The Power Worshippers

Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism

By: Katherine Stewart

Narrated by: Tosca Hopkins

Bloomsbury presents The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart, read by Tosca Hopkins.

The inspiration for the documentary God & Country

For listeners of Democracy in Chains and Dark Money, a revelatory investigation of the Religious Right’s rise to political power.

For too long the Religious Right has masqueraded as a social movement preoccupied with a number of cultural issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage. In her deeply reported investigation, Katherine Stewart reveals a disturbing truth: this is a political movement that seeks to gain power and to impose its vision on all of society. America’s religious nationalists aren’t just fighting a culture war, they are waging a political war on the norms and institutions of American democracy.

Stewart pulls back the curtain on the inner workings and leading personalities of a movement that has turned religion into a tool for domination. She exposes a dense network of think tanks, advocacy groups, and pastoral organizations embedded in a rapidly expanding community of international alliances and united not by any central command but by a shared, anti-democratic vision and a common will to power. She follows the money that fuels this movement, tracing much of it to a cadre of super-wealthy, ultraconservative donors and family foundations. She shows that today’s Christian nationalism is the fruit of a longstanding antidemocratic, reactionary strain of American thought that draws on some of the most troubling episodes in America’s past. It forms common cause with a globe-spanning movement that seeks to destroy liberal democracy and replace it with nationalist, theocratic and autocratic forms of government around the world. Religious nationalism is far more organized and better funded than most people realize. It seeks to control all aspects of government and society. Its successes have been stunning, and its influence now extends to every aspect of American life, from the White House to state capitols, from our schools to our hospitals.

The Power Worshippers is a brilliantly reported book of warning and a wake-up call. Stewart’s probing examination demands that Christian nationalism be taken seriously as a significant threat to the American republic and our democratic freedoms.

©2020 Katherine Stewart (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Connected the Dots

Some of this I already knew while other stuff I only suspected. The author added tons of new information and connected all the dots. She had clearly done her research and I am sure she and her work will be attacked by the Christian Nationalists but her facts are very hard to dispute.

A must read if you love America

I’m in my 50’s and have seen this first hand from the days of Regan to our current ‘45th’. It’s sad when you see Americans willing joining forces with other nations to purposefully suppress, subjugate, lie, and then justify the oppression of their fellow citizens all in the guise of doing god will.

Outstanding work of non-fiction

Author's research and first hand witness to strategic undermining of our democracy by ungodly plutocrats longing to dominate and annihilate those deemed undesirable or inferior, translates to religious prostitution!!

Insidious!

Every aspect of our society in the United States is being bent to shift beliefs that used to be so caring and compassionate!

Hitting the Nail on the Head

Current, clear, and very well written. Concise and sharp analysis complicated effort by a rather exclusive community.

Necessary & urgent information for protecting our democracy

Excellent, URGENT book that has been on my list since it came out. I was worried it might be dated, but aside from the now (2024) outdated references to the titles and positions of Trump administration officials and others, which have been replaced in the Biden era, the information and history is accurate and unchanged. This is an important book!! I was raised in this Christian nationalist, evangelical culture and left in the 1980s out of disgust with the so-called Moral Majority. If you’re not familiar with the subculture you should read this to learn about who is working to derail pluralistic democracies around the world and here in the USA. If you are familiar with the subculture this book will still be an eye-opener.
I gave this version two stars for performance, just to alert the publisher that this narrator did not research correct pronunciations before recording some words and a few proper nouns she is apparently unfamiliar with (I wondered if it was an AI narrator throughout, because of that). But the qualities of her voice, pacing and enunciation are otherwise clear and pleasant.

informative

she did her research. The history of the christian right is very interesting. There were lots of facts and dates I had no idea about. good read.

Amazing book

This was both a fantastic and terrifying ride to the dark side of Christianity.

Thank you for your honesty in sharing your own story in the medical chapter and the exposure of the interwoven nightmare of evangelicals.

religious extremists

important information about the dangers of religious nationalism. Support freedom from religion by any means necessary.

Required Reading for anyone who cares about our Constitution

We’ll research and supported narrative of the authoritarian political movement masquerading as Christian that seeks to put its leaders and members in a position of privilege over any who hold differing views,