Wild Faith: How the Christian Right Is Taking Over America

by Talia Lavin

An investigation into the rise of the Christian right over the last half-century that lays out the grim vision Evangelicals are enforcing on our democracy.
 
All across America, a storm is from book bans in school libraries to anti-trans laws in state legislatures; firebombings of abortion clinics and protests against gay rights. The Christian right, a political force in America for more than half a century, has never been more powerful than it is right now—and propelled Donald Trump to power, and they won't stop until they've refashioned America in their own image.

In Wild How the Christian Right is Taking Over America, author Talia Lavin goes deep into the beliefs that motivate the Christian right, from its segregationist past to a future riddled with apocalyptic visions. Along the way, she explores what motivates anti-abortion terrorists; the Christian Patriarchy movement, with its desire to place all women under absolute male control; the twisted theology that leads to rampant child abuse; and the ways conspiracy theorists and extremist Christians influence each other to mutual political benefit. 

Using primary sources and firsthand accounts, Lavin introduces readers to "deliverance ministers" who carry out exorcisms by the hundred; modern-day, self-proclaimed prophets and apostles; Christian militias, cults, zealots, and showmen; and the people in power who are aiding them to achieve their goals. 
From school boards to the Supreme Court, Christian theocracy is ascendant in America -- and only through exploring its motivations and impacts can we understand the crisis we face. Can a multiracial democracy survive in the face of an organized, fervent theocratic movement, one that seeks to impose its religious beliefs on every citizen of this country -- whether they believe in Jesus, or somebody else, or no God at all? 

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Religion, Audiobook, History, Christianity, Sociology

271 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2024

About the author

Talia Lavin is a freelance writer who has had bylines in the New Yorker, the New Republic, the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post, the Village Voice, and more. Profoundly anti-racist and a nifty digital native, Lavin possess the online skills needed to go behind the scenes of the digital white supremacist movement (even if that does mean becoming the frequent target of extremist trolls and Fox News staff). She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Lirazel]

Exvangelicals are so lucky to have Talia Lavin on our side.

No "outsider" takes the Christian right as seriously as Lavin does. She's the only writer I can think of who didn't come from a Christian right background who actually sees that this is an internally consistent worldview held by people who believe it down to their bones. She doesn't dismiss or condescend or jeer--she takes Christian nationalists just as seriously as they take themselves. And because of that, she sees just how dangerous it all is. And she's determined to do whatever she can to make everyone else see it too.

I don't think there was really anything in this that I, personally, didn't already know (mostly from living it), but it's an excellent introduction to the topic for people who didn't grow up in this world. And there's also something really validating about having an outsider tell the story of your screwed-up subculture and go, "Wow, isn't that screwed up?" Yes, it is screwed up! I'm glad you noticed!

In my opinion, the last few chapters on children (child-rearing, education, corporal punishment, etc.) are by far the strongest and most important chapters. I honestly wish she'd just written an entire book focused on this so that she could do more of what she does so well here: a) bearing compassionate witness to the immense pain that those of us who were raised in this kind of authoritarian Christianity carry around and b) linking it to authoritarianism and violence in the public sphere. I'm glad that she and others like D.L. and Krispin Mayfield are sounding the alarm about these links because I think they are the biggest part of the political puzzle that others have been ignoring. I don't think you can understand anything about our culture if you don't understand how the conservative Christian obsession with punishment, control, obedience, authority, and the "redemptive" power of violence touch every single thing about our culture and politics.

That isn't to say that the rest of the book wasn't good--of course it was. Lavin is an excellent writer of prose and an excellent researcher. Every time I would think, "Isn't it time for her to mention [Josh Harris/Leonard Leo/Francis Schaeffer/Stormie Omartin/the Danvers Statement]?" she would then mention exactly that. She knows her stuff, she did her homework. She also has a beautiful compassion for and righteous protectiveness towards people who have been hurt, and that's what sets this book apart from all the (many) "please please please take the Christian right seriously, they really do want a Christian nation, they really may get it" books that have been published over the past few years.

I appreciate Talia Lavin more than I can say. Thanks for being our megaphone, Talia.

[Also, I'm waiting for someone to write the magnum opus about the Dobson legacy. Did any single figure in the US in the last half of the twentieth century do more harm to more people?]

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published October 15, 2024.

Explores how the religious right with its toxic belief systems that are often segregationist, anti-woman, anti-child, cult like and otherwise insane is attempting to take over the political process in America. Can democracy survive?

The book begins with a nice quote, “in every age it has been the tyrant who has wrapped himself in the cloak of patriotism or religion or both.” Eugene V. Debs. Honestly, I found the people, well, let me make this clear, Evangelical Christians are the people covered in this book, not just your regular person who goes to church every so often, to be so upsetting I could only read bits of this at a time before I would have to go off and do something else for awhile. These are terrible, awful people who feel they have the right to impose their religious beliefs on all of America. Period.

In fact, they think God ordains it. From the “Watchman’s Decree,” recited at Flashpoint Live events, headed by televangelist Kenneth Copeland, “We are God’s ambassadors and spokespeople over the Earth. We have been given the legal power from heaven and now exercise our authority.” Wait, does the FBI know this?

And their great and shining light? The man they believe has been placed here by God to do his work? A man who has been multiple times, has children with three wives, cheated on his current wife with a porn star (then paid her off, resulting in 34 felony convictions), who believes his wealth gives him the power to “grab women by the pussy.” A fake Christian. A they will tell you he’s chosen WITH A STRAIGHT FACE. The hypocrisy of that alone is enough to make every other belief they have questionable.

So, some high points.

14% of Americans identify as white Evangelical Protestants. That is fifty million people. 84% of them voted for Donald Trump in 2020. Forty one percent of Americans expect Jesus to return before 2050. Oh, and they mostly believe in real demons.

Many of the leaders in this group advocate for theonomy, where Biblical law would be the basis for all U.S. law. Including stoning for adulterer. Which is going to make campaigning really hard for Trump.

The “mark of the beast” has been identified a number of times, including Gutenberg’s moveable type, Social Security numbers, bar codes and bitcoin, as well as the most recent monster, the COVID vaccine.

In a 2023 referendum Ohio’s citizens voted for an amendment to the Ohio constitution legalizing abortion. The Republicans of the state legislature stated that they would override the voters and, also, any ruling of the state’s courts.

Following changes to Florida law, including the “Don’t Say Gay” rule, AP Psychology can no longer be taught in the state’s high schools.

Evangelicals want to abolish no-fault divorce which will make it much more difficult for women and children to leave abusive households. In the evangelical system the woman exists underneath the umbrella of the man and is to obey and submit to him. Some evangelical leaders have counseled women that includes when a man is abusive to the wife. Evangelist James Dobson said, “men cannot control their lust, and the burden is upon women to ensure they do not fall into sexual sin.” The Boykin sisters give similar advice to unmarried women, indicating that if rape occurs, the women must have been giving signals and/or not trying hard enough to stop it.

Dobson rises again and is joined by another popular speaker, Debi Pearl in instructing parents to beat children who are as young as eight months old to make them behave. Homeschooling is encouraged, though 15% of children are taught by a parent who has an education of a high school diploma or less. Each year there are reports of children in homeschool situations dying of neglect, as there is no oversight.

These are just snippets of interest. The evangelicals have scored a huge victory with the Dobbs decision and look to keep going. They are dangerous, they are determined and they are trying to do horrific things to America.

[Susan Tunis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book the morning of Trump's second inauguration, as I lay in bed unable to sleep. I feel it set the right tone for the day.

Among the subjects Ms. Lavin covers in her book are:
Evangelical politics
Mideast policy
LBGTQ+ rights
Reproductive rights
Racism/civil rights
Education
Women's rights
Corporal punishment
Authoritarianism

And there was more. I wasn't taking notes. But the book was well researched, well written, and it paints a dark, dark picture of the direction this country is moving in.

Happy inauguration day! You people get what you deserve.

[Mahrens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with Lavin's thesis, but didn't really enjoy her telling of it. I wish, instead of purple philosophizing, she would have focused more on facts and the weaving of them into a more coherent narrative. I get more information watching an episode of Fundie Fridays on YouTube... Not that that's a bad thing but I would like at least equal information coming out of a book. Also, the number of times I looked up a tidbit that Lavin dropped and abandoned only to find a more engrossing Wikipedia article than the current chapter of the book was greater than one and therefore too high. That should be the book's whole job, to artfully weave interesting tangents together while explaining them completely!

Also, the author needs a thesaurus. "Aegis" is a good word but should still only be used so many times.

(Listened as audiobook)

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Earth should not be bitter.

Lavin's final thoughts in this breathtakingly depressing and prescient book are ones that leave with hope: we owe each other and our one planet a future where the ground has not been salted, where our future generations can grow in peace.

Wild Faith is, in much the same vein as Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation and The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism, a book focusing on the rise of far right, extremist Christian white nationalism from the fringes to the mainstream, as it lurches ever closer to taking over.

Wild Faith was published on the eve of the 2024 election, and probably felt like a bit of a girl crying wolf—or rather, Cassandra warning her fellows of what she had seen through foresight, history and research.

I think what stood out most to me in the midst of the great wave of Christian nationalists fighting for parental rights (the right to remove books from schools and libraries so no child reads them, the right to punish, the right to homeschool, the right to not vaccinate, the right to choose health care treatments, the right to isolate their child socially, the right to pray, the right to send their kid to conversion camps, etc, etc, etc) was the erosion of the child's rights.

In this doctrine, a child is a small extension of the father's will. They, like their mothers, are owned by the patriarch within their household, who submits only to god and the church pastor.

The weirdness of father-daughter dances (so fucking weird!) and the spare the rod spoil the child attitude.

The sheer amount of the normalization of violence scares the crap out of me. It reminds me of Agnes Grey, which was written in 1847 but remains so stunningly apt today: of the children who grow up accustomed to violence and begat violence of their lessers in return. How can a child who never experiences anything other than this life escape? And if they do, how can they heal?

I grew up in rural Oregon. My next door neighbors were members of this type of extremist evangelism. While I'm not in touch with them (not that I really would be) (they were so radical they were actually kicked out of the very extremist Baptist church in town), I wonder how many of their children, my brother's friends, became part of the so-called Joshua Generation.

Anywho, this feels like a horrifying look into the future.

I think you should read it.

[Olive Ellringer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah we’re fucked

[Jack Darida · Rating 3 out of 5]

In her upcoming book, Wild Faith, How the Christian Right is Taking Over America, Talia Lavin details a dark, dangerous picture of far-right, fundamentalist, evangelical Christianity, to be released just in time for the 2024 election. In the afterword, Lavin tips her hand a bit. The spark which ignited this book was her viewing of the documentary, The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin. The Remnant Fellowship, founded and led by Shamblin following her rise to fame as a Christian diet guru, is not your typical evangelical church. Most evangelicals would be mortified to know that their church and their faith were being equated with that of Gwen Shamblin. Lavin says, “The name of the church doesn’t matter; it was showy and excessive in its habits, with a charismatic leader, but that is true of many churches in this country.” Upon watching the documentary, which features the unfortunate story of the death of a child due to parental maltreatment and the subsequent defense by Shamblin’s church, Lavin began to wonder about other children who grew up in similar circumstances. This led her to listen to the voices of numerous ex-evangelicals, sharing the pain of being raised in far-right, abusive homes. She heard the very real stories of people who had suffered under harsh treatment by parents who were church-going, Christ-worshiping, political conservatives. Lavin rightly pins some blame for such abuse on evangelical teaching of the past, by such names as Dobson and Gothard, even quoting Susanna Wesley’s 18th century opinions of Christian child-rearing. Lavin’s approach was to ask for the stories of those who had been raised in a fundamentalist Christian home. The pained accounts she heard fueled Lavin’s coverage of the Christian right.

The picture Lavin draws is ugly. Trump-worshipers. Women-haters. Racists. Child-abusers. Abortion-clinic bombers. Insurrectionists. Money-lovers. Book-burners. Self-professed prophets. Apocalypticism. Witch-hunting. All of it is wrapped in the American flag in the name of Jesus. Lavin’s thesis is that these horribly deceived people are out to take over the nation for Christ, deny women’s health care, repress sexual expression, beat your children, radicalize the public school system, reset equal rights and civil rights to pre-1950’s, and take away your right to vote in free elections. I don’t deny that people like this exist. I agree with Lavin that their agenda needs to be thwarted. I believe that their idea of a “Christian nation” is not the freedom of religion established by our constitution. Lavin’s carefully researched and well-written diagnosis of far-right, fundamentalist, evangelical, Christian-nationalism, and her fear that it will grow and take over our country, is scary, indeed.

The problem I have with the book, as an evangelical pastor, is that it aims way to the right of most evangelicals while insinuating all evangelicals within its target. I will list some of my qualms about Lavin’s analysis from my perspective.

Pro-life evangelicals are not out to take away health care from women. It is not their intention to keep women from access to a D & C following a miscarriage. Their motivation is to preserve the life of unborn children. Lavin ignores mentioning the life of the unborn child altogether. There needs to be a nuanced conversation regarding the encouragement of sexual responsibility in addition to state laws that protect women in the case of rape, incest, and life-saving measures.

Many evangelicals are not fans of Donald Trump and would rather have other options. Those who will vote for Trump do not defend him as a moral paragon but simply favor the policies of the Republican right. In a choice (currently) between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, many evangelicals feel forced to vote for Trump while holding their noses. Some evangelicals will write in a name or leave the presidential ballot blank. Evangelical Christians are not a solid voting bloc, as imagined by those on the left.

Corporal punishment is practiced in many homes throughout our country, Christian and non-Christian. Many evangelicals will use it as a last resort, and do not agree with the likes of Bill Gothard. Lavin asked for examples of physical abuse, and she got them. I would argue that they are the exception and not the norm as she implies.

When it comes to the apocalypse, as taught in the Bible, evangelical believers are divided. Lavin’s suggestions that post-millennials are actively working to hasten Christ’s return through political action, and pre-millennials have given up on the world and are waiting for Jesus to return are vastly over-simplified.

Many evangelicals homeschool their children because they do not approve of the curriculum in their local public school system, not because they are segregationist. While the purported “grooming” of children sexually is an overreach, it is true that public school systems around the country expose children to liberal gender and sexual education before many evangelical parents are comfortable.

The word evangelical comes from the Greek word for gospel, or good news. The desire of most evangelicals is to influence our culture through demonstrating the love of Jesus and sharing the good news. Many evangelicals wish for our nation to be more Christian in values but are not Christian nationalists. Jesus came to bring in a spiritual kingdom, not a physical one. He encouraged the use of metaphorical weapons and not literal ones.

There is more I could say, but this review is long enough already. Lavin makes one statement that gives me hope that she does not bake all evangelicals into the same pie. “There are many faithful people in this country who kiss the cross or take Communion and love their neighbor and keep up with old friends and listen to a nice sermon or two. This is not a book about those people.” I just wish she had repeated it a few times to demonstrate that she sees a distinction and realizes that she is punching far right.

I have seen those on the far right lather up fear over the activities of the left. From their fundamentalist pulpits they warn of population control, euthanasia, looting and rioting, the removal of parental rights, the demonization of meat, open borders, unrestricted pornography, etc… They warn us that these atheist libs are growing in number and influence. They provide anecdotal evidence and tell the horror stories of those raised in such homes. Without tempering her treatment of the evangelical right, is it possible that Talia Lavin may likewise be fomenting fear from her pulpit on the left? I stop short of this accusation but wish that she had made it clearer that she understands the distinctions and nuances within evangelicalism.

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of Wild Faith for review.

[Austin Chant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timely, horrifying, and compassionate.

[Nicole Finch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Lavin's first book three years ago and I only thought it was okay. I think her writing has improved a whole lot in the intervening years, and I flew threw this book because it was structured so well and was very readable (and listenable).

I didn't need a book to convince me how dangerous American (evangelical) Christianity is, but for everything in this book I already knew about, there was something equally horrible I was unaware of. Lavin's interviews with former evangelicals were particularly enlightening. The chapters on child abuse were particularly harrowing, even more so when you understand that evangelicals want to force us all to live under abusive government and family systems. I'm so grateful for the people who managed to escape evangelicalism and warn the rest of us about it, and I'm extremely proud of those who suffered abuse and were able to stop that cycle of abuse in their own lives.

A note on format: I didn't have the print book, but the ebook had nice, normal footnote and endnote links to click on, and the footnotes (expansions and explanations) were also included in the audiobook, which I really appreciated.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

~*~Yukon Book Club September 2025~*~

Interesting topic that made for great book club discussion! Some parts were better executed than others. Of note, the author narrates the audiobook and I did find that she had a condescending tone when discussing some parts.

[Trin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lavin is an excellent writer -- I already knew about much of what she explores here, and, in fact, being from the future compared to the Lavin who wrote this, also know the mean hard fact that the Evangelical Right won the 2024 election. But she still draws a few particular connections I hadn't --such as how, having run out of steam with blatant racism in the '60s, the religious right pivoted to a focus on anti-abortion rhetoric because it played better (sigh). And she presents the abuses of homeschooling and "spare the rod" Christian households in horrifying, often first-person detail.

I would say, I'm scared and depressed now! Except I was already scared and depressed!

[Amanda GB B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers important content and Talia Lavin is a good journalist. I personally only had a three-star experience because I found a large part of the content ground that has already been covered by other books, many of which she cites. The areas that are new could benefit from more investigation and inspection. It is useful to see a religion from the perspective of an outsider, but I think Lavin lost some nuance that will be noticeable to many evangelicals and ex-vangelicals.

I listened to this on audiobook and I think that contributes to the rating - not sure the accents were necessary! There are some mispronunciations as well.

[Gemma Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Christian right having its tendrils wrapped around all areas of public life in America is frightening. I wasn’t prepared for the brutal testimonies of child abuse, particularly from survivors of extreme evangelicalism whose parents could buy weapons from specialised shops to let them beat their children for Jesus. Heartbreaking.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I read this too close in time to Jesus and John Wayne and Star Spangled Jesus (I spy a theme?) so some of it felt a little redundant, but I appreciated the author’s unique perspective as well as the stats on homeschooling and the ways in which vulnerable children can slip through the cracks.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warns that America is teetering on the edge of a brutal white-nationalist Christian takeover by people who believe demons are real, the apocalypse is coming, and the apocalypse is a good thing.

Draws a direct and disturbing through-line from the segregationist academies that white supremacists established after Brown v. Board to keep their children away from Black folks to Trump. Suggests (as many others have) that these folks began attacking abortion because they knew they couldn't win on segregation in court directly but began building the legal architecture around protesting something that was not so clearly rooted in the 14th amendment.

Does a great job of showing that the ridiculous Satanic Panic of the 1980s didn't fade away, it just retreated underground to fester and metastasize into fevered fantasies of child abusing parents and god-intoxicated prosperity gospel believers.

Tied in the trad-wives in a way that unnerves me deeply. I had these folks in my head as silly instagram influencers, not shock troops of a christo-nationalist patriarchy.

Explains why so many of these folks abhor trans folks so deeply. They really believe god assigned people gender and if they are wrong about that, what else are they wrong about?

Also explains some of the horror I've heard certain malefactors and good white parents express about teaching that the United States has done awful things. They are fully committed to their view of the United States as the shining city on the hill; god's chosen nation. How do you reconcile that with Black chattel slavery and Native American genocide? Deny it happened or deny that it was a big deal.

I knew, dimly, that many folks who believe we are in the end days and god has instructed them to have a quiver full of children to fight the culture war also believe in physically disciplining their children.

Lavin talks to some of these children, all grown up and suffering. That is the most heartbreaking and disturbing part of this book. She catalogs so many people who were brutally beaten as children -- sometimes in sexualized ways -- and who grew up to perpetuate that abuse, to be abused, or to live constantly traumatized by what was done to them to make the submissive wives or holy warriors.

She talked to one woman who at 19 married her rapist because her family convinced her that's what god wanted. My heart breaks for her.

Makes QAnon and this focus on strangers who abuse children even more creepy. Suggests that these are the folks abusing their children, projecting their terrors onto swarthy strangers.

Lavin also writes with great compassion about these folks, caught up in an apocalyptical delusion about the nature of reality. Some are just malignant narcissists taking advantage of the rubes, she suggests. But many believe deeply that they are on the right side of history. And, as Audin said, those to whom evil is done do evil in return.

Powerful and heartbreaking.

[Natalie Harwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very well-trod ground but the way it is written is quite clever and even managed to make me laugh even though it is all dark. And the child abuse chapter is SO important and often missing in other books in favor of focusing on the explicitly political. Only lost a star because she really should’ve expanded the violence/child abuse last few chapters to be the entire book - the earlier stuff is written about so many other places and the stuff at the end is SO important. Maybe I’m penalizing Levin for doing her job too well but also I’m basically just leaving reviews for myself to reference later so leave me alone.

[Julian]

DNF @ 18%. I was really hopeful that this would be the kind of cogent analysis of how Christian nationalism works and why its adherents are so passionate in their belief that I think is desperately needed right now. Unfortunately this had a lot of heavily wrought description and not a lot of analysis, which I think does not actually do much to help us contend with why Christian nationalism is so dangerous and why the right has been the eventual winners of the culture wars for the last four decades. The book might get better, but the first hour and a half of the audiobook was preaching to the choir, and I have other holds coming in.

[Lauren Maresca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads like an anthology of crimes committed by the Evangelical right. While that does seem necessary to exist, the book lacks a central argument to trace throughout. It also felt like the order could have been reversed.

The latter chapters covering the parent's rights (often called parent's choice) movement are a well done condemnation of this growing movement.

The audiobook narration grated, particularly the accents for various quotations.

[Naomi Krokowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Christian Right is a terrifying group determined to turn America into a theocracy. Most of my lifetime the architects of this plan have been amassing power and turning seemingly benign phrases like “pro life” and “religious liberty” and “parental rights” into gaslighting tools to lull the rest of us into submission and acceptance of the dissolution of separation of church and state. The white nationalists who refused to accept segregation set up private schools to keep their children away from black and brown kids. Then when segregation alone was not an issue enough to amass power at the highest levels of government, anti feminist and anti gay sentiment was fused to the Reaganites to achieve their aims. Author Lavin has done her research, and the clear through-line of fire and brimstone beliefs in corporal punishment to train children in the ways of obedience in evangelical homes leading to vengeful legislators like Mike Johnson as speaker of the house and enemy of no fault divorce is brutally obvious. What’s even more heartbreaking than the Trumpists hell bent on forcing white Christian nationalism and patriarchy on all of us? The numerous stories Lavin collected from ex Evangelicals who grew up being whipped and abused in countless ways as part of their James Dobson Focus on the Family upbringings.

People who believe Trump is a new King Cyrus for the modern age are serious about the spiritual battle they are fighting over this country we thought we could comfortably call home. Take them at their word. They mean to beat us all into surrender to Jesus’ Army.

If you think we Jews or atheists are safe from their beliefs, read this book. We are not in any way, and we need to fight back for the sake of our kids and grandchildren.

[Nathan Krantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having grown up in the evangelical sphere, most of this book wasn’t surprising. But it’s nice to have all this information condensed into one location that is easily accessible to people who come from different faith backgrounds

[Haley Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

review on substack

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that, at the time of its release, was a warning and now is simply a painful history lesson for how we got to this moment right here. A deep dive into Christian nationalism and the stranglehold evangelicals have on the trajectory of our country.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hard and heavy read. I anticipated it would be intense, and it is, but it is also not an easy read to get through, and it's going to weigh heavy on me. But I think for many of us right now, there's no better time to read this and reflect on what it offers.

[Miranda Tjelta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite my three star rating, I WOULD recommend this book, especially if you weren’t raised in white, American, Protestant, Evangelical Christianity. Unfortunately, this is almost too much of niche topic of interest for me, so I was already familiar with nearly all of the points in this book. This is a great overview/introduction to how the Christian Right has weaseled their way into many parts of American society and politics, so if you’re confused how we got to a second Trump presidency, this is a great starting place to understand how we got here.

[Sierra · Rating 1 out of 5]

*audiobook

[Ranjani Sheshadri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Proud to have Talia Lavin in our small but mighty Women of Jeopardy cohort. I read her first book while hunkered down in front of a fireplace during the 2021 freeze, thinking Trumpism was reasonably behind us. I was naive, I know. I managed to squeeze this in right before it expired, and honestly, I had a stint of Christian right-related books near the inauguration, but lost the stomach for it when I saw how quickly and ruthlessly this administration began to roll out its planned atrocities. I don’t think much of this book will be new for anyone who has read about—or understands through lived experience—the integration of right-wing politics, hard-line religious views, and ingrown bigotry before, but halfway through the book, when Lavin begins describing the way the evangelical church breeds fear and violence into its youngest disciples, she creates an interesting thread that kept me hooked for the rest of the book. I saved a few quotes from the last few chapters here because they really resonated with me and showed how deep the vein of violence runs, the way traumatized children enact that trauma on others, all in the name of religious belief. We are, I think, only at the cusp of this now and I fear that the worst effects of this may be felt in the years to come as religion solidifies its foothold in politics and the brittle scaffolding of our supposedly secular country is carved away by sycophants and charlatans.

All errors are mine and are errors of transcription from the audiobook (which, by the way, Levin enhances with her own impressions, accents, and imitations of some of the figures she quotes. That was a treat!):

“Just as a childhood of obedience enforced by divine mandate and wooden paddle alike make love, God, and authority hopelessly tangled in a child’s heart, when that child grows up, he or she may become, as Miller postulated, able to empathize only with the aggressor and thus be perfectly willing, as the culture of the Christian right evinces, to embrace the most violent excess of police forces, to advocate for draconian policies to punish women who seek abortion care and their doctors, to speak of immigrants and as a plague and a scourge, and act accordingly.”

“The true cunning of such a system is the way it makes people into copies of itself, machines to perpetuate cruelty. If an internal landscape is built on violence, with punishment and control its chief features, its peaks and troughs etched out in dominance and recrimination, the guidance it offers can lead to a similar landscape in adulthood and a desire to remake the world in that image. The compass points towards both pain and love, and they are found in the same direction: an inner north that pulls and pulls the pliant heart into the wastes.”

“Christian homeschoolers who distinguish themselves are drafted as child soldiers in the broader spiritual war. Those who excel at Christian homeschool may find themselves elevated within the insular institutions that cater to religious home education. It is these elites that Michael Ferris calls the “Joshua generation” of young homeschoolers whose role is to engage wholeheartedly in the battle to take the land for the Christian faith. There are some in every elite law school who wind up as clerks for Supreme Court justices, who are groomed for office on every level of government, who are the instruments of power.”

“I didn’t intend for this book to be the story of what theocracy does to the women and children under its care, nor even for it to be a portrait of basic theocracy. It was supposed to be a big, loud book about terrorism. Instead, it became a big, loud book about quiet and terrible grief, belief, and pain, and how they are all connected, and how the ideas that let you beat your child in the name of god may make you think you can beat a country into obedience too. And perhaps even how, in opposing one form of injustice, you oppose the other kind at the same time.”

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been the most infuriating book I have read this entire year. If you would like to be infuriated, this is probably the best book you can pick up to get that way.

Let's talk about the topics this book covers. Book bans, which I DESPISE. Anti-vaccination, which is stupid in nearly all cases. (Obviously, there are good reasons for certain people to remain unvaccinated, but why are we listening to fools with no medical education and making decisions about medicine and health? That is ignorant as all hell.) Attack on curriculum at public school and the desire to teach homeschool with no regulation. (My sister is one of these people, and it is JARRING to me.) Child abuse of all kinds. Domestic violence of all kinds. These people simply hate women and nothing can convince me otherwise. All kinds of self-proclaimed prophets (scumbags) are discussed in this book, all equally vile. It also discusses the rise of White Christian Nationalism in the United States and how religious entities have gotten in bed with politicians in an effort for both to further their agendas together. The research into this was well done and the book was well written. I also really appreciated the personal stories and comments from people who have lived this terrible shared experience.

I heard a song this morning on my way to work that has a line that basically sums up my entire review for this book. That line is "never had a voice to protest, so you fed me shit to digest" and boy.... that does it. There is a sadistic and pervasive culture of silence, obedience, and oppression in this religion. The emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical abuse that is perpetrated in the Christian religion is disgusting and has continued to snake and expand through the centuries. Have you ever seen those videos where they inject colored liquid into clear liquid and it permeates? That is the horror of this cult. I found this book to be exceptionally jarring as I have experienced quite a lot of the stuff mentioned in this book being forced to grow up in an evangelical household. I have never been so glad to be out of this mess as I am today, especially in the political climate that we live in. I would be disgusted with myself to be forced to participate and defend such foolishness.

Religious abuse is real. It is lasting. It is detrimental. I am absolutely proof of that, just by myself. If anyone reading this falls into this category, you aren't alone and you will make it out the other side.

[Thom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong topic, well researched, not well written. This book, findings and sources could (and should) be cited when working for change. Made easier through extensive end notes.

The author states in the afterword that she started with Part II - abuse within the family. The idea of family rights surpassing children's rights is abhorrent, and cases of death from abuse were hard to read. Other human rights apply to the spouse, also covered in this section. A lot of this is connected to religion - which leads to the first section of the book.

In Part I, the author details Evangelical influence on government and society. The idea of a group of people who literally believe the world is about to end having any influence on what we plan for the future is depressing, and I wish there were a good way to call them to account. This isn't the Christianity I was taught. This section apparently echoes other books on the subject, and some reviewers seem to have lowered their rating for the repetition.

This book only reaches 3 out of 5 stars for me because the author goes beyond the facts and into personal attacks and slanders. Yes, many of the targets are deserving, but this book could make a far stronger case with just the facts. In today's society, it is far to easy to dismiss facts as opinions, and giving these folks the excuse of "she just doesn't like me" goes too far. Perhaps some of this is the author reacting to frequent slanders against her by internet trolls.

Among her other books and articles Culture Warlords: My Journey Into the Dark Web of White Supremacy digs into white supremacy, another rising concern today. I'll find it at the library and flip through it to see if it suffers the same slanders.

[Lancakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gotta digest this a little, because I am shaken.

Parts of this I already knew ("parental rights" advocates don't give a shit about children, otherwise they would care about child poverty and homelessness, health care, forced family separation at the border, gun violence, the risk of suicide for queer children who are emotionally abused and denied their self expression, the roll back of child labour protections, child "marriage", climate change, the fucking measles, etc etc.).

There are pieces of this puzzle that I have been mulling over for ages that Lavin deftly clicked together for me, like that "parental rights" is fundamentally an advocacy for property rights over one's children, and how the home school lobby, censorship brawls in school boards and libraries, and abuse are all fruits (tomatoes, even) from that rotten vine.

And a lot of this book is incrediblyshocking and so, so hard to wrap my head around (they literally believe in demons, they have been beating their children for generations, there are so many of them!), but Lavin has done her very best to guide the reader to integrating these truths, even though they are so outlandish or awful that your brain *will* fight against the facts (they genuinely, *literally* believe with their whole selves that their rapture is coming, that they will be found worthy and rewarded when it does, and regardless of whether they believe a Christian reign or an apocalypse will bring it about, they are happy to destroy the world for all of us to get their heavenly reward).

Chilling, sobering, heartbreaking.

[Jack Pester · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is important and could do a lot of good for a lot of people. Though, if like myself, you have a good grasp on harm the religious right can, has, and will do, then you probably can skip this one. If not, I think it's a good introduction.

That being said, this book felt less cohesive than her previous book, which I really enjoyed. With this book, I felt she didn't elaborate much on topics that would have paid off more than just glancing over things. The last few chapters felt more cohesive and really showcased what she CAN do.

I wish she had done more interviews than background in a lot of ways or done more history left out the interviews, but overall, both sections feel short and not sewn together as well as they could have. I think it could have been edited slightly better, but honestly, it was still enjoyable as much as a book like this can be.