The Family

The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power

By: Jeff Sharlet

Narrated by: Jeremy Guskin

They insist they are just a group of friends, yet they funnel millions of dollars through tax-free corporations. They claim to disdain politics, but congressmen of both parties describe them as the most influential religious organization in Washington. They say they are not Christians, but simply believers.

Behind the scenes at every National Prayer Breakfast since 1953 has been the Family, an elite network dedicated to a religion of power for the powerful. Their goal is "Jesus plus nothing". Their method is backroom diplomacy. The Family is the startling story of how their faith - part free-market fundamentalism, part imperial ambition - has come to be interwoven with the affairs of nations around the world.

©2009 Jeff Sharlet (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Sharlet has done extensive research, and his thorough account of the Family's life and times is a chilling expose." ( Publishers Weekly)

Very revealing and interesting.

The book is a must read for any modern day political science student. Excellent work!

Excellent Audiobook

I really enjoyed the entire audiobook and the narrator made the story easy to visualize

Confirms your worst nightmares about the church

If you want to know what's under the hood of America's political love affair with Jesus, you must read this book. Oh my God (pun intended)!

Very informative

I think everyone should give this a listen! It’s very interesting and I hope you don’t see it as a religious attack because that’s not what this is!

This will tell you what's ailing America!

Whew! As a result of this definitive study of fundamentalism I now have a new insight into why there have always been religious wars. Sharlet asserts that American Christian Fundamentalism is the singular most influential religious and political movement in the history of this country. It explains the rise of right wing conservatism in response to the era of the New Deal and the Fair Deal. In an all out war since the conclusion of the FDR/Truman years, Christian fundamentalism has sought to undo the Labor movement, social service networks, intellectualism and what they disdainfully name secular humanism to bring about the Kingdom of God, as defined by the movement. The writer did his homework in tracing the movement of radical fundamentalism from the founding preachers of the twenties/thirties to the modern politicians and mega church pastors who promote wealth and power as evidence of being blessed by their God. In the fundamentalist mind, America is the true promised land where their God will establish the perfect nation. Their concept of the manly Jesus is the lynchpin in all of this religious fervor, and the individual is the primary object of God's intent for His world. The craziness unfolds as the influence of this movement exerts itself — it would be hilarious if it weren't so serious. This is a must for anyone seeking to trace the regressive tendencies of modern conservatism as it seems to have evolved. Not an easy read, this book held me spellbound. The narrator performed spectacularly in his presentation, and after I recover from being shaken up by this work, I will listen to it again!

Detailed Account of an Incredibly Powerful Web

In this very important book, Jeff Sharlet recounts his infiltration of a secretive cabal of powerful American Leaders injecting their Theism into just about every facet of American Governmental and Industrial Domestic and Foreign Policy.

He not only explains how The Family operates, identifying a dizzying assortment of Members at every level of Society, but delves into its motives, failures and successes. He traces the Roots of this peculiar brand of Christianity back to the founding of the Country, through the Revivals of the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries and brings us into the living rooms of the Faithful of today.

This isn’t a political screed. It’s scholarly in its detail and objective in its analysis, but the tale he spins is enough to make a Secular Liberal’s hair stand on end.

The depth of the roots of this Movement is stunning. The breadth of reach of its tentacles is breathtaking. Most of all, the fact of its existence in plain sight, ignored and unspoken by the Mainstream Media is astonishing.

Read this book and be amazed. More than that, be afraid. Be very afraid.

Fascinating but thin

What did you love best about The Family?

Great story but the actual content goes very thin after awhile, so that this feels like a magazine article that needed to fill a book.

The Family

Anybody concerned about maintaining the separation of church and state should read this book. If the members of "The Family" have their way, our secular government is in danger. This elite (well-funded) group of religious conservatives will not stop at anything in their quest to establish a Jesus obeying government. Their ultimate goal is to create a world empire run by family supporters.

Whether you agree with the author's assessment of this group or not, you will find this well written publication worth your time and money.

I enjoyed it but

I enjoyed it in the beginning. Towards the end I lost interest, didn’t finish it. The book seems too long for me since I had already seen the Netflix show on this maybe I should have gone through the whole book first.

Lots of following the christians...

I heard the interview of this author and was intrigued by what would be uncovered in this book. Ends up being lots of christian this and that, never really getting anywhere. Big disappointment and would not trust buying another book from this author.