The Power Worshippers

Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism

By: Katherine Stewart

Narrated by: Tosca Hopkins

Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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

Critic reviews

"If anyone is wondering how the Religious Right and President Donald Trump ended up in their unholy alliance, Katherine Stewart has the answer. The Power Worshippers provides a fascinating x-ray into the political eco-system of religious conservatives who threaten the health of our democratic institutions. She argues that this movement is much more about power, money and invented pasts than ethics, theology and God. Stewart’s book is an important contribution to our understanding of contemporary politics." (Julian E. Zelizer, author of The Fierce Urgency of Now)

"Katherine Stewart knows from years of investigative reporting why the Trumpvangelicals who use faith to whitewash corruption are a preeminent threat to American democracy. Read The Power Worshippers and you will understand why nothing is more important to the health of our common life than challenging the false moral narrative of religious nationalism." (William J. Barber, II, President of Repairers of the Breach and Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival)

"Katherine Stewart presents chilling evidence that millions of American churchgoers are being inflamed and exploited by a cynical, well-funded alliance of power seekers. Read The Power Worshippers to understand what the relentless political agitation against abortion and homosexuality has really achieved - and for whom." (Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains)

Scared the crap out of me

well researched, well written. Should be required reading for anyone concerned about our country.

"They" are out there (but not as many as inferred)

WallBuilders and David Barton's books, which Katherine Stewart covers, influenced my childhood. I even had Abeka VHS tapes and books for science while homeschooling so I'm O.G. in the Power Worshipper world. Her descriptions are accurate but... you are led to believe there is an enormous religious influence on our government institutions. Influence? Yes. Enormous? Maybe in their minds. Imagine a loud minority within the larger religious world. They create a ruckus and do influence politicians but their influence is limited. The majority of religious Americans are unaware of these players and would not subscribe to their imagined theocracy. So be aware but don't fret...much.

Informative Read

learned much from listening to this title. While there are portions I disagree with, I would recommend it as worth your time.

An account of a conspiracy horrifying to anyone who loves this Country.

Like Jane Mayer’s Dark Money, Stewart traces the strands of a dark web of highly committed group of believers and grifters who would pervert the beautiful possibilities of the American Experiment to create a horror show of Theocracy we might never recover from.

The book is the product of years of research and interviews that reveal a well funded and meticulously planned plot of a few people who have flown under the radar to destroy the country. Living in the South I knew they were out there but never realized the extent of their plans.

Every thinking American should read this book and be terrified. I know I was. Thank you Katherine. Five Stars. *****

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,

While I was asleep in church...

I had absolutely no idea that all of these religious groups were plotting in the name of freedom but against true democracy. It is startling and very concerning. Everyone should read or listen to this reporting of a little known movement.

insightful and informative

I loved the book and the narration made understanding it so easy. if you have struggled, like myself, to understand why church folk supported a leader with zero morals. this book will turn on all the lights.