American Fascists: the Christian Right and the War on America [Hardcover]

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 preserve 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

This book is incredible. Hedges eloquently constructs his arguments using the words of the preachers themselves, to draw a chilling comparison between the Christian Right and the fledgling fascist movements of 1920s and 1930s Europe.

Unlike many books about fundamentalist Christians, American Fascists is not an attack on religion itself, and doesn't seek to mock or condescend - indeed, the author lays out his own faith from the start. It is, however, a stark warning about the ongoing misuse of religion by powerful fundamentalists, and how we can ALL be taken in.

If you believe in God or if you are an atheist, read this book.

I am reading this book because I thought it might be useful for an essay I am writing about American Christian Fundamentalism. Well, first things first. I enjoyed reading this book immensely and found that it read very well; in short, I couldn't put it down.

I'm a Christian, a dyed-in-the-wool Christian who genuinely believes in God and tries to serve God on a daily and ongoing basis. Part of this 'walk' is treating other people, no matter who they are and whatever they believe (or don't believe for that matter), with genuine courtesy and respect. Also, although I am unemployed I try now and again to give a little to a number of charities that I think need my limited help. No, I am not perfect, nor am I a 'holy Joe' of any kind either, just an ordinary, basically Working class bloke who happens to be a Christian. It seems to me that often, but not always, Christianity, or the practise of Christianity, in America and sometimes even Britain gets a bad name, for one reason or another. In America, it seems that Right-wing conservative politics seems somehow to be aligned with Christianity, and in Britain Christianity seems to be far more about Middle class values and the 'Great and the Good' far more than it does about the majority of people who are just ordinary, ordinary in the broadest sense of the word at any rate. Do we feel that Christianity in some cases has been hijacked, and do people proclaim their belief just to look respectable? I do wonder sometimes.

What this book talks about is that some Christianity in America has indeed been hijacked by very Right-wing politically conservative people, who are often anti-union and who are for low-paid employment, whilst believing in unfettered capitalism that benefits the rich over the poor. I, like many people, struggle to see what Right-wing politics and totally unregulated capitalism has to do with Christianity, but for those who believe and practise this there appears to be no anomalies or contradictions at all, especially if it makes them rich! People like Pat Robertson believe in the 'Prosperity Gospel', basically that if you are a Christian you will get very wealthy; one of the ways this happens is by giving money you can't afford to organisations run by people like Pat Robertson and others like Paul and Jan Crouch, making them exceedingly rich with the faint promise you too will become rich like them! Much of what they say and preach you just couldn't make up, and it has been said that fact is often stranger than fiction. I suggest for more coverage on Pat Robertson and the Crouch family, you google them; prepare to be surprised! The downside of all this of course, and I am being more serious now, is that people can be suckered into a false Christianity, a sham that has no basis in reality, and end up becoming addicted to televangelism in the same way a junkie or alcoholic or gambler can become addicted. This is not Christianity folks.

I may add something here. God promises that He will look after us, but He doesn't necessarily promise that all His followers will be multi-millionaires or even billionaires. However, He promises to meet in every way our need, if not our greed. I pray every day that He meets my needs, and though I want to be earning my living as a writer someday, I am content to have my basic needs met. You don't need millions or billions to have a decent life. Perhaps someone needs to tell some of these televangelists that message hey?