Christian nationalists want to turn America into a theocracy, a government under biblical rule.

If they gain more power, it could mean fewer rights for you.

I'm Heath Drusen and on the new season of Extremely American

I'll take you inside the movement. Listen to Extremely American from Boise State Public

Radio, part of the NPR Network.

You're listening to Life Kit

from NPR.

Hey everybody, it's Mariel.

I saw this meme one time that said, how is it that we were born onto a planet that has everything

we need to survive?

And I ended up with a credit score.

Fair point, right?

What we're about to get into, credit cards and credit scores,

it feels overly complicated and it also feels like a game,

one that you might rather not play. But since this is our reality, we kind of have

to play the game. And if you're gonna play, you might as well win. Here's what I mean. When you open

up a credit card, the issuer is agreeing to lend you money.

It's also giving you benefits like cash rewards, discounts, reimbursements.

Credit card issuers do this because on the whole, they're making money on fees for merchants but

also on interest and late fees from you. They're not making money on every

single customer at scale they're making money but you can be kind of the aberration that makes money for yourself.

That's John Kirnan, the managing editor at the personal finance website Wallet Hub.

...