Let’s cut straight to it—Money, Lies, and God is not a comforting read. It doesn’t gently walk you through the politics of faith. It yanks the curtain wide open and makes you stare down the machine grinding away beneath America’s holier-than-thou surface. Katherine Stewart’s latest work isn’t just a book—it’s a wake-up call, and it’s aimed right at the heart of anyone still believing the threat to democracy is just a passing storm.
It’s not.
And she proves it—meticulously, relentlessly, and without a trace of melodrama.
Who is Katherine Stewart?
Before diving into the meat of it, let’s talk about the author. Katherine Stewart isn’t some fringe activist with a chip on her shoulder. She’s a journalist with over a decade of research behind her on the rise of religious nationalism. Her earlier book, The Power Worshippers, was a New York Times Notable Book and a blunt, powerful entry point into this conversation.
But Money, Lies, and God? This one takes it further.
It traces how extremist religious ideologies—fueled by billionaires and weaponized through misinformation—have embedded themselves into the very architecture of American political power. And it’s not a conspiracy theory. It’s a thoroughly sourced, extensively documented, and unflinchingly real story of how democracy is being methodically dismantled in the name of God.
What the Book Is About (And What It Isn’t)
Let’s get something straight right away: this book is not an attack on religion. It’s an exposé on how religion is being manipulated.
Stewart’s central argument is that an authoritarian movement—rooted in Christian nationalism and supercharged by oligarch money—is actively working to replace American democracy with a form of theocracy. This isn’t happening on the fringes. It’s in the courts, state legislatures, school boards, and yes, the GOP’s platform.
The book follows the money. It follows the message. And it follows the missionaries—not the spiritual kind, but the political operatives using Jesus as a prop while they dismantle civil liberties.
The Three Forces at Play
1. Money: The Engine Behind the Culture War
One of the most chilling revelations Stewart presents is the deep financial backing behind this movement. This isn’t grassroots activism—it’s a top-down, billionaire-funded campaign with surgical precision.
She details how families like the DeVoses and organizations like the Council for National Policy have spent years building an alternate ecosystem: media outlets, legal firms, think tanks, and “family values” organizations designed to push one agenda—concentrate power under the guise of religious morality.
These aren’t random donors tossing money at candidates. They’re building infrastructure. They’re building a new America. And they’re playing the long game.
2. Lies: Disinformation as Divine Truth
If money is the engine, lies are the fuel.
The book explains how right-wing media, social media echo chambers, and even church bulletins have become conduits for propaganda. Stewart walks us through how coordinated messaging—framed as spiritual guidance—spreads misinformation at a speed that fact-checkers can’t touch.
Election lies. Vaccine lies. LGBTQ+ lies. Anti-education lies.
And here’s the scary part: for many followers, these lies aren’t just politics—they’re theology.
3. God: Faith Hijacked for Authoritarian Ends
This is the core of Stewart’s thesis: Christian nationalism isn’t about religion—it’s about power.
She documents how religious belief has been replaced with a political identity. Faith has become a weapon, used to justify everything from voter suppression to reproductive control to white supremacy.
Pastors are encouraged to preach political messages. Christian schools are turning into ideological training grounds. And increasingly, politicians are invoking divine authority to justify laws that erode civil rights.
It’s not just “God and country.” It’s God instead of country.
What Stands Out
Stewart Doesn’t Flinch
There’s a temptation, when writing about religion, to tiptoe. Stewart doesn’t. She makes it clear that this movement isn’t about spirituality—it’s about domination. She calls out the architects by name, cites court decisions, and lays bare how these groups use religious rhetoric to mask raw political ambition.
She Separates Faith from Fanaticism
This is critical. Stewart consistently reminds readers that the movement she’s exposing does not represent all Christians. In fact, many Christians are fighting against it. She’s not attacking belief. She’s warning us about belief being corrupted for political gain.
The Research Is Rock-Solid
Stewart’s journalism background shows. Her sources are thorough, her footnotes dense but digestible, and her case studies incredibly well-chosen. She’s not speculating—she’s connecting the dots most of us have been too overwhelmed to see.
Where the Book Is Challenging
This book is intense.
It’s not a light read. It’s not a Sunday-morning-with-coffee kind of book. There are moments when the sheer scale of the project—the money, the legal tactics, the cultural manipulation—feels overwhelming.
There’s also a chance that readers unfamiliar with the players and institutions she references (Alliance Defending Freedom, the CNP, ALEC, etc.) may need to pause and Google as they go. But that’s less a flaw in the writing and more a symptom of just how complex this machine has become.
A Personal Reaction
Reading this book was like having someone switch on the floodlights in a room you didn’t know you were sitting in.
There’s a chapter where Stewart explains how “religious liberty” has been weaponized as a legal strategy to carve out theocratic enclaves inside American law—places where anti-discrimination laws don’t apply if you claim religious objection. That one stuck with me.
Why? Because I’ve heard people I love—smart, good people—say, “But religious freedom is a good thing!” Of course it is. But not when it’s being twisted to strip others of their freedoms.
Money, Lies, and God doesn’t just give you new information—it reframes what you thought you already understood. That’s rare. And powerful.
Who Should Read This?
• Concerned voters. If you’re worried about the state of democracy but don’t know what’s fueling the chaos—this is your book.
• Religious moderates and progressives. Stewart gives voice to Christians who feel their faith is being misused—and arms them with knowledge to push back.
• Teachers, journalists, and organizers. This is essential context for anyone working in public life or civic education.
• Skeptics and fence-sitters. It might not change minds overnight, but it will challenge anyone who still thinks this is just “partisan noise.”
What It Adds to the National Conversation
One of the most vital contributions of this book is its clarity. It helps explain how we got here—and why things feel so off.
We didn’t just “drift” toward extremism. A powerful coalition built this moment. They wrote the laws, bankrolled the candidates, trained the judges, and rewired the culture. Stewart isn’t asking us to imagine a dystopian future. She’s showing us the present—one that millions of Americans are already living in.
Final Verdict
If I had to sum this book up in one sentence, it would be this:
Money, Lies, and God is not about religion—it’s about power disguised as religion, and what happens when we stop questioning who holds it.
It’s urgent. It’s clear. It’s necessary.
Don’t read it for comfort. Read it because you need to know what’s happening behind the curtain. Read it because this movement isn’t slowing down. Read it because democracy doesn’t defend itself—and the people trying to dismantle it are counting on your silence.
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You can listen to Money, Lies, and God for free on Audible with a trial membership.
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What do you think?
Have you seen signs of Christian nationalism in your own community or workplace?
Do you believe this movement can be stopped—or are we too far gone?
Let’s talk about it in the comments.
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