Trump. He's not like them, you see. He's better than that, higher, nobler, acceptable. He has "character." etc. 3/

He and others also "frame" their supposed constituents, as bigoted, racist, hateful, confused, etc. They always psychoanalyze but never enter into dialogue. You dialogue with equals. Psychoanalysis is a sort of condescension, assuming one is above, in another class. 4/

I could go on about this. Everything evangelical "elites" do is to signal and frame their way into higher social status. It's like they're trying, badly and unconvincingly, to "game" their way into alpha status. When viewed this way, they become comical and pitiable. Fin/