In his new book, "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism," author Tim Alberta uncovers surprising revelations about the responses given by prominent evangelical leaders when asked about former President Donald Trump. Alberta, a practicing Christian and son of an evangelical pastor, shares his experiences during an interview with MSNBC's Katy Tur.

During the interview, Alberta expressed his astonishment at the reactions he received when pressing high-profile evangelical figures on specific beliefs and actions of Donald Trump. He observed that when confronted individually, these leaders would "back off a little bit" and even provide subtle signals acknowledging their concerns about Trump's behavior. However, they would still justify their support for the former president, stating that his actions were acceptable as long as they served the greater purpose of preserving Christian America.

Alberta highlighted the contradiction between these leaders recognizing Trump's questionable behavior and yet continuing to stand by him. He stated that their rationale was rooted in the belief that the ends of preserving Christian America justified the means of supporting an individual who engaged in uncouth behavior and issued casual calls to violence, behaviors that were not aligned with Christ-like principles.

The book explores how Trump's presidency and the extreme political environment have impacted the evangelical movement in the United States. The author delves into the influence of evangelical voters, who played a decisive role in Trump's victory in 2016 and continued to support him in the 2020 elections.

Interestingly, Alberta reveals that Trump has reportedly derided evangelical voters in private. In his book, he describes the "colorful language" used by Trump to describe the evangelical community over the years, highlighting a disconnect between the former president's public image and private opinions.

Despite the continued support from many evangelical leaders, some key figures have distanced themselves from Trump during his third presidential bid. One such example is Bob Vander Plaats, an influential evangelical leader from Iowa, who recently endorsed Trump's Republican rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

"The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism" offers readers an insightful analysis into the complex dynamics between the American evangelical movement and the political landscape. The book, which was released on Tuesday, is expected to provoke further discussions about the role of faith in shaping American politics.

Watch the full interview with Tim Alberta on MSNBC for a deeper understanding of his findings and observations.