An Independent Lot
This chapter discusses Texas politics and religion in the twenty-first century. Republicans could count on winning in nearly any national election and in an increasing number of local elections. The contests were less between Republicans and Democrats than between moderate and conservative Republicans. The state's largest Protestant denomination was still Southern Baptist, but its members remained divided between moderates and conservatives, and local autonomy increasingly meant pastors of mega-sized congregations influencing both the denomination and local communities. Denominational identities were less important than informal alliances among the leaders of conservative evangelical congregations who regarded themselves as the true adherents of biblical doctrine, on the one hand, and similar networks among progressive faith communities that emphasized inclusivity, on the other hand.