The Christian Right and the War on America - American Fascists

HEDGES HAS THE DEPTH OF EXPERIENCE TO OBSERVE THE SAD SITUATION IN AMERICA. I WAS BLOWN AWAY AT HOW GOOD HE IS EXPLAINING THINGS THAT I HAD NO ANSWERS FOR,
HE IS MUCH LIKE HOWARD ZINN AND NOAM CHOMSKY, BUT CHRIS HAS "BEEN THERE"

Chris Hedges, unfortunately, is everything the Christian right (CR) is against. Well educated, well traveled, objective, progressive, liberal minded, articulate and a free thinker. These credentials along with his Master of divinity, give him plenty of credibility to write about a constantly growing force in the American social and political landscape namely, the Christian Right.

Hedges is angry, that is quickly discerned early in the book. He fights to hold back his negative feelings towards the key players in the CR. This bubbling under rage helps to propel the book along at a pretty good clip.

The roots of Hedges anger comes from his observations and closeness to key players in the CR namely, Pat Robertson, Paul and Jan Crouch, Rod Parsley, James Dobson and one or two others. Viewing himself as more old school as far as ministering goes, Hedges is sickened by the CR's less than covert, ongoing attempt to change America into a purely Christian nation ruled by a hierarchy of male figures who answer to no one other than their God and, in turn, demand absolute obedience from the "flock". He talks about their vulgar displays of wealth and self professed "direct" line to God and the various other ways they manipulate the people with Magic, wonderment and wizardry.

Their intolerance of Gays, progressives, liberals, unions, other religions, and basically anyone that can see through them and therefore pose a threat makes the CR very vocal and unwilling to stop at anything to protect themselves. Hedges tells us how certain societal conditions prove to be prime time for fascist groups such as the CR to gain many disillusioned and destitute recruits and start the process of isolating them and indoctrinating them. If all this sounds similar to Germany in the 30's, the parallels are deliberate as you will read in the book.

The book is broken out by chapters averaging 20 or so pages in length. The chapters, ten in all, describe various facets of the Christian right wing and how they use these facets to entice, overwhelm, convert and exploit. It's fascinating stuff and, it's happening.

A conversation with the author has been added at the end of the book where Hedges adds more insight into the CR some two years after he wrote the book.

I enjoyed it and, I will recommend it to my more liberal minded friends, obviously.

Chris Hedge's book is an impassioned and thoroughly informed and researched expose of the deeply fascist inclinations of right wing Christian fundamentalists in the United States. Son of a minister himself, Hedges shows how the dangerous right wing fundamentalists have betrayed true Christianity by seeking to impose their grotesquely distorted conception of Christianity on the entire nation. Most disturbing is his documentation of the most extreme of the fundamentalists--the dominionists who believe in a coming world war in which the majority of the world's population will perish while true Chritians (fundamentalists only) will be raptured up into heaven by Christ himself. How truly nauseating to see that crazy medieval thinking still has a firm hold on tens of millions in the United States.

The first thing I appreciated about this book was that it was written by a man of faith. The concerns he addresses are more relevant, to me, coming from a fellow Christian. Like me, Hedges is at the liberal end of the Christian spectrum, and I share his opinion that the Religious Right largely does the bidding of dominionists. That extremists have hijacked conservative Christianity.

Hedges is not hysterical, nor does he fling wild accusations. He's a seasoned journalist, and he's done his homework. The book abounds in interviews with those formerly -- or even currently -- in the orbit of dominionism.

Every chapter is well-researched. Even those who are skeptical that the radical Right seeks to establish a theocracy in America will be convinced by the time they've finished the book. Like me, they will probably be shocked to find out how many supposedly mainstream evangelicals and conservative politicians are in the thrall of dominionism.

A convincing case is also made that this stealth agenda is a form of fascism. When I began the book, I thought the title was hyperbolic. By the time I finished it, I realized that fascism has indeed been resurrected in a new guise. What's most chilling is that the majority of those who support this agenda innocently believe it's all about Mom, apple pie, the Fourth of July and Jesus. An eerie parallel is drawn between those in this country who are gullibly taken in and the people of Germany when the Nazis were moving into power.

It can happen here, if we don't stop it. Awareness is the first step -- and it's a crucial one. This book performs a valuable public service in raising our awareness.

Parts of the book are quite funny. The description of the creationist museum alone is worth the price of the whole volume.

I thoroughly recommend "American Fascists." In fact, I strongly urge every American to read it. And especially every Christian.

Chris Hedges'book should be required reading for everyone of voting age. The Constitution of these United States insists and depends upon the separation of church and state. When people say there should be prayer in the schools, I ask, "Whose prayer? Who decides?" Jews? Christians? Muslims? Athiests? Agnostics? Hindi? I don't pretend to have answers for everyone, and no one has answers for me. Ours is a democracy, with room for many religions and points of view. The Taliban is a good example of no tolerance for differences. Hedges makes good sense and has the credibility to bring his point home. (Don't be discouraged at the beginning of this book - it becomes far more understandable after the first 30 pages).

Thank God there are people who think! Thank you, Chris Hedges!

An important book with a message that needs to be heard. Unfortunately, this book alternates between a lengthy jeremiad against against religeo-fascism and a much needed inside look at the personalities and politics of the movement. I wish there was less of the former and more of the latter, since most who read this book wouldn't bother if they weren't already in complete agreement that religeo-fascism is an alarming trend in America.

I bought and am reading this book because I want to know exactly who these people are who claim to speak for/with G-d and call for a "Christian America" and what exactly that term means to them. The pages that address those topics are what make this book worthwhile. Unfortunately, the author also takes many pages to describe his own upbringing and faith in a more mainstream "liberal" church. He seems to do this in part to establish his credentials, and in part to serve as a backdrop with which to compare the churches and doctrines of the radical religious right. I consider both unecessary and wish he had instead used that space to tell us more about the history of the radical Christian right, its people, and its plans to overtake America, because the sections that do deal with this tend to be very good indeed. I found that this constant mixing of hard journalism with what amount to essays on the author's on views about religion and political life distract the narrative and make it seem haphazard in places.

This book leaves me especially hungry to learn more about the ties between the radical Christian right and large corporate interests. The book reminds us of this connection repeatedly, even mentioning a "vast underground network of support", but leaves my hungry for specific examples. The paragraphs on secretive Council for National Policy is a good start, but only leaves me hungry to learn more. I wish that Mr. Hedges might have followed the stereotypical advice of the good detective and devoted a little more space to "following the money". The fine book "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) also mentions ties between the radical Christian right and the food processing industry and again, I am especially hungry to learn more about this connection between the large corporations, especially in industries that exploit cheap labor, and the radical Christian right. Let's have details, names and numbers! (Just kidding, I don't want anyone to get hurt; I just want to know what brands and franchises to avoid giving my business to. ;)

So this book is both a must-read for what it contains and frustrating for what it doesn't go into enough detail about. Nevertheless, I'll give it five stars because I want as many people as possible to read it.

it is the exceptional few, who among the oblivious many, take the time to self inform and educate themselves because what is important are the comprehensive concepts and idea's that are constitutive of holistic sustainability concerning life on this blue bubble called earth. what we don't know will kill us, similar to one who has no idea about thin ice,third rail high voltage electricity and deep water ...and mental illness ,alcohol and guns, additionally! we must refuse the unthinking mindlessness and apathetic political indifference that obscures the moral imperative that requires of us a patriotic duty to be the sentinels of democracy ...we owe that to those who gave everything to leave a legacy of freedom and liberty to us and now it is our turn to maintain and preserve that sacred gift. a must read for Patriots everywhere...

Author Chris Hedges offers the reader a frightening look into the world of emerging American fascists. They are members of the Christian right who wish to form a Christian empire starting in the United States.

The leaders of these "dominionists" are people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson who are strategizing daily to implement this plan, a plan that begins with proselytization, subserviance of the population and recognizing them as spokesmen for God, packing legislatures and judiciaries with loyal followers, altering our history (US founded as a Christian nation) and science (intelligent design), and by fusing Christian and national symbols into one.

Hedges describes the paradoxes of this Christian right, people willing to welcome people into their fold as long as they remain loyal and do not question canon. These are people who will also abandon "non-believers" to the torments they believe are predicted in the bible, while they will enjoy the rapture of being called to God. This is the frightening part, because this Christian right, so sure of its destiny, makes careless proclamations that bring the world closer to the brink of its own destruction. Hedges provides numerous examples of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson sanctioning nuclear strikes against those they condemn as enemies of God. More recently, it was Robertson who suggested that the Venezuelan ruler be assassinated (murdered), and it was Falwell who blamed 9/11 on atheists, the ACLU, secularists, gay and lesbians, and those who promote alternative lifestyles. (Such pronouncements give credibility to the author's hypothesis.)

The lowest depravity described in this book is the high-living preacher and successor to the "Praise the Lord" empire the author describes as telling his audience to tear up their bills and send the money to him, that God will be displeased with them on judgment day if they do not send him money instead. (Pass the Loot.) This preacher of mercy stated that he wished he had a "Holy Ghost machine gun" to blow the heads off his detractors, because anyone who challenged him was a sin against Him! (Psalms 142: Put Not Thy Trust in Princes.)

He postulates the following: "democracy is not the enemy of faith. Democracy keeps religious faith in the private sphere, ensuring that all beliefs have an equal measure of protection and practice mutual co-existence." These dominionists will tolerate others, even share political platforms such as pro-life with Catholics whom they regard as nothing more than a cult, until they achieve the power to suppress their enemies and former allies. They do not want inclusion in democracy. They want the power to dominate and exclude others.

Neither does this narrow band of Christians recognize other Christians, Jews or Muslims no matter how moral or righteous they may be. "Debate or negotiation with them is impossible," says the author. They see themselves as soldiers in a great crusade. They even describe their destiny and roles in military terms.

Hedges warns that tolerance does not means that we must tolerate the intolerant; we must be on guard against the goals these people are trying to achieve, and expose them and oppose them in every venue.

To understand his arguments even more, I recommend Catherine Crier's, Contempt: How the Right Is Wronging American Justice and Susan Jacoby's, "Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism."

This book is a siren hymn. It describes an insidious threat to our way of life. It is fascism cloaked in Americana.

Amen!

I found this book while scanning the bookcase in the political section in Borders on a date with my husband. I finished this one in several days as it was very compelling and very thought-provoking. May I be honest? It was very much of a relief to read this book because my husband and I thought we were the only ones who thought we were seeing something like this occurring in America.

Let me clarify something. We are Christians. But we are not fundamentalist Christians and we definitely do not belong to a megachurch. This book is a relief for us because this author shared a lot of similar thoughts that we believe in ~~ and it is a relief to know that we're not alone! Now, this is not an opinionated book, Hedges did a very careful study of his beliefs and backed them up with examples. Sometimes, I thought he was going a little overboard with some of the stories he was sharing with his reader, so I did some research. He did study the issues. He talked to people and he attended some of the events that these ministers attended. He is definitely well-informed on the Ohio events that gave Ohio to Bush in the second election. (Chapter 8 was my favorite chapter in the book ~~ it went into details about Blackwell, and his quest for Bush and it brought to light for us about the Ohio Restoration Project and the Patriot Pastors ~~ which we have not heard about in our local newspapers!)

This is an eerie book. It is a disturbing book. It is a book about people. It is about people who are misinformed. It is about people taking advantage of other people's miserys to get their points across. It shows examples of intolerant people in the name of Christ.

And those people who cannot get enough of the End Times or Revelations ~~ it is so incredibly violent and bloodthirsty and it just keeps bringing to the mind of the Old Testament God that strikes at anyone or anything because he can. Whatever happened to the message that Christ brought to the world? The one of peace and love and forgiveness? You don't see that these days among a lot of those popular ministers. This book shows countless of examples of a disturbing trend among those pastors trying to convert our nation into their own disturbing vision of what it should be. And it is scary.

3-1-07

Chris Hedges is one of the most perceptive and provocative cultural critics on the scene today. I have devoted much of my Summer reading this year to his works, and have come away from them rather shell-shocked, but exercised in all the right ways by his insights into the various threats to Shalom posed by the hard right and its alliance with "corporate culture" and militarism.

That having been said, I have discerned that Hedges sometimes misses important distinctions and nuances, and can fall into the very binary thinking he often excoriates. This fine exposé of the fundamentalist-Christian agenda provides salient examples (though others may be found elsewhere in his extensive corpus of writings). Though Hedges has a seminary education and seems to have authentically Christian bearings, I found that he often ignores alternatives that lie between the extremes of biblical literalism and a wholly "de-mythologized" modernism. However, there are many theological and ecclesiastical traditions that sport a robust Trinitarian theism while affirming progressive social causes such as gender equality and gay marriage, and embracing the discoveries of modern science, including evolution. In short, he tends to ignore an option of what might be called "progressive orthodoxy." And that is not an oxymoron, but a living faith for many, including this writer. So the choice, religiously speaking, is not a binary one, nor do all fundamentalists wear black hats and all theological "liberals" white ones (though to his credit, Hedges gives sympathetic portrayals of individual fundamentalist believers and their existential predicaments, while occasionally giving a nod to the older, less politicized evangelicalism in the person of Luis Palau).

This caveat aside, I would strongly recommend this book, and indeed all of Hedges' works, to those who are dismayed by current and alarming symptoms of cultural decline and socioeconomic injustice in the USA. With a presidential election year on the horizon, it is imperative that thoughtful voters be made aware of the "totalitarian" tendencies inherent in the Christian right's pernicious (and historically insupportable) myth of a "Christian America."

Postscript: After writing this review it occurred to me to put in a plug for an author who exemplifies the fast-vanishing "center" of the religious spectrum. Bernard Lonergan (1904-1984) was one of the great Christian thinkers of recent times. The fact that he was a Catholic and a Jesuit might arouse the suspicions of some readers, but a serious encounter with his massive contribution to philosophy and theology will richly reward the effort to persevere through his often difficult but profoundly insightful writings. In particular, he develops a method for diagnosing and reversing cultural dysfunction that explains more fully our current situation than Hedges' thoughtful, but more "ad hoc" (and occasionally tendentious) analysis. Furthermore, Lonergan's way of showing how seamless is the connection between the dynamics of scientific understanding (as it is practices by the mainstream disciplines) and a theistic worldview provides an antidote to both fundamentalist obscurantism and the despair engendered by a naturalism that must confront an inexplicable and indifferent cosmos. Finally, i would encourage readers who are not theologically inclined to check out Lonergan's magnum opus, *Insight*; a properly philosophical inquiry into the dynamics of human understanding that does not presuppose commitment to any "historical faith." Lonergan's effort was always to inhabit a "not too numerous center" avoided by the "hard right" and "scattered left." If a commentary or general introduction to his thought is desired, I can strongly recommend Joseph Flanagan's *Quest for Self-Knowledge*.

It was interesting reading this book in context of the 2012 presidential election. The extreme Christian right makes its ominous presence known through the republican candidates that are willing to slither on their bellies in order pander to them. The thesis of this book is more relevant today and when it was first published. How far the movement will succeed in getting what it wants remains to be seen. For all our sakes, "marginal" (as the author refers to himself and others) Christians and secular humanists better be willing to stand up and speak out against them.

I agree with much that is written in this book because I have seen and experienced it with my own eyes, Hedges obviously infiltrated some radical Christian conventions to get an eye and earful of what this movement preaches behind its closed doors. For all of us that are not one of the "saved", the future is not something to look forward to. Depending on the specific sect of Christian extremism, you will burn eternally in hell or get left behind on earth which will be a "hell". Even Christian extremists don't agree about the where, and the other small details, but all do agree it will be painful and hideous if you don't embrace their doctrines and get yourself dunked and saved!

In the meantime, fundamentalists run a tight ship of organizing their brethren into a powerful, and ultimately misguided, voting bloc that would prefer to drive the US from democracy into a nation guided by "christian principals", or in other words, a theocracy. Also, they dance dangerously with their tax exempt status, if not trample all over it.

I realize that the author uses the term "fascist", but I think that might be a bit overstated. Another problem with this book, and also with a lot of other books, from both sides, is the constant reference to the Nazis and Hitler. It's over done and for anyone that is fundamentalist, that might read this book, it causes an immediate shutdown to the message contained within.

One of the most amusing, yet bizarre, chapters is when Hedges visits a Creation "Museum" and its promotion of "Intelligent" design where the objective is not to accurately interpret scientific data, but to pick and choose pieces in order to alloy it with their theology. The strangest is the assertion that the dinosaurs were on earth the same time as man and were passengers on Noah's ark.

The book is overall well-written, but the word "binary" is overused and Hedges gets a bit heavy with the psycho-babble. I get that more than anything, Christian fundamentalists want to "go back" to a time that never truly existed. To be sure, PARTS existed, and the gender, racial, and sexual, roles were well defined and not as ambiguous as they are today. Not being sure of what the future will bring, they cling to some illogical reward for believing in a promise of utopia unfettered by all non-believers. No scientists, feminists, and liberals to confront or try and put a stop to them. Robertson, Dobson, and Crouches are discussed in the book. Of course, the Crouches seized control of PTL after the fall of the Bakkers, who were their close friends at the time. So much for Christian friendship and love, to quote the Godfather, "It's business!"

(You'd think after making all those millions, Jan Crouch would buy herself a makeup artist and a decent wig!)

Bottom line, if you're an extreme right-wing Christian, you'll hate the book. If you're not, you probably like, if not love, it. I liked it.

Great book about a frightening subject. A must-read text for any citizen. The rise of fascism in America is appalling but this book turns the light on so we can all see the roaches scatter. Get out the big shoes and bug spray!

Chris Hedges provides an intelligent perspective on the brand of religious extremism indoctrinated by the perpetrators of the Christian Right movement in America today. The book analyzes this phenomenon from multiple contexts, but most significantly for me, as just another rendition of a fascist ideal. Against this backdrop, he relates the tactics and rhetoric used to ferment exclusionism and hatred within the Christian Right to other fascist movements employed throughout modern history.

I found the first and last chapters, Faith and Apocalyptic Violence respectively, particularly powerful whereby we find the author crying out to the silent majority for engagement. The last two sentences of this book may express its overall tone best: "The attacks by this movement on the rights and beliefs of Muslims, Jews, immigrants, gays, lesbians, women, scholars, scientists, those they dismiss as "nominal Christians," and those they brand with the curse of "secular humanists" are an attack on us all, on our values, our freedoms and ultimately our democracy. Tolerance is a virtue, but tolerance coupled with passivity is a vice."

Maybe hard for some to face the facts but America is definitely being guided by the Christian fascists on the one hand and the anything goes secularists on the other. This book focuses on the former group who want to shape Americans in their image. Hedges discusses their methodology and the threat they pose to a free American way of life.

A worthwhile read.

I first heard about this book when Bob Edwards interviewed Chris Hedges on NPR, something that says volumes as Republican members of congress have tried for years to curtain if not silence public radio. Mr. Hedges, who along with other reporters from "The New York Times," won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of global terrorism, dares to use the "F" word here as it relates to the Christian Right and its attempts to take over our government, creating an oligarchy. We have read before much of what Mr. Hedges covers here-- Christian radio and television, Timothy LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins' enormously popular LEFT BEHIND novels about the Rapture, etc., the Christian Right's inroads into all areas of politics from the local school board to the U. S. Congress, Senate and Presidency, the teaching of Creationism in our public schools, the demonization of gays, Muslims, liberals, immigrants, pro-choice advocates, et al. To see the Religious Right's plans all laid out so well by Mr. Hedges is devastating beyond words. It is useless he says to attempt debate with these people or to try to change them as they are intent on destroying everyone who does not think as they do. He does exhort all Americans who care about diversity to "give up passivity, to challenge aggressively this movement's deluded appropriation of Christianity and to do everything possible to defend tolerance."

Some of what I learned from this fine book-- the scariest: In THE INSTITUTES OF BIBLILCAL LAW, written in 1973, which according to Mr. Hedges is the most important book for this radical Christian movement known as dominionism, its author R. J. Rushdoony advocates the death penalty for rape, kidnapping and murder, but also for adultery, blasphemy, homosexuality, astrology, incest, striking a parent, incorrigible juvenile delinquency and, "in the case of women, unchastity before marriage."

The most bizarre: that the "50,000-square foot Creation Museum" in Petersburg, Kentucky has a scale model of Noah's ark, "which shows how dinosaurs fit into the three levels of the vessel, along with other species such as horses, giraffes, hippopotamuses, penguins and bears." These pseudo-scientists get around the obvious problem of how these huge dinosaurs could fit inside an ark by saying that "'perhaps God sent young adults into the ark that still had plenty of room for them to grow.'" Enough said.

The funniest-- even for such a serious book: that one can visit the Gold, Frankencense and Myrrh gift shop, as well as the Heavenly Bistro, at the Costa Mesa Trinity Broadcasting Network headquarters. Graceland never looked so good.

AMERICAN FASCISTS should be required reading for all of us who believe in democracy and diversity.

Some have wondered why the "good, peaceful Moslems" don't "do something" about the vicious, fundamentalist side of their religion. Meanwhile, here in our own country, the viciousness of Christian fundamentalism is making inroads all around us, and many, including liberal Christians, want to turn a blind eye to preserve political correctness and religious tolerance. A number of the reviews of this book do just that, claiming that Hedges is vastly overstating his case against the Religious Right.

If the book is overstated, it needs to be. Americans don't seem a bit interested in preserving their political system these days, and the Right's agenda is put into place piece by piece, they'll no doubt forget they ever had such a system. I, for one, would like to thank Chris Hedges for putting it on the line in a way that the danger can't be missed.

If creeping Christian Fundamentalism is to be held in check, it will be because liberal Christians have awakened and realized that the brand of Christianity embraced by the Right is NOT the Christianity of Jesus, but is, instead, a perverse mix of power and rabid religiosity.

Scotty Zilinsky

This book covers essentially the same material as "American Theocracy" by Timothy Ferris. The main difference between the two, in my opinion, resides in Mr. Hedges's more impassioned tone. Mr. Hedges, to his credit, declares himself a religious partisan early in the book. It comes then as no surprise that he condemns the theological position of the "dominionists" against his own, more mainstream, heritage. While the book is well written, I couldn't escape the feeling that Mr. Hedges's passion brought his book into the same kind of panic-mongering of which he, rightly, accuses the dominionists.

I heard about this on Bob Edwards Weekend and was interested enough to go check out the book. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to read more than a page or two. I already have strong and informed opinions about the dangers of religious zealotry, but more to the point, I find name-calling and snide assumptions of superiority to be very offputting. Based on the title, I expected an atheistic screed cum political rant.

Instead, Mr. Hedges opens with Umberto Eco's excellent and thought-provoking description of the essential nature of fascism. Then he goes on to show the ways in which "dominionism", a politically active sort of Christian fundamentalism, conforms to those criteria. Hedges treats with compassion many of those he disagrees with, and he generally refrains from cheap shots and personal attacks. He keeps his focus on the dangers of an ideology that would impose by force rigid conformity of belief (regardless of scientific truth) and behavior (regardless of opposing personal or cultural norms).

There is not a lot of new information here, at least for those who pay attention to the coverage of the alliance between Evangelicals and officials at the highest levels of American government. But Hedges' closely-reasoned, lucidly explained arguments make this a must-read.

The Christian Faith should follow the teachings of Jesus. Jesus said "Blessed are the Meek" and "Blessed are the Peacemakers" and much more. Read your Bible and get the entire message. Don't blindly follow. Very thought provoking book.

This book helps one understand the real difference between the political ideologies at play in both the United States and Canada. I can see now why Mr. Obama was re-elected and why we in Canada should be thankful for that outcome. This book is a must for those teaching social studies in our schools.

This book is a very nicely put together work. You can read the first chapter then skip to the last chapter without being lost. Each chapter is its own entity. I really liked the little quotes in the margins. A must read for any freethinker/atheist.

This book, written by a Harvard Divinity School graduate, takes a critical and thought provoking look at the militant branch of evangelicalism. Ever wonder how self described Christians can so eager champion war and killing? How self described followers of Jesus can hate so many? How people who claim to believe that the Bible is the literal word of God seem to skip over the portions of the New Testament dealing with tolerance, love and compassion? Chris Hedges explains it all. With a scholarly yet very readable approach, Hedges shows how the militants have appealed to the ever growing desperate segments of American society. This authoritarian approach to religion feeds upon and encourages the angriest hatred for "others" - Muslims, Jews, less militant Christians, gays, liberals, feminists, just about anyone who does not submit to the rigid, right wing formula of the evangelicals. Read this book before the next terrorist attack empowers these authoritarians to shut down all civil liberties as threats to Christian America.

If you tend to agree with fundamentalist Christians you will be irate about this book. If you are a progressive, you will cheer. Whatever your perspective, Hedges outlines a compelling case about the dangers of dominionist strains of fundamentalist Christianity in the US today.

The question that readers should ask is not whether the book is "hateful" or "intolerant" but whether the core facts are true and implications are valid. Hedges tries to use factual statements about dominionist behavior and then suggest implications of the behavior. Much of the material is disturbing. For example, there is no question about the historical overlap between this group of Christians and many ugly aspects of out past including segregation, tax evasion, the John Birch Society, etc. Nor is there serious disagreement about the ugliness of many of the attacks by Falwell, Roberts, and others on gay people, Muslims, progressives, etc. Nor is there much disagreement on their efforts to re-define the US as a Christian country instead of a secular country with a Christian majority. Nor is ther much disagreement about the profoundly anti-intellectual/rational bias in the movement (just look at intelligent design or Christian oriented history books). Or about the well nurtured and well documented paranoia of the group. Or the overtly greedy, financially questionable, sometimes illegal behavior of many of its leaders. All of the many examples cited by Hedges suggests that he may not be reaching too far when he categorizes the group as "fascists." However, agree or disagree, the book is challenging and troubling. And it is well worth reading.

The reviewer who wrote "Intolerant, alarmist, and insufferably narrow-minded...." - is truthfully describing the evangelical dominionism Hedges is writing about. By birth I was subjected to the fear, death, hate, warrior mentality, and retribution that spews from the Pentecostal pulpit and can validate firsthand most of what is written in this book. The dominionism movement requires that one set aside their ability to think, and to adhere to a male dominated binary doctrine that is out to kill and otherwise destroy anyone (including real Christians) who don't believe just the way they do.

This book needed to be written to create an awareness of the motives and attitudes of evangelical dominionism. Thanks for writing it Chris.

Hedges' wrote like he speaks in this work - wobbling, unfocused, and not very clearly. More about anecdote than a coherent and cogent exposition. Yes, we all know that the far Christian "right" is a force to be recognized. But in Hedges' write-up they (the far right) come across more as a group of desperate people than a significant political force. Their self-proclaimed (and self-aggrandizing) leaders seem hardly more than a pack of money grubbing fools doomed to inevitably destroy themselves.

Not recommended - Hedges' needs to revisit this topic in a clear and more thoughtful exposition. For example how would this fractured and apparently unfocused group ever have any claim to power? I believe that Hedges is simply frightened that any force on the American political landscape could possibly stand between himself and his far left political agenda. Hedges' engages in his own "mystical" and "magical" thinking in this book.

Hedges' has some very important points to make in this era - but two things I wish he would never again engage in; please don't tell me (for the 200th time) about his service as a war-correspondent (gee Chris if you really want to be a soldier go sign up) and two don't confuse his own magical beliefs with reality.

Chris Hedges - A man of extraordinary brilliance....

Chris Hedges is a man of extraordinary brilliance. Chris is not merely a gifted writer, but one who is able 'think on his feet' with originality, spontaneity and grace. His deconstruction of today's apocalyptic forms of Christianity - and its most popular preachers, like John Hagey, Benny Hinn, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell - is devastating. Like vampires fleeing from the light of day, the re-born Christian community will flee from Chris' burning message. Hedges will light an inextinguishable fire under the feet of those who are trapped within the various illusions promoted by 'dominionistic' Christianity. There is not enough I can say about Chris in this review to praise him sufficiently. I am grateful, and we are all lucky, that he chooses to write books. Therefore, I suggest that you go and see him speak. You will be thunderstruck by the living spirit of Truth that emanates from his voice and the integrity of his person. His book is a timely and precious contriubution to those who desire to understand what the has been happening in this country, mostly under Republican administrations, since the Reagan era. If you want to read a politically prophetic book, then read American Facists.

Having grown up in a right-wing conservative Christian home, complete with a private christian education, church 3 times a week, and focus on the family on the radio - I can tell you that Chris' book is amazingly accurate. Much of what Hedges warns about is playing out before our eyes with this new president. The fact that evangelicals enthusiastically support a racist, misogynist, serial philanderer and admitted sexual predator proves that they care much more about obtaining power than morality. My "Christian" family, without exception, voted for Trump. This book provides some great insights to understanding this phenomenon.

In American Fascists, Christopher Hedges posits that fascism has arrived in American, clothed in the clerical garb of the Christian Fundamentalists of the "Dominionist" persuasion. These are the evangelicals who are plotting to remake America in their own image. These people are Bible literalists, actually semi-literalists, because they cherry pick the more vicious biblical edicts. They propose severe penalties up to and including death for abortion, for being gay, and for adultery. They are people of "Faith" which means they already have THE ANSWERS and thus have no need to be amenable to reason. At one level, they resemble any other fundamentalists of Islam or whatever sect. Instead of a swastika as a symbol, "Patriotism" of a particularly virulent sort and a semi-selective literalism involving the most vengeful biblical passages are the symbols for this movement. Hedges provides a detailed and formal definition of Fascism, then illustrates how Christian Fundamentalists such as the above conform to this. The "Enemy" needed for Fascism to take root in a country, aside from gays, loose women and non-Christians in general, includes, peculiarly enough, secular humanists, a group that in this writer's experience have been remarkable for their intellect, generosity of spirit, and high ethical standards.

In considering Hedge's theses, I Googled such phrases as "Death Penalty, Homosexuality, Adultery." I readily found such as the following:
American Advocate president and Christian Dominionist Gary DeMar stated that "adulterers, men engaging in homosexual acts, and abortion doctors should be executed."
The following is noted, among other sites, on People for the American Way: On the September 4, 1998 Armstrong Williams talk show, Colorado talk-radio personality Bob Enyard called for the death penalty for gays and adulterers.
Additionally, a Christian radio talk-show host in Costa Mesa, California said, "Lesbian love, (and)sodomy are viewed by God as being detestable and abominable. Civil magistrates are to put people to death who practice these things." The announcer urged listeners to contact legislators and ask that they enact capital punishment for homosexuality. The station manager called the program "an honest dialogue concerning Christian beliefs."
Former Congressional candidate Randall Terry, who is also the former head of Operation Rescue, extended this view of "Biblical law" to include "Biblical slavery" and capital punishment for rebellious teenagers.
Hedges points out that Fascism, to flourish widely in a society, needs times of change, of social discord and stress. The economic depression of the 1930's, for instance, brought "good Germans" to Hitler's banner. The same is true for the collectivist Fascism of Josef Stalin's era. Thus while we tend to think of the Jerry Falwells, Pat Robertsons James Dobsons and other American Fascisti as a marginalized fringe group, it is this writer's view that they have already been major players in giving us issues of great current political concern. (War in the Middle East is considered to be a necessary prelude to the second coming of Christ).
Hedges, long time war correspondent for the New York Times, is also the author of War is a Force That Gives us Meaning, a National Book Award Finalist. The son of a Presbyterian minister, he holds a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity. His American Fascism is a valuable cautionary tale for those of us who cherish the highest and best in our religious and political traditions.

§

The observations of the Christian Right and its abuse of Christianity really jump off the page in this short yet very powerful book. Hedges has impressed me before with his observations of war and his masterful look at the Decalogue in "Losing Moses on the Freeway". The summation of the book drawing parallels between Hitler's Germany and the Religious Right and their attempt to set up a theocracy in this country are particularly telling. This is a must read!!!

Though published almost a decade ago, this book is still highly relevant, maybe even more so now than it was when it was published now that the "Christian" Right has succeeded in gaining high-level positions in the government. This book describes the tactics and mentality of the "Christian" Right. Hedges did much research, attending seminars and talking with people in the movement, to get his information. The book is based on solid research and exposes the scary truth of the "Christian" Right.

I have mixed feelings about this and so makles it hard to rate. Some things are clearly wrong, but other things it is right on. I am a true bible believing christian myself, but this author doesn't believe the bible and attacks some of the major core beliefs about it, like creation. But this was right on when exposing the dominionists as frauds who twist the bible for their own purpose. The bible itself exposes Satan as the original twister of scripture like when Satan tempted Jesus to jump from a high pinacle because God's angels would protect him from dashing his foot against a stone to which Jesus countered by saying not to put God to the test. So these dominionists who pretend to be christian truly serve Satan by how they try to twist scripture to fit their agenda. I do recommend this book not for the author's own beliefs, but only as far as exposing the theocratic right agenda. The last chapter is really great in such parallels by comparisons to the nazis. I can vouch for that stuff as I had been reading up on Hitler, and had been finding out through various sources. Hitler's regime was basically a rightwing theocracy. I have found out that 95% of the german churches supported him. In all intellectual honesty you cannot get that much support from churches if you are a professed atheist or whatever. I have seen websites that show pictures of the religious nazi propaganda, like beltbuckles that say "God with us" in german. So these lying revisionists not only lie about the american past but also about Hitler, as well as the dark ages. You can recognize these liars by what they choose to avoid and try to cover up. Like that saying goes that those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. I have grown up in both christian and public schools and all their history are nearly all lies of propaganda. In fact in some christian schools you never seen such idolatry of the american flag. But as author Sinclair Lewis warned that when fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross. But despite the author's unbelief in the bible ironically defends it by exposing how the dominionists are themselves unbiblical, without love. All throughout the new testament there are no such commands to dominate or to kill, but the exact opposite of willing to give our lives, and as Jesus said that no servant is greater than his master. These religious liars think they are better than Christ and they arrogantly defy him at every point. Even Paul instructed us to live at peace with all men as much as possible. But these imposters know no peace because they are not of God and do not have the peace of God. Nor do they have any fruits of the Spirit. How can such deceive anyone who truly reads the bible and not see the glaring contradictions? And even though the book of Revelation is about the judgment of God, it is God alone who executes wrath. He doesn't need help from hypocrites like these dominionists. Like Jesus said that he that is without sin cast the first stone. God is without sin and therefore has the right to judge. These abomnations don't but they themselves will face a most severe judgment as in Matthew 24:51. So it is ironic that those who claim to act as the wrath of God are themselves the very target of his wrath when he returns. What poetic justice for such abominable hypocrites.

This is an excellent study of fascism, its past and present grips on the Religious Right and the catalysts that might usher in a Christian Fascism movement in the United States.

As a Christian with experience in both conservative and liberal evangelical congregations, I found useful insights into the political and religious shifts I've witnessed since the 1970s and that we've all seen accelerate after 9/11. How is it that well intentioned churches and their members have come to believe that homosexuality is THE problem facing the U.S. today? How can self-professed Christians become unabased cheerleaders for war? How do Christians get so caught up in television personality cults masquarading as Christian ministries?

These and many many other questions are asked and answered by Hedges. The historic background and his logic in reaching those answers are accessibly presented. Where those answers eventually lead is a cause for concern to all U.S. citizens and, as a Christian, the author makes it clear that the responsibility for standing up to the unholy rise of Christian Fascism falls squarely on the shoulders of Christians.

The more "religous" you are, the more important I think it is that you consider the points made by the author. You're not going to like most of them. But I think you will come to agree with too many of them to ignore his overarching concerns.

This is a well intentioned book that doesn't take a lot of time to read. But much of it is overwritten and it's theme warning of a Evangelical Christian take over of America along Fascist lines could have been reduced to a smaller version. The intentions of guys like Falwell, Graham, and even our own President to create a god-fearing Chrisitian nation are scary. I would recommend that for those of us who are concerned about this threat from the Christian Right to recreate America you should read this book. But with the cost of books today, you'd better save your money and borrow Hedges's book from your local library. Just my opinion.

Chris Hedges has all the personal and experiential credentials to take on the Christian "dominionists" that pose a danger to our democracy and, by extension, the world. First, he is a fine writer. Second, he has covered from the ground most of the wars of the second half of the 20th Century. And third, he thinks deeply and personally about religion, theology, ethics and morality. His admired father was a Presbyterian minister who cared deeply about tolerance and community. Having said all that, Hedges does not pull any punches in equating the small group of dominionists (about 7% of Christians) with the behavior and belief systems that were part and parcel of fascism. He has read deeply in analyses of fascism, such as Hannah Arendt, and, being the good reporter that he is, has attended some of the different gatherings of dominionists and talked to those who have been affected by their involvement in the cult like movements that pass for Christianity.

America today faces many internal threats to our democracy. Not least of these threats comes from the imperialistic presidency with which we have been inflicted by Bush and Cheney. Would they were the only purveyors of American imperialism, but they have only taken this bent to a new level. The Christian Right, led by the dominionists, is directly tuned in to this imperialism, turning it into "God's will", with the exciting twist that we are heading for the apocalypse when only the saved will attain heaven. Because these so-called Christians are heavily funded and control a disproportionate number of radio and TV outlets, their influence far exceeds their numbers. Elsewhere, it has been observed that history shows that nations cannot maintain an empire abroad and democracy at home. Preserving democracy at home will eventually require giving up the empire. Hedges argues that it will take many acts of faith in the political realm to counter these fascists, two examples of which are passing hate crimes legislation and universal healthcare legislation. Ending the Iraq war will help also.

This is a book intended for consciousness raising about a threat within our democracy that we ignore or placate to our peril. I urge my "mainstream" Christian and secular friends to read this book.

This book is an accurate description of the Christian Right. It does not probe what is a deeper and more serious concern and that is the connection between the industrial/military sectors of our nation with special focus on armament producers. The book looks only at the religious community and ignores (except in the title) the fundamental elements of true Fascism. As some critics have been saying about the Evangelical movement in America, the threat of it taking over our schools, our government, our politics, our media, etc. may be waning and therefore the book looks backward not ahead. America has a long history of these religious upwellings occuring from time to time and this current Christian Right emergence may indeed be one of those typically American events. If so, this book has informational value in recording what the Christian Right was and is in the late 20th Century and this early part of the 21st. Worth a quick read.

Before that, and throughout, since age 5, I was brought to Southern Baptist churches. I cannot begin to describe the short and longterm damage done, or the constant state of living in terror, or anything else concerning the cult culture here in a short review, but I will say it was extremely timely I found this book last month. I knew they were cults and manipulated vulnerable people like my mother, but until now, I never knew all the aspects involved were grouped under the label Dominonism. To find this out and be able to research it further has been... a huge relief, to say the least. It's made me look hard at how their wormy little brainwashing tendrils still affect my life as an adult in surprising ways, because I never believed a word they said. But, humans are remarkably easy to brainwash; all that's required is repetition.
I've spent the past eight years fighting major medical problems, several of those years just trying to Not Be Dead Today. I should be dead by now. No one else with Hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, let alone all the comorbidities I have, has ever been so ill and gotten better, let alone walk again, write again... I only mention the health problems so you can understand that after you've almost died so many times, all the f's you thought you gave disappear. Completely. I can still experience fear, if course, it can pause me, shock me, but it no longer controls me - if I hadn't learned to control it on every level down to the unconscious brain, I would be dead. This gives me the strength to look again through PTSD and ODD and re-evaluate everything I witnessed and see how it affects politics and the state of Christianity in America today, and how this movement is affecting the world. I have to say, since "waking up" in a different decade, for all intents, since regaining my current level of health and having the energy to pay attention once more to the world outside myself: I am not pleased. And I have no more f's to give about censoring myself on social media. I was planning on opening sm paths to fundraise for a tiny house, and to talk about my health journey, but I think it's high time I spoke about this stuff, too. There are still plenty of people caught up in Dominionism as it is now, twelve years after this book was published.
I remember when the Waco ranch was raided, how the party line was outrage over the government having say over how the children were being raised... that was a twisted way of looking at the situation passed down from various of the local cult leaders because in reality, the way children are raised in Dominionism involves an incredible amount of child abuse, and they were worried. I remember being jealous of those kids, even as I was sooo glad they got out. I remember thinking, "They lived in a compound, all together, so the country could get mad because they had a specific area they could target and say, 'Look, we did good.' But my mom's crap is so spread out, and the speakers travel - how could 'The Feds' (cursed phrase in the cult culture, that) ever find us all to free us? No one's going to come rescue me. I am alone." I am absolutely sure I'm not the only kid that had to go through this as a result of the raid; I was not, and never was, alone. I am also absolutely certain this subject was directed towards us children more vehemently than other conspiracy theories specifically so we would be even more afraid and feel even more trapped. Child abuse, indeed. Organized, directed child abuse.

Great book, even though I knew much of the content already, I couldn't put it down, I read it cover to cover in less than 24 hours. Too bad it is a decade old, could use an update and several new chapters. If you do not understand how this country ended up with the incompetent and unstable President #45, this will give you a greater insight.

In this hard-hitting book, Chris Hedges attacks head-on the Christian Right and their ideology, dominionism, which calls for the church to take political and institutional power and install a theocracy in the US.
The movement has very wealthy backers for two main reasons, politically, the assault on democracy and economically, the promotion of unfettered capitalism.

Assault on democracy
The Christian Right calls for the destruction of an open and pluralist society with its civil-rights laws, trade unions and public schools teaching secular humanism.
Education and welfare should be handed over to the churches. `Tithes' should be paid by the population.
The movement is anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-liberal, anti-immigrants, anti-Hindu, anti-Muslim and for severe sexual repression.
Chris Hedges accuses one of its members as being the mastermind of vote counts manipulation in recent elections.

Unfettered capitalism (the gospel of prosperity)
Unfettered capitalism allows the exploitation of human workers by paying less than living wages, thereby generating billions of dollars of profits for the corporatocracy.

Political influence
The Christian Right controls a big part of the Republican Party. Its organizations received billions of dollars under the Bush II administrations.
It has representatives in the Supreme Court, in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
It can spread its message through its own TV channels, radio stations and newspapers.

Social influence
The Christian Right tries to create a political mass movement with people, who are, in fact, victims of this unfettered capitalism (see also, T. Frank: What's the Matter with Kansas.)
On the other hand, it is a money machine for its preachers (`Let me be very clear. I want your money. I deserve it.').

(Un)scientific influence
Its belief system and its handbook (the Bible) are the basis for understanding the world. Facts are treated as opinions (`Why condoms aren't safe').
It believes in and supports the anti-Darwinian gospel of creationism (Intelligent Design).

Chris Hedges's crystal clear book shows ominously the dangers of the Christian Right for democracy.
His book is a must read for all those who want to understand the world we live in.

I had quite mixed emotions about this particular work. To begin with, the book was not what I expected. When I read several of the prereleases from the publisher I was expecting a more scholarly work, one that was a bit heaver on the research side, and less of the "rant" side. But to my somewhat disappointment, which is really neither here or there, it is probably more my problem than the authors. Expectations can so often let you down and the author really should not be held responsible for my not doing my research closer.

First, I am not a theologian, far from it. I do though have a great interest in this particular subject. I am what I would consider to be a Christian, although by the standards as outlined in this work, a rather poor one, or so it would seem. I have done a tremendous amount of reading on this subject and am in a position that I am fortunately (or unfortunately, depending upon how you look at it) able to observe first hand many of the phenomena outlined in this volume. Secondly, I have for quite a number of years, held the belief that the religious right; those of the Jerry Falwell, D. James Kennedy, Pat Robertson, James Dobson and their ilk type, represent one of the greatest threats to this country since it was founded. I have felt that the apparent take over by these men and their followers of the Republican Party has been both amazing and frightening. It absolutely sickens me when this group asserts that they represent Christianity...I simply do not like being soiled with the same label.

Now as to this book. The author has made an attempt, and I must say, has made some very good points, to compare the religious right, i.e. fundamentalists and literalists with Fascism. Many of the examples the author provides us are down right scary and completely dead on. Personally knowing some of these folks; their beliefs and attitudes and teachings, I do feel the author makes a strong case. These people are indeed a great threat to our freedom and the stabilization of the world in general. It is at this point where I start having problems with the author's work. It would not take someone with a lot of intelligence to make some of the very same claims against the extreme left in our society, and their arguments would be just as valid as this author's!

Intolerance, be it from the left or right, is an odious and dangerous thing! People who tell you how to live your life and that their way is the only way, should be watched quite closely! On the other hand, I myself am as guilty as the next when it comes to the religious right as I find I have a very low tolerance level. I Suppose I need to work on that.

On the plus side of this work, I do feel this is one that everyone should read so that there is an awareness of the potential dangers out there for we as individuals, and we as a nation. Now this book had a definite agenda, there is no doubt about that. Personally I read books that have agendas with a jaundice eye. I guess what I am trying to say, is that I question this type of book and take a closer look than I do others. As my personal beliefs tend to lean toward this author's views, I had to agree with about 80 percent of his message. Like all such books though, it will not persuade either side, left or right, Christian or non Christian one way or another. For me it only reinforced what I already felt. Then I read a work such as this that disagrees with my feelings and experience, then I usually believe only about 20 percent of what I am being fed. Guess that is sort of human nature.

I enjoyed the book, agreed with most of it, but felt the author's propensity to rant made it much less effective than it could have been. In many ways he, the author, was practicing the same dreadful thing he was so critical of, that being intolerance. I do recommend this one as a read, but a read that should be tempered with common sense and certainly should not be taken as the ultimate authority on the subject. I am giving this one four stars. It could have been five stars had it been approached differently, and I probably should actually give in three or two stars simply because, in many ways, the author blew it.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

In its 13 April 2009 edition, Newsweek reports that the 2009 American Religious Identification Survey shows a 10 percentage point decrease in the number of Americans who self-identify as Christian since 1990. The article further goes on to declare the modern religious right's notion of a Christian America has fallen and that fewer people now think of the United States as a "Christian Nation." In American Fascists, Chris Hedges theorizes that if 1,000 people had stood up and let their voices be heard Hitler's totalitarian state of terror would not have existed. Is the supposed decline and fall of the Christian Nation because of the works of people like Harris, Dawkins, Hitchens and other commentators and individuals who have raised their voices in protest? Hedges provides a strong voice in with his commentary that adds to the discussion regarding extremist, not all.

American Fascists is scary when you when you consider the correlations of the Conservative Christian Right's efforts to build a Christian Nation in America and the efforts used by fascists throughout history. The tolerance of the left towards the intolerant behavior of the Christian Right has allowed the acceptance of undemocratic behaviors. While democracy ensures equal protection to all religions and all peoples, the Christian Right has set an agenda to establish laws that definitely eliminates equal protection and identifies those who are worthy and those who are not. Those who are not worthy ( i.e. those not saved through a born again experience) are to be condemned and dismissed.

Key points that are identifiable today America include:
- Beyond rule over all creation, Dominionism calls for a master race who are above all humans, which the Christian right believes is American Christians.
- The call for violence is always in the name of self-defense and to make the world a better place. It is always the victims fault for any violence that falls upon them.
- Murder is unacceptable, except at the end of time when all who have not been saved will be murdered.
- Depletion of the natural resources is acceptable for God has unlimited ability to replenish the earth.
- A dialogue is not desired by the Christian Right. Thoughts, ideas, and facts that do not fit their selective interpretation of the bible or beliefs are dismissed as untrue.
- Evolution posits what they fear most, a morally neutral world, which will destroy their world of myth, magic and irrationality.

Hedges has written a great book that provides a good look into the mirror for America. However, I feel it will be mainly read and accepted by the choir that sings along with him. Whether or not the dream of a Christian Nation is dead is to be seen. Many movements have tried to gain control over the great American experiment but have failed. Hopefully, this is one of the 1,000 voices that helps keep it in check.

Author Chris Hedges warns about those that seek to turn the USA into a truly Christian nation. A progressive Christian with a Masters in Divinity, Hedges sees parallels between the U.S. religious right and European fascists from the 1930's. Hedges notes that both groups combine super-patriotism with demands for obedience to (their) authority. The religious right also claims a monopoly on truth, and often disdains dissent, rational inquiry, diversity, liberals, labor unions, mainstream media, equality for women, moderates and homosexuals. Does sound a bit similar to 1930's Fascism, does it not? The author also points to strong church support of fascists in Spain and fairly strong backing in Italy and Nazi Germany. Ironically, like the religious right, he forgets that Hitler claimed to be an instrument of divine providence. Additionally, while the religious right proclaims the USA's Christian foundations, they forget that our founding fathers wrote a Constitution that separates church and state, bans religious preferences, and establishes a secular government with checks and balances.

Some may question the author's alarmist accusation that the religious right seeks to overturn the U.S. Constitution and Government. Others will note that freedom also faces threats from communism, terrorism, and other movements claiming a monopoly on righteousness. Still, Hedges makes his point with moving, readable prose.

Sinclair Lewis once wrote, "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross." Former "New York Times" reporter Chris Hedges believes that this has now happened with the emerging political power of the fundamentalist Christian churches, a large and rapidly expanding community in the United States. Its merger with corporatism, fanatical patriotism, and rightwing political causes and institutions has over the last quarter of the twentieth century established a machine that rose to dominate the American social, economic, and political landscape with the election of George W. Bush in 2000.

Chris Hedges finds this an especially troubling development in modern America. In this weighty reordering of the political landscape, he writes, "individual rights--once safeguarded through the competing collectives of diverse social, religious or ethnic groups, trade unions, government regulatory agencies, advocacy groups, independent media and judiciaries, and schools and universities that do not distort the world through an ideological lens--are neutered" (p. 181). Such dismantling of the institutions so powerful in the history of the U.S. as bulwarks of personal liberty will leave the nation's inhabitants unable to "defend their rights or question the abuses of their overlords" (p. 181). Once that happens, the United States will have made the final step toward totalitarianism; a totalitarianism dominated by a coalition of Christian fundamentalism, rampant consumerism, and unbridled capitalism. Hedges notes that theocracy has a long history in the Christian West--notably in Calvinistic Geneva, Anabaptist Münster, and Cromwell's Puritan England--and it has proven a brutal experience all too often despite the Christian utopian visions that propelled the effort.

Despite its dramatic title, in "American Fascists" Hedges offers a reasoned analysis of what has been taking place with solid research, strong analysis, and accessible style. This is no doubt in part because of Hedges own religious background. His opening paragraph in this book states his ideology: "I grew up in a small farming town in upstate New York where my life, and the life of my family, centered on the Presbyterian Church. I prayed and sang hymns every Sunday, went to Bible school, listened to my father preach the weekly sermon and attended seminary at Harvard Divinity School to be a preacher myself. America was a place where things could be better if we worked to make them better, and where our faith saved us from despair, self-righteousness and the dangerous belief that we knew the will of God or could carry it out. We were taught that those who claimed to speak for God, the self-appointed prophets who promised the Kingdom of God on earth, were dangerous. We had no ability to understand God's will. We did the best we could. We trusted and had faith in the mystery, the unknown before us. We made decisions--even decisions that on the outside looked unobjectionably moral--well aware of the numerous motives, some good and some bad, that went into every human act. In the end, we all stood in need of forgiveness. We were all tainted by sin. None were pure. The Bible was not the literal word of God. It was not a self-help manual that could predict the future. It would not tell us how to vote or allow us to divide the world into us and them, the righteous and the damned, the infidels and the blessed. It was a book written by a series of ancient writers, certainly fallible and at times at odds with each other, who asked the right questions and struggled with the mystery and transcendence of human existence. We took the bible seriously and therefore could not take it literally" (p. 1-2). I find this confession both moving and persuasive. It represents well my own spiritual position, arrived at only after considerable soul-searching, prayer, study, and reflection. What Hedges sees in fundamentalist Christianity, therefore, is spirituality and religiosity that has run off the rails and is careening down a path that will do Americans great damage.

Conversely, Hedges finds among the Christo-fascists, as they have come to been called, a hardened, judgmental, and heartless ideology that insists that the people of the United States is the new chosen by God and they will have all that they want and need. Using a biblical term, American Christians are to have "dominion" over all on Earth. Moreover, an expectant and immediate millennialism offers the belief that the world is on the verge of its end time and Christ will soon return to establish the Kingdom of God on Earth. In such a belief system it is unnecessary, even counter to God's will, to exercise stewardship over the resources of the Earth. They were placed here by God for our use. Moreover, the Millennium will take place before pollution, global warming, oil depletion or any of the other calamities we foresee will take place. And when these calamities do befall the Earth, as described in the apocalypse foretold in the Book of Revelation good Christians will be caught up in the Rapture while the unbelievers will be left to fend for themselves. In this ideology, therefore, the unsaved get what they deserve. It is easy, therefore, to rationalize the misfortunes of those decimated by poverty, war, famine, or by any other desperate situation as experiencing the wrath of God.

Hedges argues that in this manifestation of Christianity, "the exploitation and abuse of other human beings is a good...The ideology it espouses is a radical evil, an ideology of death" (p. 146). He adds: "It calls for wanton destruction, of destruction of human beings, of the environment, of communities and neighborhoods, of labor unions, of a free press, of Iraqis, Palestinians or others in the Middle East who would deny us oil fields and hegemony, of federal regulatory agencies, social welfare programs, public education--in short, the destruction of all people and programs that stand in the way of a Christian America and its God-given right to dominate the rest of the planet" (p.146).

This is a powerful message in many respects; it not only offers an explanation for the horrors seen around the world but also, as Hedges writes, "the absurd but seductive promise that those who are right with God will rise to become the new spiritual and material oligarchs" (p. 146). Wrapped in the protective cocoon of Christian fundamentalism where this message is reinforced by ministers, congregational leaders and members, and a coordinated educational and media system it is easy to see how those embracing fundamentalism may be removed from what Hedges calls the "reality-based world" and accept this ideology. They fail to see, according to Hedges, that "gross injustices and repression could well boomerang back on most of them" (p. 146).

Hedges warns that it is not too late to stop the rise of Christo-fascism, but that those not accepting of it must organize and aggressively oppose it. He writes, "I do not deny the right of Christian radicals to be, to believe and worship as they choose. But I will not engage in a dialogue with those who deny my right to be, who delegitimize my faith and denounce my struggle before God as worthless. All dialogue must include respect and tolerance for my beliefs, worth and dignity of others, including those outside the nation and the faith. When this respect is denied, this clash of ideologies ceases to be merely a difference of opinion and becomes a fight for survival" (p. 207). He believes that "the radical Christian Right is a sworn and potent enemy of the open society. Its ideology bears within it the tenets of a Christian fascism" (p. 207). Hedges believes that those "who care about an open society must learn to speak about this movement with a new vocabulary, to give up passivity, to challenge aggressively this movement's deluded appropriation of Christianity and to do everything possible to defend tolerance" (p. 207).

This is a powerful book, one that should be read and studied. Like every statement from every source, Hedges' arguments must be accepted or rejected only after due consideration and analysis. Dismissing "American Fascists" out of hand would be a travesty. So would accepting its ideas without careful evaluation.

We might assume that the right-wing Christian nationalist dream is waning in America, but Chris Hedges does not. Touring around the country he finds an undimminished movement for a full-blown theocratic state. As he quotes James Kennedy,

"Our job is to reclaim America for Christ, whatever the cost. As vice-regents of God, we are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government, our literature and arts, our sports areanas, our entertainment media, our scientific endeavors -- in short, over every aspect and institution of human society." (p. 58)

Hedges travels widely to hear great speakers, attend seminars and visit with radical fundamentalists. He offers some understanding, or perhaps pity, towards these people's needs for order, direction, certitude and righteousness in a chaotic society. But his sympathy is limited by a conviction that these people are pushing his country towards totalitarian fascism. He notes that the Dominionist agenda calls for a restoration of harsh ancient laws from before the time of Jesus or of modern Judaism: the death penalty for adultery, homosexuality, blasphemy, incest, striking a parent, incorrigible juvenile delinquency, and, in the case of women, unchastity before marriage. Beyond this, Hedges sees a regressive agenda to make Christianity more supportive of powerful economic interests:

"... When it is faith alone that will determine your wellbeing, when faith alone cures illness, overcomes emotional distress, and ensures financial and physical security, there is no need for outside, secular institutions, for social service and regulatory agencies to exist. ... To put trust in secular institutions is to lack faith, to give up on God's magic and miracles. The message being preached is one that dovetails with the message of neoconservatives who want to gut and destroy federal programs, free themselves from government regulations and taxes and break the back of all organizations, such a labor unions, that seek to impede maximum profit." (p. 179)

Naturally, in attacking the intollerance of particular people Hedges seems to accuse all serious Christians of harboring fascist tendencies. But while sometimes scattering his shots widely, he usually tries to distinguish among different kinds of Christians, and he affirms those who respect religious freedom:

"While traditional fundamentalism shares many of the darker traits of the new movement -- such as blind obedience to a male hierarchy that often claims to speak for God, intolerance towards non-believers, and disdain for rational, intellectual inquiry -- it has never attempted to impose its' belief system on the rest of the nation. And it has not tried to transform government, as well as all other secular institutions, into and extension of the church." (p.13)

Most interestingly, Hedges seems to dismiss liberal Christians as ineffectual in the fight to prereve freedom. He looks instead to Christians of a more traditional nature, such as evangelicals the likes of Billy Graham, who value compassion, mercy, and personal faith over self-righteous intolerance:

"The most potent opposition to the movement may come from within the evangelical tradition. The radical fundamentalist movement must fear these Christians, who have remained loyal to the core values of the Gospel, who delineate between right and wrong, who are willing to be vilified and attacked in the name of a higher good and who have the courage to fight back. Most liberals, the movement has figured out, will stand complacently to be sheared like sheep, attempting to open dialogue and reaching out to those who spit venom in their faces." (p.34-35)

--author of Correcting Jesus: 2000 Years of Changing the Story

Anatomy of the Mind of the Right

Once it gets moving, "American Fascists" tells of the inner workings of Christian "Dominionist" movement - the ultra-conservative groups and individuals who seek to convert the America political system into one that expresses the dominion of Jesus Christ. The book is not about the dominionists' organizations and methods, but about their state of mind. To those of us outside the movement, ultra-rightwing Christians are strange and inexplicable. Why do they (how can they!) think the way they do? Why do they refuse to see the truth that seems so plain to the rest of us? Over the course of the book, author Chris Hedges explains it all. Interestingly, the starting point for these "Bible-believing" Christians is not the Bible, but their own seeming inability to tolerate ambiguity. In a culture in which social isolation is the norm, in which market forces are unpredictable and brutal, and in which fixed codes of behavior are non-existent, they long for a simpler, more stable life. Their heroes must be pure, gallant and true. Their enemies must be ruthless, cunning and dark (dark-skinned, if possible). They salve their anxieties by crafting a world in which power is concentrated with men, domination (whether of foreigners, wives or the environment) is valued, it is OK to be rich and God approves it all.

The dominionists' belief in the literal truth of the Bible both covers and excuses their personal weaknesses. Unable to comprehend that the Bible as a compilation of often-contradictory tales written by pre-scientific people, they insist on that the Bible is entirely, literally, historically and scientifically true. Unable to demonstrate through historical argument that the American Founding Fathers were by and large antithetical to religion, they re-invent them as Christians desiring to create a Christian nation. Facts are distorted, ignored or invented to support their views. Sadly, they find themselves backed into a corner intellectually, and end up fighting on behalf some truly weird ideas. From the unscientific and unsupportable insistence that dinosaurs lived alongside humans, to their paranoid and frantic fear of homosexuals, they live in terror of a world they can neither predict nor control. Hedges paints their antipathy toward "secular humanists," feminists, liberals, gays, Jews and others as the result of their inability to control their own lives.

The evolution issue is an interesting case in point. If the Bible is literally true, then before Adam and Eve's sin, there was no death - a death which Christ conquered by his own death on the Cross. Imagine, then, the fix these people are in when faced with Darwinian principles that demonstrate that death predated humans. It is no wonder they equate belief in Darwin with atheism and no wonder they fight evolution tooth and nail.

Hedges takes us on a tour of some of rightwing Christianity's scariest but most fascinating personalities. Dr. D. James Kennedy, who teaches us how to befriend prospective converts and slowly entwine them in a web of church activities; Tim LaHaye, whose "Left Behind" series sells a vision of bloody violence against Europeans and non-Christians; Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, who claims to treat "unwanted homosexuality; Ken Ham, whose Creation Museum uses quasi-science and plain nonsense to persuade visitors that humans and dinosaurs coexisted; Pat Robertson; Benny Hinn. The cast goes on and on - spreading crazy ideas and often capitalizing on them.

What is astonishing about these people is not only what they believe, but that they appear to be completely sincere about it. For this reason, says Hedges, there is no talking to them, as we good liberals are wont to do. Their sense of self is so wrapped up in hatred of those unlike them that they can't see straight.

"American Fascists" overreaches somewhat in its premise that this group will turn the US into a police state. Certainly, the urge to control and suppress those who are different is a major component of their makeup. Given free rein, they would shred the Constitution (on behalf of the Founding Fathers, who they claim wanted a Christian nation), strip protections from the poor (who should trust in God while the rich rob them), destroy academic freedom (which threatens their fantasies with facts) and impose a Christian theocracy closer to the Taliban than to the gospels. But they lack a driving social or economic force to drive others into their midst. Also, most people aren't crazy - fail to deliver on the miracles and riches you promise, and they will lose faith in you.

Still, Hedges provides an impeccably-researched and captivating insight into the minds of those who speak of liberty while planning slavery and preach a gospel of wealth and privilege at odds with anything found in the Scriptures. Well, well worth the time to read.