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American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,522 listener ratings
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Twenty-five years ago, when Pat Robertson and other radio and televangelists first spoke of the United States becoming a Christian nation that would build a global Christian empire, it was hard to take such hyperbolic rhetoric seriously. Today, such language no longer sounds like hyperbole but poses, instead, a very real threat to our freedom and our way of life. In American Fascists, veteran journalist Chris Hedges challenges the Christian Right's religious legitimacy and argues that at its core it is a mass movement fueled by unbridled nationalism and a hatred for the open society.
Hedges, who grew up in rural parishes in upstate New York where his father was a Presbyterian pastor, attacks the movement as someone steeped in the Bible and Christian tradition. He points to the hundreds of senators and members of Congress who have earned between 80 and 100 percent approval ratings from the three most influential Christian Right advocacy groups as one of many signs that the movement is burrowing deep inside the American government to subvert it. The movement's call to dismantle the wall between church and state and the intolerance it preaches against all who do not conform to its warped vision of a Christian America are pumped into tens of millions of American homes through Christian television and radio stations, as well as reinforced through the curriculum in Christian schools. The movement's yearning for apocalyptic violence and its assault on dispassionate, intellectual inquiry are laying the foundation for a new, frightening America.
American Fascists, which includes interviews and coverage of events such as pro-life rallies and week-long classes on conversion techniques, examines the movement's origins, its driving motivations, and its dark ideological underpinnings. Hedges argues that the movement currently resembles the young fascist movements in Italy and Germany in the 1920s and 1930s, movements that often masked the full extent of their drive for totalitarianism and that were willing to make concessions until they achieved unrivaled power. The Christian Right, like these early fascist movements, does not openly call for dictatorship, nor does it use physical violence to suppress opposition—in short, the movement is not yet revolutionary. But the ideological architecture of a Christian fascism is being cemented in place. The movement has roused its followers to a fever pitch of despair and fury. All it will take, Hedges writes, is one more national crisis on the order of September 11 for the Christian Right to make a concerted drive to destroy American democracy. The movement awaits a crisis. At that moment they will reveal themselves for what they truly are—the American heirs to fascism. Hedges issues a potent, impassioned warning: We face an imminent threat. His book reminds us of the dangers liberal, democratic societies face when they tolerate the intolerant.
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"A scarily accurate depiction of the fundamentalist mindset. Although, I think in light the recent presidential election in the States and its result, the author's fears about an economic meltdown triggering the rise of a "Christofascist" police state are largely unwarranted. I think Bush did a pretty good job of ruining the American people's appetite for theocracy, at least for the time being. But this book is still worth reading anyway, one gets the sense that the Religious Right isn't dead yet"
— Adrian (4 out of 5 stars)
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This urgent book forcefully illuminates what many across the political spectrum will recognize as a serious and growing threat to the very concept and practice of an open society.
— Publishers Weekly Starred Review
American Fascists Listener Reviews
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David Smith, 10/29/2019
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" Excellent expose of the American Psuedo-Christian right and the threat it presents to our democracy. Every page confirms my own life experiences, while putting them into context. "
— Steve, 2/4/2014 -
" This book is a little aggressive, but that is the author's style. I got a ton of great info though. "
— Crystal, 1/6/2014 -
" The book was written about 5 years ago and remarkably predicts the current Republican contest for presidential nomination. It is a must read for anyone who wants to better understand how a radical right movement can get away with what they have done so far, propose to do, and strive to do. "
— Amatullah, 12/29/2013 -
" The author makes some interesting points but the book is written using such biased and inflammatory language that it is difficult to read and follow. "
— Eric, 12/28/2013 -
" Fascinating look at the religious right is a must for all Christians "
— Steven, 12/27/2013 -
" I'm more worried about local Christian fundamentalists than I am of some Islamic jyhadist in a cave in Pakistan somewhere. The people in this book are downright scary. "
— Brian, 12/23/2013 -
" Chris Hedges is an astute observer of politics in the U.S. and the middle east. When he worries about the dangers of extreme religious sensibilities at work in societies it is worth paying attention. This book is very American but offers some keen insights in to all societies. "
— Peter, 12/11/2013 -
" Hard hitting truths about the blatant dark side of religion and its growing political incursion "
— Milo, 11/27/2013 -
" Scary. Good stuff by Hedges. "
— Nate, 11/22/2013 -
" This is a powerful book. I wasn't able to finish it, as it just made me mad and I couldn't start and end my day with the harsh reality of the corruption of modern society and politics. "
— Roz, 11/1/2013 -
" An extremely important book. In today's current political climate, everyone should read this to understand the forces underlying the Tea Party movement and the Christian Right. "
— Tracy, 7/17/2013 -
" How the Christian right a wing of corporate America is. Sets out an excellent argument for how the religious cults such as fundamentalist religions are supporting a fascist agenda. "
— Carol, 5/23/2013 -
" Didn't really learn anything new. Just makes you angry that people practice intolerance in the name of religion. "
— Dale, 4/7/2013 -
" A little heavy-handed, but a good update on who's promoting the far Right. Scary. "
— Jean, 12/5/2012 -
" I was skeptical of the premise of this book, but Hedges presents a carefully constructed argument that displays a clear knowledge of the movement he is dicussing. "
— Jim, 6/14/2012 -
" Worrying tale about how religion has been misused in our country. "
— Marcus, 2/14/2012 -
" Informative to say the least. "
— Mike, 7/9/2011 -
" A highly thoughtful and thought-provoking book. I highly recommend it. <br/> "
— Heather, 4/5/2011 -
" Another excellent book by Chris Hedges. Growing up with a pastor for a father and his time in a seminary gives this work a particular ire toward those using people's faith in order to exploit them and push awful social agendas like Family Research Council's agenda against gays. "
— Rob, 3/3/2011 -
" This should be a fun Sunday read.. "
— Patrick, 2/20/2011 -
" Interesting but scary book. The idea that the US should be an all Christian nation should scare anyone who truely believes in the Constitution. How is the Christian right any different from other radical religious groups? "
— Jean, 2/16/2011 -
" It's an important dilemma Hedges raises: to tolerate intolerance or not. His answer is "not," but I don't see really how intolerance could be quashed without bankrupting the good initial moral impulse. "
— David, 11/19/2010 -
" The author makes some interesting points but the book is written using such biased and inflammatory language that it is difficult to read and follow. "
— Eric, 9/15/2010 -
" There are obviously a lot of Christians who are like this but as a Canadian I can't really relate. "
— Jordon, 9/10/2010 -
" Not his best work. Love that Hedges though. "
— Erin, 7/28/2010
About Chris Hedges
Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, host of the Emmy Award–nominated RT America show On Contact, and author of two New York Times bestsellers. War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He was a foreign correspondent and bureau chief in the Middle East and the Balkans for fifteen years for the New York Times. He previously worked overseas for the Dallas Morning News, Christian Science Monitor, and NPR. He holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard University and has taught at Columbia University, New York University, Princeton University, and the University of Toronto. He has taught college credit courses through Rutgers University since 2013 in the New Jersey prison system.
About Chris Hedges
Eunice Wong is a classically trained actor who works extensively in professional theaters across the United States and in New York City, as well as having appeared on HBO, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, and in various independent films. Eunice is a graduate of the Juilliard School Drama Division Actor Training Program and has also studied piano and singing at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto. A first-generation Chinese Canadian, born in Toronto to Eric and Eleanor Wong, who immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong, Eunice grew up with her brother Eugene in Toronto and thanks her family for their constant love and support.