‘Money, Lies, and God’: The Rise of Christian Nationalism and the Battle for American Democracy – Ms. Magazine

National Politics

‘Money, Lies, and God’: The Rise of Christian Nationalism and the Battle for American Democracy
PUBLISHED 2/14/2025
by Eleanor J. Bader

Katherine Stewart exposes the rise of Christian nationalism as a coordinated, anti-democratic movement fueled by disinformation, authoritarian alliances and religious extremism.

Katherine Stewart’s third book on the anti-democratic right-wing, Money, Lies and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy (out Feb. 18), features a diverse cast of allied characters: right-wing Catholic, evangelical and Pentecostal clergy and their loyal congregants; atheist billionaires; conservative intellectuals; deep-pocketed funders; misogynists eager to reverse feminist gains; Jewish devotees of Ayn Rand; white supremacists; anti-vaccine activists; and opponents of public education, environmental protections and the so-called “Deep State,” among them.

This unprecedented coalition, Stewart writes, involves a dizzying array of organizations and individuals, all of them hellbent on winning more than “a seat at the noisy table of American democracy.” Instead, she writes, they favor “burning down the house.

”What’s more, Stewart describes the movement as “more political pathology than political program” and notes that the overarching aim of this well-coordinated campaign is the destruction of democracy and the elevation of Christian nationalism.

It’s a chilling finding. But Stewart also reports that these anti-democratic forces do not always operate in lockstep, and are divided by numerous internal contradictions: Should they support free speech or push for book bans? Should they advocate for small government or work to bring government into reproductive decision-making?

Source Links: ‘Money, Lies, and God’: The Rise of Christian Nationalism and the Battle for American Democracy – Ms. Magazine