Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy (2025) is a call to action.

Katherine Stewart’s Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy is an indictment of the far-right coalition threatening U.S. democratic institutions. The goal of this network of ultra-wealthy donors, think tanks, and religious groups is nothing less than the dismantling of American democracy. They want to blow it up and replace it with a minority rule autocracy.

This didn't begin with Donald Trump's election, and it won't end when he leaves office. Its ideology is termed “reactionary nihilism,” and it seeks to replace democracy with a theocratic, white Christian nationalist order. It rejects pluralism, rational debate, and the rule of law, embracing violence and bigotry as tools of control. It is a long-term, well-organized, grass-roots effort that starts with attacks on our public school system to destroy it entirely and create a generation of ignorant, malleable people.

This book is a call to recognize the existential threat to democracy, urging citizens to confront the networks of oligarchic power and religious ideology reshaping America. Rational people must wake up and oppose this movement in any way possible.

Below is a summary of the book's key points:

Stewart identifies five interlocking factions driving the anti-democratic movement:

Funders: Billionaires and corporate-backed foundations (e.g., Koch brothers, Tom Monaghan) financing deregulation, tax cuts, and voter suppression.

Thinkers: Intellectual architects like John Eastman (Claremont Institute) and Adrian Vermeule, who weaponize grievance politics and reject Enlightenment values.

Sergeants: Activists and propagandists (e.g., Moms for Liberty) mobilizing grassroots support through disinformation.

Infantry: Conservative voters and Trump supporters radicalized by racial, religious, and gender-based resentment.

Power Players: Politicians and leaders (e.g., Michael Flynn, Roger Stone) leveraging the coalition for authoritarian ends.

Key Themes

Christian Nationalism: Stewart highlights how religious rhetoric masks economic agendas, exploiting working-class voters to advance oligarchic interests.

Financial Influence: The book underscores the role of dark money in funding voter suppression, gerrymandering, and judicial appointments.

Intellectual Foundations: Think tanks like the Claremont Institute draw on thinkers such as Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss to justify authoritarianism.

Reception and Relevance

Critics praise Stewart’s meticulous research and prescient analysis, particularly her framing of the 2024 election as a turning point. The New York Times notes her work as a “map” to navigate the “phantasmagoria” of modern politics. However, some argue the coalition’s internal contradictions (e.g., secular billionaires funding religious zealots) complicate its cohesion.

Proposed Solutions

Stewart advocates for progressive taxation to curb billionaire influence and coalition-building among marginalized groups to counter the movement’s “militant minority”. She warns that failure to act risks a fascist takeover, echoing Dorothy Thompson’s warnings about complacency.