The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism Hardcover – March 3, 2020

I met Katherine Stewart a few years back when her first book on The Good News Club movement was happening across the nation. She’s a powerful researcher, knows her stuff, and is a fine presenter for an audience.Katherine is on the “front burner” of the vastly misunderstood, and under reported influence of Christian nationalism both within the Republican Party, and within the Trump administration. She names the players, traces the money, and understands the ideology. She has a clear understanding of the huge cultural conflict we are in, and its implications for democracy. This book illuminates how the message and person of Jesus has been buried in a cynical, nihilist power-grab by those who do harm unto others. This book is a much needed conversation starter for those of us who care about the gospel. It brings light into our darkness.

The Power Worshippers is a highly readable, rigorously reported book about the Christian Nationalist movement that has taken over the Republican Party in recent years. Stewart's book explains how this movement has built its base, often on lies and manipulation. She attends their gatherings and reports on the leading personalities, including Tony Perkins, a member of Trump's evangelical advisory council, David Barton, leader of the revisionist history cult called the Wallbuilders, and many others. Stewart's book is especially crucial for women who are concerned with the ongoing attacks on reproductive health; her chapter on the anti-choice movement is chilling. This book should be required reading for voters to learn what's at stake in the November elections.

This is a timely account of how right-wing pseudo-religion has hijacked Washington politics - totally against the intentions of our Founding Fathers, and with the terrible result of having an incompetent leader in the White House.The book is written so well, clear and concise - I wish this could be said about most political books. Amazingly (or not so much if you are used to listen to women) this book starts from the standpoint of a concerned parent, and rolls out from small local problems into a vast canvas of the American decline. A wonderful book to read while we are in seclusion because of the grand failure of this administration to protect us from the Coronavirus pandemic.

While I do think there are some crazy people in any group, this book paints people with too broad a brush. Not everyone is into Dominionism in this country who is evangelical. There is a fringe that is (and those people could potentially be dangerous) but it certainly is not everyone. That was my main gripe with this book. It would make you want to go out under every rock and tree trying to find someone who thinks the USA should be a theocracy. Little girl singing "Jesus loves me" - hidden theocrat. This isn't true. While I was glad that the author covers the "New Apostolic Reformation" this is where she should have kept going. Those are the fringe lunatics pushing dominionism (and also following their own apostles and profits..oops prophets). They are also the same ones who keep pressing for political power. Many evangelicals (particularly older ones) don't realize they exist or are unaware. Most people would think they are crazy people. I think she missed crazy Rick Joyner, one of the leading "profits/prophets" who told his followers to prepare for civil war. There is a ton of gold in how looney this guy is, along with Lance Wallnau (the crazy who wrote "God's Chaos Candidate" about how Trump was appointed by God--- #barf). The NAR paints everyone in politics as either "for or against" them and that politics is a massive spiritual battle each election season. Demonizing opponents to their cause is commonplace (or saying the person is demon-possessed). Lou Engle is another name of someone who does say people in politics are controlled by demons (he runs a "spiritual air force" academy-- mainly they run around and chant and get into a prayer circle trying to stop these demons). Oh yeah and he was friends with Peter Wagner (founder of much of this insanity). Politicians though as well will pander to whomever they can get as a voting block, even if the people are touched in the head.With the introduction of "Godtv" (basically a television channel that spouts this nonsense 24/7 and Youtube) you have a larger audience for the crazy. One group was not mentioned and should have been- Bethel Church in Redding . This church operates more like a cult than anything else. Their music division takes in MILLIONS each year and has been given awards for their catchy tunes that people sing, not knowing that their "pastor" not only tells people heretical garbage including dominionism as a major feature of their ideas. One of their members and singers/ Sean Freucht even went around trying to win a seat as part of his "mission to take back society." Um. WHAT? He didn't win by the way so now he's running around doing singing events during a pandemic to get more people to follow their strange doctrine.Much of Dominionism itself springs from the easy-believism that modern day churches teach people. I say this because most people have not read their own Bibles. If they have you could easily tell them - wait Jesus said "my Kingdom is NOT of this earth." So you don't need to take over anything...clearly.. um.. duh?What I would have liked to see in this book is more of how to can we find solutions so a theocracy or even a anti-religion government like communism can never happen? Where and how as citizens can we ensure that our constitution and not the crazies prevail? I think this was kind of missing from the picture and I would have liked it added., or even how to counter it if you see it beginning to spring up at a church near you.

Deeply researched, very well written and absolutely horrifying. Guess what the anti- abortion movement is not about? ABORTION!For those who remember well the widespread bipartisan support (Billy Graham, Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, the Southern Baptist Leadership Conference, to name a very few) for abortion rights, a bold and gobsmacking examination of the religious nationalist movement that uses abortion a tool for the overthrow of democracy and construction of a theocratic government with guess who at the helm. And they've come a long way in their attempt to do just that.

Preachers in the new United States wailed and moaned from their pulpits about the godless constitution adopted in 1787. They were adamant that our nation couldn’t survive unless we were a Christian nation. Then they set to work to make their desire into fact. Now, in 2020, they are closer than ever to achieving it. She carefully shows us where and how, and points us toward solutions. A must read!

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.

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

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.