The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism Paperback – April 26, 2022

Power Worshippers is a vital, well documented report that is instrumental in understanding religious nationalism’s influence on politics. Primarily focusing on the Christian nationalist movement in the United States, Katherine Stewart sets out to thoroughly define the term Christian Nationalism, its interests, and why it is a threat to American democracy. There is a difference between religion and political ideology in pursuit of power. Stewart emphatically asserts that distinction by not demonizing Christianity as a whole but instead, rejects the nationalistic invention that originates from proslavery theologians that has evolved into the modern movement that we see today. Modern-day calls for religious freedom are inextricably linked to the belief that conservative Christians should be permitted to discriminate against minority groups without the fear of losing lucrative tax deductions and subsidies granted by the government. The very government, which ironically Christians nationalists claim, is discriminating against them. Infiltrating more and more institutions of our society, the movement intends to seize full control of what missionary C. Peter Wagner titles the “Seven Mountains of Influence,” which include:1. Government2. Business3. Education4. The Media5. The Arts and Entertainment6. Family7. ReligionFor decades, Christian nationalists have been setting the stage for an authoritarian theocracy in which only one interpretation of Christianity is represented, where Jesus opposed the minimum wage and God hates socialism. Recently, they have found favor with Russian and Hungarian models of autocratic government, which they desire to emulate in America. (Hence much of the pro-Russia sentiment we witness today). Proclaiming Donald Trump as anointed has established a cult-like following that sees the controversial president as a transactional means to a Christian nationalist end, exemplified by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Katherine Stewart sees Christian nationalism as an alarming, dominating religious freedom for one, that is a stark contrast from the constitution’s protection of religious freedom for all.

Stewart meets head on a claim of righteousness for what it really is, an anti- democratic effort to mislead and schemeits way into authoritarian theocracy. Be warned. This book is that warning. DEW

The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism by Katherine Stewart“The Power Worshippers” is an eye-opening examination of the dangerous rise of Christian nationalism and its threat to democracy. Investigative journalist and author, Katherine Stewart provides an excellent expose of the organizations and the people behind the extreme Christian movements. This insightful and at times unnerving 348-page book includes the following twelve chapters: 1. Church and Party in Unionville, 2. Ministering to Power, 3. Inventing Abortion, 4. The Mind of a Warrior, 5. Up from Slavery: The Ideological Origins of Christian Nationalism, 6. The Uses and Abuses of History, 7. The Blitz: Turning the States into Laboratories of Theocracy, 8. Converting the Flock to Data, 9. Proselytizers and Privatizers, 10. Theocracy from the Bench, or How to Establish Religion in the Name of “Religious Liberty”, 11. Controlling Bodies: What “Religious Liberty” Looks Like from the Stretcher, and 12. The Global Holy War Comes of Age.Positives:1. A professionally written book. Stewart writes with conviction and authority. It reads very well and it informs the reader.2. A fascinating and important topic, Christian nationalism’s threat to democracy.3. Clearly explains upfront what this movement is all about. “It is not a social or cultural movement. It is a political movement, and its ultimate goal is power”.4. Debunks the most important myth that is being spewed by the religious extremists. “Christian nationalism is not a religious creed but, in my view, a political ideology. It promotes the myth that the American republic was founded as a Christian nation.”5. Does a great job throughout the book of describing the financial supporters (including public money) of Christian nationalism. “Since churches are subsidized with public money through tax deductions and other tax advantages, one could say that the United States now has a publicly subsidized political party that promotes an agenda of religious nationalism.”6. Trump’s beliefs. “Trump believes in the rule of force, not the rule of law. He is not there to uphold values but to impose the will of the tribe.”7. Bad beliefs that drive extremists and hurt the planet. “Drollinger called environmentalism a “false religion” and asserted that certain initiatives to protect animal species and preserve natural resources “miss the clear proclamation of God in Genesis.””8. Christian nationalism and abortion. “As the historian and author Randall Balmer writes, “It wasn’t until 1979—a full six years after Roe—that evangelical leaders, at the behest of conservative activist Paul Weyrich, seized on abortion not for moral reasons, but as a rallying-cry to deny President Jimmy Carter a second term.”9. Racial inclusivity and the religious right. “Jim Domen is one such leader. A California pastor and the founder of a group called Church United, he has built his voter-outreach machine around the idea of racial inclusiveness.” ““For the evangelical church right now, membership is no longer based on color,” Onishi notes. “It is also not really based in religion anymore, either. Your litmus test for religious belonging comes via your political beliefs.””10. Slavery and religious extremism. “The Episcopalians of South Carolina found slavery to be “marked by every evidence of divine approval.”30 The Reverend J. C. Postell of South Carolina stated that slavery “is supported by the Bible … [T]he fact that slavery is of divine appointment would be proof enough with the Christian that it cannot be a moral evil,” adding that it “is a judicial visitation.””11. The people behind the myth. “The error in the detail was there to provide cover for the great lie at the center of Christian nationalism. What David Barton and the leaders of the Hobby Lobby corporation don’t want you to know is that America’s founders explicitly and proudly created the world’s first secular republic.”12. Explains how extremists have turned states into laboratories for theocracy. “The discovery of Project Blitz was a game changer for understanding the movement’s legislative strategy. It is the playbook for a nationwide assault on state legislatures in all fifty states. It does indeed describe a “blitz,” for the basic strategy is to flood the zone with coordinated, simultaneous bills in the hopes that they will, eventually, become law.2 The stated aim of the project is to advance “religious freedom”—in a late 2019 conference call, organizers discussed rebranding the initiative Freedom for All—but this turns out to be the biggest of the many deceptions that characterize the enterprise.”13. Find out the three categories or phases of their model legislation.14. How extremists use data to better target citizens for conversion. “Bill Dallas has not been shy in describing the massive reach of his data operation. “We have about 200 million files, so we have pretty much the whole voting population in our database,” Dallas said in a September 5, 2016, interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. “What we do is we track to see what’s going to make somebody either vote one way, or not vote at all.”15 Other outlets, including Forbes, picked up on the stunning facts.”15. Attacking and undermining public education with the purpose of eliminating it. “In public confusion about the nature of charters, the DeVos family and their allies saw opportunity. A lightly regulated charter school industry, they realized, could achieve many of the same goals as voucher programs.”16. The goal of controlling the courts and extremism. “Among the many sordid legacies that the Trump/Pence administration will leave behind, perhaps the most damaging over the long term may well be the infiltration of America’s judicial system with the progeny of the Federalist Society, the Alliance Defending Freedom, and their allies.”17. Controlling bodies by controlling hospitals. ““Catholic health institutions may not promote or condone contraceptive practices but should provide, for married couples and the medical staff who counsel them, instruction both about the Church’s teachings on responsible parenthood and in methods of natural family planning.””18. Impact of extremism and health care. “America’s maternal mortality rate is the highest among nations in the developed world, and it is rising sharply, up over 26 percent between 2000 and 2014.5 Black women are three to four times as likely as white women to die of pregnancy complications. This report finds that “in many states women of color disproportionately receive reproductive health care restricted by ERDs” and suggests that the consequent dangers “should be evaluated against the backdrop of vastly inferior health care delivered to women of color across the board.””19. Expanding extremism to the globe. “The global holy war now defines itself against a single common, worldwide enemy: global liberalism.”20. Great use of links to notes.Negatives:1. Stewart admits that the focus of the book is on the organizations and people behind Christian nationalism and not the people who are mobilizing to confront the threat.2. It can be hard to follow all the organizations and acronyms behind Christian nationalism.3. Lack of visual material to support the excellent narrative.4. No formal bibliography.In summary, Katherine Stewart should be commended for her exhaustive research and the ability to put pen to paper. This book is very informative and reads very well. She captures the concerns that we should all have over the threat that these radical religious groups pose to our democracy. My only criticism of note is that it was hard at times to follow all the different organizations behind the extremism; visual supplements would have addressed my concerns while providing readers a tool to enhance comprehension. A high recommendation!Further recommendations: “The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy” by Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, “One Nation Under God” by Kevin Kruse, “Founding Myth” by Andrew Seidel, “Why the Religious Right Is Wrong about Separation of Church and State” by Robert Boston, “Nonbeliever Nation” by David Niose, “The Dark Side of Christian History” by Helen Ellerbe, “Birth Control, Insurance Coverage, & the Religious Right” by A.F. Alexander, “The God Argument” by A.C. Grayling, “Freethinkers” by Susan Jacoby, “Moral Combat” by Sikivu Hutchinson, “Republican Gomorrah” by Max Blumenthal, “American Fascists” by Chris Hedges, “Doubt” by Jennifer Michael Hecht, and “Society Without God” by Phil Zuckerman.

O livro mostra o perigo da ascensão do fundamentalismo cristão nacionalista, sobretudo como política de estado. É grande o risco da da dominação de uma corrente religiosa/ideológica. Há que se encontrar o equilíbrio entre a secularização e a liberdade religiosa.

The author knows very well the intricacies of this movement, which is Christian fundamentalism in principle, but political in practice. Definitely, their kingdom IS of this world. They try to impose their views through political influence. They are not after your heart, but after your vote. Catholics and protestants joined in search of civil power, trying to reedit the kind of church-theocracy of the Middle Ages (with its unavoidable consequence, the oppression). It is not exactly a white movement, as it appeals to the latinos as well. One area of influence is the judicial system, from the Supreme Court downwards. And yes, according to the book, the Republican party (GOP) is behind that, especially with the forty-fifth president of USA. For those acquainted with Bible prophecy, this could mean the fulfillment of Revelation 13, that is, American protestants helping the papacy to get what it wants (civil power). Worth reading.

I learned a lot about a part of American history that was not taught in high school, or even college. The religious nationalists are the American Taliban.They attack Islam for wanting to rule the world with a theocratic government, yet that is exactly what these religious nationalists are striving for.

The Christian nationalists in America are a frighteningly well organised and funded bunch. This well researched books explores many aspects of there organisation, funding and plans for the future. There is a little glimpse of hope at the very end but generally it features the depressing progress of these zealots. The global outreach discussed in the last chapter makes you realise it's not America they have in their sights

Although there are rewarding, eye-opening details within, this is a laborious if important read, emphasising the crafty organisers rather than the millions who follow them. My mistake was assuming the latter. So the focus is on this splayed movement's main venal actors, who are unfamiliar to me. Then again, I live in London. Shelves and shelves of scary details are packed into this filing cabinet of a book, which will likely suit lawyers and researchers. There are good endnotes for follow-up avenues.