“American Fascists – The Christian Right and the War on America” by Chris Hedges, 2006
This is a seemingly prophetic book, peering into the soul of Christian Dominionists who seek a Biblical Kingdom in North America. And who better than divinity school dropout and son of a preacher-man pastor Chris Hedges to tell the story of 'Christo-fascism'? Since 2006 the story has gotten worse, adding aspects of authoritarianism that Hedges only hints at or ignores. In 2006 he was an anti-communist and as such skips the key material roots of fascism and authoritarianism under capitalism, concentrating on ideology. He does this by perhaps getting too close and personal with the Dominionists, describing their ideas to a clueless public of NYT readers. So what has he got to say?
Dominionism comes from a Bible quote that reads: “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen1:28) You might note this justifies the current butchery of nature, which Dominionists think is inexhaustible.
Hedges defines fascist ideas by citing Italian author Umberto Eco's 14 points. Among them are tradition, a rejection of modernism, action for action's sake, an attack on reasoning, a frustrated middle-class, identity seeking, elitism, machismo, selective populism and making words mean nothing or changing their meaning. His own chapters concern the Book of Revelation, an apocalyptic book in the 'New' Testament which still inspires the Christian Right. It infuses their support for Israel, as the end-times battle between Christ and the Anti-Christ will supposedly take place there. This 'Day of Wrath' looks forward to the chosen being 'raptured, while the rest are drowned in a sea of blood, a revenge fantasy better than any violent U.S. movie. For QAnon, it was turned into 'The Storm.'
The 'Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives' collects millions of tax dollars for religious social programs, a program started by G.W. Bush. It is to replace social programs and the Education Department with church charity, religious schools and home schooling. As you can see, these Dominionist visions inspire Trumpists, who will now control both houses of Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court. Hedges points out that even in 2006 fundie ministers were near 50% of the chaplains in the U.S. military –another key bastion of power. Hedges considered Erik Prince's Blackwater as a fundamentalist mercenary army, though he missed most of the other civilian militia's now dedicated to the hard right. Their goal is full government control.
Hedges interviews right-wing Christian anti-abortion activists who come from heavily dysfunctional families in the rust belt or southern states. He visits an Evangelical school for fundamentalist preachers that teaches them how to convert souls through being a false friend and cooking up a 'testimony.' Once brought into the flock, thinking, questioning, doubting or backsliding are 'sins.' They are told to go after vulnerable people in the middle of various crises. Hedges talks to women conned into virtual religious cults by male-centric preachers and ideology, though this is a weak chapter. They are anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-birth control, anti-eroticism and pro corporal punishment, with women relegated to the home to have babies. Pleasure is not on the agenda, it is a sin. This has now turned into the trad-wife cult. Hedges attends a conclave of religious broadcasters, many rolling in money. He describes how wealth is the reward for following Jesus, the nut of the prosperity doctrine. Attending is Tim LeHaye, the author of the popular “Left Behind” series about the Rapture. LeHaye was also big on astrology at one time. He talks to leaders of conversion therapy for gays. He visits the bogus Creation Museum in Kentucky and it's pushing of intelligent design, which is the appearance of science, not its actuality. Persecution complexes are also part of their theology, as they think they will be deported on railroad cars to extermination camps.
Hedges shows the historic connections between this movement and the KKK and John Birch Society. As Sinclair Lewis pointed out in “It Can't Happen Here” U.S. fascism will come wrapped in patriotism, Christianity, sexism, whiteness and national intolerance, which Hedges agrees with. Whether Dominionists become full-on fascists is still to be determined, though Hedges thinks they already were in 2006.
Hedges points out the misuse of religious and secular language in their propaganda offensive. Changing words to fit religious meanings; mixing up definitions; making a hash of concepts. The basis is a very simple black and white, God and Satan, Heaven and Hell, good and evil outlook on a complex and nuanced world. These binary dyads substitute for a philosophic, historical, economic or scientific understanding of reality, substituting fantasy instead. Of course even Leftists and liberals are prone to simple-minded thinking. It reminds one of leftish conspiracy theorists who always make the facts, or a fact, fit their political outlook.
Hedges has written a sociology of the fundamentalist mindset from a liberal, secular-humanist and anti-fascist perspective. He has avoided the Dominionist's class connection with a faction of the capitalist class, the need for authoritarian or fascist functioning to prop up their profit rate and the use of domestic violence against dissidents of any kind. He does include an attack on corporations though. Musk's role in the presidency is exposing part of that, as is the role of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and the rest. It reflects a capitalist system in crisis. Now in 2025 the Dominionists are turbo-charged and closer to absolute power. Their hatred of 'the other' – be they Muslims, African-Americans, Latinos, gays, communists, socialists, foreigners, Hindus, atheists, unionists, the U.N., the E.U., universities, science, most of the government – will become explicit foreign and domestic policy. To most politicals all of this is familiar and old school. If this is unfamiliar territory, this book might be valuable to you.
Alvin Toffler wrote that if you don't have a strategy, you will be part of someone else's strategy. The actual labor Left needs an anti-fascist or anti-authoritarian united front to start. Quite simply, the clasds struggle is going to heat up which will bring recruits to the Left. But no single group will grow enough to gain enough clout to hinder the Right.
Prior reviews on this topic, use blog search box, upper left, to investigate our 18 year archive, using these terms: “Anti-Fascist Series #,” or “Hedges.”
And I bought it at May Day's excellent cut-out and used section!
Red Frog / January 2, 2025