Plus, Lisa Miller@WaPo says the whole Dominionist thing is just liberal fear-mongering and making a dig deal about it risks lumping in millions of Americans with a fringe element.

The Republican primaries are six months away, and already news stories are raising fears on the left about “crazy Christians.”

One piece connects Gov. Rick Perry with a previously unknown Christian group called “The New Apostolic Reformation,” whose main objective is to “infiltrate government.” Another highlights whacko-sounding Christian influences on Michele Bachmann. A third cautions readers to be afraid, very afraid, of “dominionists.”

The stories raise real concerns about the world views of two prospective Republican nominees. But their echo-chamber effect reignites old anxieties among liberals about evangelical Christians. Some on the left seem suspicious that a firm belief in Jesus equals a desire to take over the world. (Some extremist Christians leveled a similar charge against Obama in 2008, that he was the antichrist aiming to take over world governments.)