Making Sense with Sam Harris - Subscriber Content

#401 - Christian Nationalism and the New Right

Feb 18, 2025

Katherine Stewart, an award-winning author and investigative journalist, discusses her latest book on the alarming rise of Christian nationalism and its implications for American democracy. They delve into Project 2025, examining how wealth and misinformation fuel anti-democratic movements. The conversation highlights the intertwining of religious ideology with authoritarian politics, critiques the polarized discourse around education, and explores the challenges faced by those advocating for moderate, democratic values in a divided society.

01:12:28

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Episode guests

Katherine Stewart

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

The podcast highlights the opportunistic alliances among reactionary forces, revealing how disparate groups undermine American democracy without a cohesive ideology.

It emphasizes the alarming concentration of wealth among elites, which exacerbates societal rifts and empowers anti-democratic initiatives that compromise liberal values.

The discussion critiques the manipulation of misinformation and fear-based narratives, illustrating how these tactics divert attention from critical economic issues toward divisive cultural conflicts.

Deep dives

The Anti-Democratic Movement

The current political landscape is marked by a convergence of various reactionary forces undermining American democracy. These groups, including Christian nationalists, wealthy oligarchs, and reactionary political theorists, operate without a unified ideology, instead forming what amounts to opportunistic alliances. For instance, figures within the Trump administration align with disparate factions, often inspired by controversial political theorists like Carl Schmitt, who promote hostility towards democratic principles. This lack of openness about their true aims poses a significant risk to the democratic institutions that many take for granted.

Intro

2min

Christian Nationalism and Political Influence

7min

Christian Nationalism Unveiled

9min

Elite Mindsets and Political Discourse

16min

Christian Nationalism and Authoritarianism

24min

Misunderstandings in Education

8min

Countering Christian Nationalism: Building Community and Engagement

5min

Sam Harris speaks with Katherine Stewart about her new book, Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy. They discuss Project 2025, Christian nationalism, white supremacy, whether the backlash against wokeness has been overblown, the asymmetric standards between right-wing and left-wing media, Trump’s appeal to evangelicals, wealth inequality, political ideology in public schools, and other topics.

Katherine Stewart is the award-winning author of Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy (Bloomsbury, 2025). Her previous book, The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, formed the basis of the documentary feature God & Country, produced by Rob Reiner. Stewart's work appears in The New York Times opinion section, The New Republic, Religion News Service, and other publications.

Website: katherinestewart.me

X: @kathsstewart

Bluesky: @katherinestewart.bsky.social

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