Money, Lies, and God
 | |
| Author | Katherine Stewart |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
Publication date | 2025 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover), e-book |
| Pages | 338 |
| ISBN | 9781635578546 |
| OCLC | 1429656500 |
| Preceded by | The Power Worshippers |
Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy is a 2025 nonfiction book by American journalist Katherine Stewart. The book investigates the rise of the antidemocratic movement in the United States by a coalition of ultra-wealthy conservative donors using enormous financial resources, conservative think tanks relying on propaganda, and far-right religious organizations—all working together to undermine democratic institutions and replace them with authoritarianism. The book is the third in Stewart's series on right wing politics in the United States, preceded by The Power Worshippers (2020) and The Good News Club (2012).
Synopsis
[edit]Stewart argues that billionaires and corporate-backed foundations fund organizations that promote deregulation, tax cuts for the wealthy, erode labor protections, and use religious rhetoric to mobilize working-class voters. This antidemocratic political movement promotes the idea that only "white, male, conservative Christians" have the right to govern, and everyone else has a "duty to obey".[1] Stewart places the main players of this coalition into five categories: funders (billionaires, donors), thinkers (think tanks), sergeants (activists, deniers), infantry (conservative voters, Trump supporters) and power players (leaders, politicians).[2] Stewart notes that the funder class is religiously diverse and includes not just evangelicals, but also Catholics, Jews, and atheists.[3] The Thinkers, as Stewart calls them, refers to the think tanks and people who speak for them, such as John Eastman of the Claremont Institute, who Stewart argues stokes the base with fresh injections of grievance politics.[4] Christian Nationalism primarily thrives among the sergeants and the power players, and a portion of the infantry.[5] Stewart uses the term "reactionary nihilism" to describe the New Right's overall approach to destroying liberal democracy and attempting to return the country to an imaginary Golden Age.[3] The movement uses misogyny, relies on exacerbating racial and ethnic tensions, and favors the use of violence and force[1] while ultimately rejecting Enlightenment values and even reason itself. Stewart argues that the United States faces its greatest threat since the Civil War,[6] but there is a "way forward" for those who defend American democracy: build coalitions and pursue progressive taxation.[2]
Reception
[edit]Adam Gabbatt, writing for The Guardian, notes that Stewart spent years of research to uncover the powerful financial networks and forces which led millions of Americans to support Trump.[7] In a review for Foreign Affairs, Jessica T. Mathews writes that Money, Lies, and God stands out for its in-depth reporting and clear analysis of Donald Trump's ascent to the presidency and the groups who brought him back to the White House.[1] Jennifer Szalai, writing for The New York Times, praised the book for its in-depth exploration of right-wing ideologies, making note of Stewart's chapter on "Smashing the Administrative State", which outlines the radical right's strategy to privatize publicly run government services.[2] John McMurtrie in Kirkus Reviews called it "an impassioned takedown of a 'militant minority'",[8] while Publisher's Weekly declared it "an urgently needed background on the 2024 election results".[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Mathews, Jessica T. (March/April 2025). "Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c Szalai, Jennifer (February 19, 2025). " How Trump Rode a Wave of 'Reactionary Nihilism' to the White House". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^ a b Marcotte, Amanda (February 18, 2025). "'His mission is to eradicate "woke Jesus"': How money, lies and religion are abused to gut democracy". Salon. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^ Tanguay, Brian (November 22, 2024). "Book Review". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^ Boston, Rob; Stewart, Katherine (January 2025). "Money, Lies, and God: Investigative journalist Katherine Stewart gives an early look at her new exposé of Christian Nationalism." Church & State. Americans United for Separation of Church and State. 78 (1). Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^ Stewart 2025, "Introduction".
- ^ Gabbett, Adam (January 19, 2025). "'Reactionary nihilism': how a rightwing movement strives to end US democracy". The Guardian. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^ McMurtrie, John (January 15, 2025). "Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy". Kirkus Reviews. 93 (2): 79-80. ISSN 1948-7428. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^ "Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy". Publishers Weekly. December 2, 2024. 271 (46): 49-50. ISSN 0000-0019. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
Bibliography
[edit]- Stewart, Katherine (2025). Money, Lies, and God. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781635578546. OCLC 1429656500.