"Money, Lies, and God" with Katherine Stewart

In the 20th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells His followers what power is like in the kingdom of God. He says that real greatness is servanthood and that we ought not aim to “lord it over” others.

There is a movement in the United States, and in many countries around the world, that apparently utterly rejects Jesus’ way of power. This movement, called Christian nationalism, is a parasite upon Christian faith that is proudly taking up a crusade against anything and anyone deemed as opposition or enemy. Though it uses the language of faith, it is not about faith. It is about the accumulation of power. Donald Trump is held up by Christian nationalists. Vladimir Putin argues that the invasion of Ukraine is an exercise of upholding Christian values against ungodly enemies. We are of the opinion that many well-meaning Christians have fallen into listening to voices of Christian nationalism.

Christian nationalism is perhaps the biggest present threat to democracy. Christian nationalism is not Christian. It is a form of idolatry, a worship of power. We are not alone, at Rector’s Cupboard, in feeling that if we want to speak a hopeful faith, a faith that reflects the love of God in Jesus for all the world, then we will speak against Christian nationalism.

We are pleased to welcome back to Rector’s Cupboard Katherine Stewart to speak about her new book, Money, Lies, and God. The book has just been released this week. We were privileged to read it before publication and spoke with Katherine early in January. Money, Lies, and God is a frightening book to read as it describes real threats to democracy. There is hope and humour in it as well as Katherine Stewart tells us about her interactions with Christians who hold a hopeful faith and as she narrates visits to many religious and political rallies.

Katherine’s previous book, The Power Worshippers was adapted into a documentary by Rob Reiner. It is called God and Country and is available through Apple TV and other platforms.

Having interviewed Katherine about two of her books, we are pleased to welcome her for an in-person event in Vancouver on April 28. Details will be available on our website and the Rector’s Cupboard social pages so keep an eye out for registration details coming soon.

 

Terms Referenced:

There are a lot of terms, institutions, and people mentioned in our conversation with Katherine Stewart. You may want to avail yourself of some googling, but we have put together a short glossary to help with listening.

Pluralism – The idea that people who are different in belief, life style, etc can coexist in a society peacefully.

Sectarian – Usually divisive ideology based on political or religious difference. It is typically expressed in hard line stances and by an unwillingness to work with or tolerate differing opinions

Kleptocracy – A form of government structure in which leaders use political power to amass wealth from the general population

Theocracy – A form of government structure which is based on or run by a particular religious system/belief

Charter Schools/Voucher System – In our conversation with Stewart these are used within an American framework. Charter Schools are alternate schools requiring no tuition that are run, to some degree, under a local school board, but tend to offer different types of programming or structure than a typical public school. The Voucher System allows for funds allocated to public education to be used for alternate educational systems, such as homeschooling, or tuition for private schools (which may be religious or not)

The Great Awakening – A series of religious revivals that took place between the early 18th century and 1960’s. These movements have typically been defined by a focus on making religion personal.

Historical Jesus – A picture of Jesus that is based on an academic study, considering historical and cultural context, of the person of Jesus rather than a religious interpretation.

 

Resources Referenced:

The Good News Club, Katherine Stewart, 2012

The Power Worshippers, Katherine Stewart, 2020

God & Country (documentary), 2024

The Givenness of Things, Marilynne Robinson, 2015