The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power

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The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power

by Jeff Sharlet (Goodreads Author)

3.67 · rating details · 993 ratings · 316 reviews

A journalist's penetrating look at the untold story of christian fundamentalism's most elite organization, a self-described invisible network dedicated to a religion of power for the powerful

They are the Family--fundamentalism's avant-garde, waging spiritual war in the halls of American power and around the globe. They consider themselves the new chosen--congressmen, ge

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A journalist's penetrating look at the untold story of christian fundamentalism's most elite organization, a self-described invisible network dedicated to a religion of power for the powerful

They are the Family--fundamentalism's avant-garde, waging spiritual war in the halls of American power and around the globe. They consider themselves the new chosen--congressmen, generals, and foreign dictators who meet in confidential cells, to pray and plan for a "leadership led by God," to be won not by force but through "quiet diplomacy." Their base is a leafy estate overlooking the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia, and Jeff Sharlet is the only journalist to have reported from inside its walls.

"The Family" is about the other half of American fundamentalist power--not its angry masses, but its sophisticated elites. Sharlet follows the story back to Abraham Vereide, an immigrant preacher who in 1935 organized a small group of businessmen sympathetic to European fascism, fusing the far right with his own polite but authoritarian faith. From that core, Vereide built an international network of fundamentalists who spoke the language of establishment power, a "family" that thrives to this day. In public, they host Prayer Breakfasts; in private, they preach a gospel of "biblical capitalism," military might, and American empire. Citing Hitler, Lenin, and Mao as leadership models, the Family's current leader, Doug Coe, declares, "We work with power where we can, build new power where we can't."

Sharlet's discoveries dramatically challenge conventional wisdom about American fundamentalism, revealing its crucial role in the unraveling of the New Deal, the waging of the cold war, and the no-holds-barred economics of globalization. The question Sharlet believes we must ask is not "What do fundamentalists want?" but "What have they already done?"

Part history, part investigative journalism, "The Family" is a compelling account of how fundamentalism came to be interwoven with American power, a story that stretches from the religious revivals that have shaken this nation from its beginning to fundamentalism's new frontiers. No other book about the right has exposed the Family or revealed its far-reaching impact on democracy, and no future reckoning of American fundamentalism will be able to ignore it.

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Hardcover, 454 pages

Published June 1st 2007 by Harper

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Feb 11, 2011

Will rated it

Shelves: religion-and-sprituality, the-bush-administration

August - 2009
Updated - February 2011 - see note at bottom

This is a must read. In the same way that Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine mapped out a process that has been going on in plain sight for a long time, Jeff Sharlet shows us a process that has been going on stealthily for many, many years. As The Shock Doctrine sheds light on an appalling abuse of power abroad, so The Family sheds light on some very creepy goings on, primarily at home.

The notion one might have ...more

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Mar 05, 2010

Richard rated it

As Jeff Sharlet has been at pains to stress since The Family was published, the "Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power" is not a conspiracy. Rather, it is secret because it is discrete, and because it has been overlooked by journalists and the secular writers of American history. Abraham Vereide's name is familiar enough if you know modern evangelical history or read Christian books – Billy Graham describes him as "a remarkable man", Corrie Ten Boom sought out ...more

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Mar 02, 2010

Julie rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Julie by: Fresh Air/NPR

Shelves: social-political-commentary, read-2010

3 for readability; 5+ for relevance.

The Family is known to most Beltway politicos and in the corridors of political powerhouses throughout the world. Known well, but little understood. This is an areligious, ultra-conservative, tightly-knit network of American political and economic power that operates on the basis of a single premise: its members are directly chosen by Jesus Christ as special emissaries of his mission. Of course, this mission is defined by the Family itself: namely...more

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Oct 03, 2008

Mark rated it

Recommends it for: political junkies, freethinkers

Shelves: religion, politics, signed, staff-pick

The book is heavy going at times, and I felt as if I should have had a highlighter in hand to aid myself in remembering all the names and dates. The overall result is a powerful journalistic exposé that is an eye-opening glimpse into backroom dealings of Washington and beyond. I have always found myself on the left in the political spectrum — more to the left than mainstream Democrats — so I am not surprised to read about America’s manipulation of foreign governments, but I was surprised to lear...more

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Jan 19, 2009

Chris Coffman rated it

This book was given to me by my father-in-law, a retired Church of England minister who had numerous clashes in his career with narrow-minded Christians in and out of the Church hierarchy. He has understandable concerns about what he reads about the "Religious Right" in the US, and given the book's uniformly excellent reviews in Australia, he gave me Sharlet's THE FAMILY.

I was riveted from the first chapter: Sharlet was welcomed into the core of an organisation devoted to ...more

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Aug 25, 2010

Todd Martin rated it

Shelves: atheism-religion-philosophy, history, culture-politics

Stop the presses! There are a bunch of religious zealots running the country! Oh … I guess that hadn’t occurred to me despite the whole gay marriage debate, and the Terry Shiavo fiasco, and ban against stem cell research, and national prayer day, and the debate over school prayer, and whether to post the 10-commandments in public places, and abstinance only sex education, and “Fath-Based Initiatives”, and the fight over a woman’s right to choose, or the phrase “In God We Trust” on our money, or ...moreStop the presses! There are a bunch of religious zealots running the country! Oh … I guess that hadn’t occurred to me despite the whole gay marriage debate, and the Terry Shiavo fiasco, and ban against stem cell research, and national prayer day, and the debate over school prayer, and whether to post the 10-commandments in public places, and abstinance only sex education, and “Fath-Based Initiatives”, and the fight over a woman’s right to choose, or the phrase “In God We Trust” on our money, or intelligent design and creationism.

It should come as no surprise that the moneyed elites form loose affiliations centered around their common interests of retaining the status quo and self propogation of the American oligarchy. Nor should it be a surprise that one group of these individuals are right wing, religious fundamentalists. In the end the only revelation to be found in “The Family” is that there is no revelation to be found. Religion provides one of the most powerful forms of in-group / out-group distinctions, so it is perhaps this binding force that allows a small group of individuals to act cohesively towards their common ends. Beyond these fundamentalist beliefs, there appears to be little to distinguish The Family from any other power hungry, secretive, authoritarian, clique of the well-to-do.

Sharlet reveals these non-revelations with a writing style that is both wordy and lacking in substance. There is very little real content to be found in the text. The first half of the book is dedicated to the history of a few obscure religious figures. Later, when he finally gets around to the subject of the Family he describes their belief system as a “mood”, their goals are indistinct and their methods “behind-the-scenes”. Way to be specific there Jeff.

Read “Republican Gomorrah” by Max Blumenthal or American Fascists by Chris Hedges instead. They are both highly informative and highly entertaining, whereas “The Family” is niether.
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Jul 27, 2010

Doug Thayer rated it

This book needed an editor. The long, breathless essays were tiresome. Early in the book, he waxes poetic about the mobius strip calling it an Escher creation. What? He is always dropping names of politicians and their associations with "the family". Who would have guessed that some politicians are fundamentalist christians? He acts so suprised that fundamentalist christians get together to influence government. He seems to see a conspiracy behind ever tree. It would be like say...more

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Jan 02, 2012

William J rated it

President Eisenhower was the first that attended the so-called National Prayer Breafast. At the time it was called the President's Prayer Breakfast. It was tailor-made for him. Eisenhower, a Jehovah Witness apostate, had religious liabilities that right-wing politicians and fundamentalists exploited. Poor Ike joined a church days after being inaugurated President. After he caved, they never stopped making new demands that he violate the founding fathers' wisdom to separate Church and State. Thes...more

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Jan 02, 2012

Mark Cheathem rated it

I would have given the book 2.5/5 if possible. I learned some things I didn't know, but the weaknesses of the book detracted from the more important points about the mix of religion and politics that Sharlet made.

My comments:

1. Sharlet doesn't understand the difference between Christian fundamentalism and evangelicalism. Fundamentalism is John R. Rice, the Bob Joneses, Jack Schaap, etc. It isn't Ted Haggard, James Dobson, or Jerry Falwell. There is some crossover appeal a...moreI would have given the book 2.5/5 if possible. I learned some things I didn't know, but the weaknesses of the book detracted from the more important points about the mix of religion and politics that Sharlet made.

My comments:

1. Sharlet doesn't understand the difference between Christian fundamentalism and evangelicalism. Fundamentalism is John R. Rice, the Bob Joneses, Jack Schaap, etc. It isn't Ted Haggard, James Dobson, or Jerry Falwell. There is some crossover appeal and gray area, but Sharlet doesn't demonstrate that he knows the difference.

2. While he tries to hide his derision of evangelical Christianity, it comes through and affects his interpretation of his evidence. He tends to offer snide descriptions of the Chrisitians with whom he comes into contact, depicting them as either naive buffoons, hypocrites, or malevolent manipulators. If there's any doubt about their motivations, then you can count on Sharlet attributing the worst to them.

3. The background on The Fellowship (now The Family) is quite interesting. I would like to have seen Sharlet finish that story. Instead, he gets lost in critiquing modern evangelicalism, somehow connecting the Christian abstinence and home schooling movements with The Family. At least, I think that's what he tried to do; it's hard to tell.

4. Sharlet is disingenuous at times. For example, he claims that Ralph Reed's focus on "shorter commutes, more time with family, and lower mortgages" were coded allusions to suburbs, patriarchy, and geographic space between neighbors (310-11). That's a stretch that lacks evidence.

5. Sharlet is spot on with some of his criticisms. His take on evangelical Christian masculinity (think John Eldgredge) is, I think, accurate, as are some (but not all) of his criticisms of evangelical views on sexuality.

In sum, I think it's a book that Christians and non-Christians should read, but with a cynical eye. Sharlet accurately explains some of the problems and contradictions of modern evangelical Christianity, but don't buy the idea that its adherents are fascists.(less)

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Sep 16, 2011

BHodges rated it

With all the buzz surrounding this book I expected something better.

Here's my main complaint: Sharlet has, for the most part (aside from his magazine articles, perhaps), sacrificed--not to say deliberately, though it is possible if you consider the fact that the author, a journalist, may have felt free to fill as much space as he pleased since it wouldn't be in a magazine--coherence for cleverness.

That last meandering sentence of mine is an imitation of his style. The w...moreWith all the buzz surrounding this book I expected something better.

Here's my main complaint: Sharlet has, for the most part (aside from his magazine articles, perhaps), sacrificed--not to say deliberately, though it is possible if you consider the fact that the author, a journalist, may have felt free to fill as much space as he pleased since it wouldn't be in a magazine--coherence for cleverness.

That last meandering sentence of mine is an imitation of his style. The whole book is like that, and often worse. His attempt at artistic investigative journalism didn't work for me. Another complaint: his rhetorical sleights of hand got tiresome after the first few pages. He'll quote sources to let them speak for themselves, sure. But he frames those quotes in pedantic descriptive caricatures which dictate precisely how every quote should be understood. The shape of a person's brow, the tint of their eye, become metaphors for how any particular character ought to be viewed by the reader. I suppose I'm supposed to enjoy the description of a particular man's body as being "built like an old can of beans, squat and solid with muscle except for a bulge in the middle." (what?!)

The style complaint hurts Sharlet in the place where it really matters: I don't like to just take his word for it so easily, but it's hard to distinguish when he is presenting someone else's view, his own opinion, a supposed fact, a hyperbolic observation, etc.

His side-track into earlier key religious figures like Jonathan Edwards and Charles Finney were borderline incoherent. He says he tried to describe these figures as a member of "the Family" might, but this is only mentioned in a footnote, and Sharlet's account is pretty ridiculous. (Edwards was a pervert who was severely aroused by the sickness and death of a young girl? Ok...)

The overall subject seems like it could be a compelling story, but the style makes it all feel very conspiratorial. It seems like his style ruined it for me entirely. The style also prevents me from saying too much about its substance. On issues with which I was familiar he seems to be off-base. What does that say about the rest of the issues he covers? (less)

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Jun 19, 2011

Elizabeth rated it

Shelves: non-fiction-history

I begrudgingly gave THE FAMILY a "3" because of its important and fascinating topic, but it gets a "1" on its cohesiveness and desperate need for more disciplined editing.

The true story of fundamentalism in America and its manifestation in the halls of power today is well researched and frightening in its implications for the way things get done in certain spheres of influence. The author finds himself in a position to become an insider with a group of people whose...more

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Feb 28, 2011

Jennifer Abdo rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Jennifer by: NPR, Democracy Now

Move over Birthers! This is not only crazy, but it’s true, too. I have been reading Sharlet’s book, The Family. Coincidentally, the recent Congressional sex scandals have brought this Family into the limelight again, so Democracy Now talked to Jeff Sharlet the other day. He distills his book into a summary better than I can possibly do it and adds more recent facts as well. He starts to go into the reach into the military after discussing the book and its hold on Congress. See the links below.
...moreMove over Birthers! This is not only crazy, but it’s true, too. I have been reading Sharlet’s book, The Family. Coincidentally, the recent Congressional sex scandals have brought this Family into the limelight again, so Democracy Now talked to Jeff Sharlet the other day. He distills his book into a summary better than I can possibly do it and adds more recent facts as well. He starts to go into the reach into the military after discussing the book and its hold on Congress. See the links below.

The Family. They have influenced politics here and abroad, strengthening our ties with crazy murderous dictators everywhere and all kinds of shady things thinly veiled as pushing prayer and Jesus plus nothing (that’s right, no Bible, not even Jesus’ teachings). This is not the Jesus you read about in the Bible. Their Jesus is a power hungry, proud, pro-bsiness, elitist, military leader whose adherents look to Suharto, Mao, Stalin, Hitler for their examples of power and influence and how to indoctrinate for Christ. Marital infidelity or a few massacres in your past (or present) doesn’t so much matter as a nod to this distorted Christ and a discussion in your prayer cell (Odd terminology? I thought so, but it’s par for that course) about how to get that deregulation passed, hate crimes legislation squashed, Iraq/Iran invaded, etc. Their “gospel” is about power and how to get more of it- thinly veiled as submission to their version of Jesus. After all, if the powerful “know Jesus” the love will just trickle down. That’s another thing, they think people just need love, not “hand outs”- not exactly Jesus’ example, but no matter- Scripture plays a very small role in the Family. This is disgusting. This is precisely why I value separation of church and state.

Some Christians worry about Islam (Islamofascism?) taking over. Personally, I would worry about this “Family” type of thing - it's way more prevalent than we realize and it's hijacked common sense, Christianity, and one or both parties in our political system. It’s bad for religion and the state both.

This is the Diane Rehm Show Sharlet was on about a year ago that got me interested:
http://wamu.org/programs/dr/08/06/24.php...

This is yesterday’s piece with Sharlet on Democracy Now:
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/8/12/sh...
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Jan 04, 2011

Lilith Saintcrow rated it

Utterly terrifying. Sharlet teases out how fundamentalists have wormed their way into government on a grand scale by following--and catering to--power and prestige, spawning a Frankenstein monster of naked greed, ambition, imperialism, war, and willful stupidity, all masquerading as spirituality. Despite the scope and nature of the non-ethical monsters he profiles-no less monstrous for their claim to be "godly" or "used by Jesus"--Sharlet does not sound much of an alarm bell....more

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Oct 12, 2010

Larry Zieminski rated it

· review of another edition

I first heard about this book during the various C-street scandals that hit some Republican senators over the last year or so. I got the book, mistakenly assuming it would be about the C-Street house and how it is used by various Congressman (I was wrong, but that book is coming out this Fall). Instead I found a book that covers the history of Christian Fundamentalism. Rather than just covering The Family (a particular group of fundamentalists), Sharlet goes back and starts with the Revival mome...more

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Jul 04, 2010

Tony rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction-general

Sharlet, Jeff. THE FAMILY. (2008). **. The subtitle of this book is: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. That says it all, but the author doesn’t stop there. He goes on for another 387 pages with anecdotes and interviews that all seem about to say something, but ultimately don’t. The Family is an organization, consisting of many cells (much like the Communist organizations of the 1950s) who provide faith-based advice to their members and to whomever they think is in...moreSharlet, Jeff. THE FAMILY. (2008). **. The subtitle of this book is: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. That says it all, but the author doesn’t stop there. He goes on for another 387 pages with anecdotes and interviews that all seem about to say something, but ultimately don’t. The Family is an organization, consisting of many cells (much like the Communist organizations of the 1950s) who provide faith-based advice to their members and to whomever they think is in need of it. Politically, they are mostly Republicans. They shun big cities because they are the sinkholes of sin and the residences of the people of the “underworld.” The author was introduced to this organization by an invitation from a friend to spend some time at Ivenwald, a Washington-based fundamentalist group living community in Arlington, VA. He soon learns, and is shocked to do so, that he is now in the stronghold of a widespread invisible network, populated by elite, politically ambitious fundamentalists. Group prayer, group physical activity, and other aspects of group living ultimately give cohesion to these men. Women are there, too, but they only serve as handmaidens to the men. Every now and then, a guest speaker is invited to Ivanwald to talk to its members. Usually, the speaker is a representative of some power base in government. The speech may or may not focus on the goals of The Family, but is most likely to be a faith-based dissertation. The group is not predominantly “Christian.” The members of this group are, instead, followers of Christ. They are not secret, but their activities are very quiet. The most notable and visible of their activities is the National Prayer Breakfast, held yearly in Washington, and to which every President since Eisenhower attended. The author traces the development of this group back to 1935, when it was ostensibly organized to oppose FDR’s New Deal and the proliferation of Trade Unions. Since that time, the membership of the group has grown significantly – now in the millions. They are not only in the U.S. Their international reach is also significant. Their major activity, aside from providing guidelines to their flocks on how best to follow Jesus (and how best to use their votes), is to introduce members of power to each other. In this regard, they are no different than most other organizations around the world: acquisition and implementation of power through the application of the old adage: “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” This book may offer some new insights on the extent of this organization, but it is tortuous reading, and relys on the continued use of anecdotes to convey its ostensible message.(less)

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May 25, 2010

Drake rated it

I had to read ‘The Family’ after personally knowing someone who was entering its ranks. Jeff Sharlet’s portrait of this secretive organization was extremely enlightening, although a tad bit partisan. Even though I, myself, am biased against religious fundamentalism, I felt that he was using history to create the image of an everlasting conspiracy, rather than a periodically evolving, dissolving, and reemerging movement. The links to Nazism, although correct and well researched, came off in th...more

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Apr 19, 2010

Regina rated it

I waited 6 months for my turn at this book at the library and I am going to have to reserve it again for this winter. It is a fascinating book...and rather scary! I'm thinking the USA needs serious psychotherapy as we have brewed such a cauldron of bigotry, erroneous Christianity, consumerism, capitalism, and politics...all in the same pot! The elite fundamentalists think they have become God's chosen people. Who said they could rewrite the Bible? And it feels like they are "using"...more

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Apr 12, 2010

Greg rated it

As is the case when reading most books, I enjoyed The Family more and more the further I got into it. I found the first few chapters to be a bit slow, and I was disappointed with the lack of dry, historical facts. I had expected (and hoped for) The Family to be a simple nonfiction work examining the intersecting histories of Christian fundamentalism and American politics through the twenty-first century, but Sharlet is too literary a writer for that. The book is certainly the product of years...more

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Nov 12, 2009

Tobinsfavorite rated it

Recommended to Tobinsfavorite by: Colbert? Stewart? One of those guys.

I really liked this book, despite my misgivings that I might find myself in it (I don't think I did.) or that it wasn't the book I wanted it to be (I don't think it was.). I read it intending to find out how a group of people use scripture to defend cutthroat business practices, based on an author interview I saw on TV. On that front it seems, the answer is "They don't, really," but rather that the "markets" are seen to be an expression of God's will. This seems a bit ridi...moreI really liked this book, despite my misgivings that I might find myself in it (I don't think I did.) or that it wasn't the book I wanted it to be (I don't think it was.). I read it intending to find out how a group of people use scripture to defend cutthroat business practices, based on an author interview I saw on TV. On that front it seems, the answer is "They don't, really," but rather that the "markets" are seen to be an expression of God's will. This seems a bit ridiculous rather than logical to me, as it opens up a big worm-can of everything being God's will, but if you're going to believe in Invisible Hands, how many do you want there to be, I guess. I won't say the writing was always crystal clear; there were definitely points where the author wrote, "It is obvious that..." or "It doesn't take much thought to see..." where, to me, it wasn't obvious, or I didn't get the point (with or) without much thought. That may be because I am too much in the world or too much of the world; I don't know. I blame my feeling that some passages rambled on either the speed with which I read the book (Non-renewable library loan!) or the tiny people talking at me while I was trying to read it.

I was very interested in the subject matter the book did cover, such as the delineation between elite and popular fundamentalism. I was pleased with the depth and scope of religious and political history covered and with the ratio of statistics (for lack of a better word) and anecdotes. I was especially pleased with the author's relative evenhandedness. Many real people another author might have made laughable were treated with great respect by Mr. Sharlet, for which I thank him. At the same time, he didn't let anyone's contradictory reasoning off the hook, either. (I'm especially thinking here of the demons one could accidentally collect by being near sinful acts, which would then cause one to sin, kind of abridging one's free agency. That was better explained by Mr. Sharlet.)

As an aside, after reading about all those Prayer Breakfasts, I came across the phrase "special breakfast in America", regarding a point of diplomacy, which made me wonder, is that what Supertramp meant when they named that album?
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Aug 22, 2009

Mary Gail O'Dea rated it

Jeff Sharlet lived within The Family for a year. This is the secretive prosperity Christian cult to which Mark Sanford, Tom Coburn, Jm DeMint, John Ensign, and other right wing politicians belong. It has been in existence for over 80 years -- who knew? -- and has powerful connections, often with right wing dictatorships, throughout the world. The Family runs the annual National Prayer Breakfast behind which lurks a much more sinister centralization of power. It is a book each American should...moreJeff Sharlet lived within The Family for a year. This is the secretive prosperity Christian cult to which Mark Sanford, Tom Coburn, Jm DeMint, John Ensign, and other right wing politicians belong. It has been in existence for over 80 years -- who knew? -- and has powerful connections, often with right wing dictatorships, throughout the world. The Family runs the annual National Prayer Breakfast behind which lurks a much more sinister centralization of power. It is a book each American should read. These people are determined not only to Christianize our country, but also the world, and do not really care who gets hurt in the process. To that extent, they are Christian jihadi just as frightening as their Muslim counterparts. Perhaps more so because they have the resources to work behind the scenes. Sharlet does a good job of examining The Family in the context of other right wing, evangelicals like Ted Haggard's New Life our in Colorado. He refrains from demonizing most of them. Much like Michael ???, editor of Tikkun, Sharlet makes us think about the ways in which mainstream religion and mainstream, moderate politics are experienced as not just meaningless, but threatening. Yes, these are frightened, often ignorant people, but they are hungry for something the rest of us are not offering them. Mostly they are afraid of a changing nation. By 2040, whites will represent only 40% of the population, meaning that white males will account only for 19% of all Americans. At the deepest level of unconscious processes, these folks may well fear that, when THEY are "other," when they are the minority, they will be treated the way they have treated others over the course of history. The gift they are giving us is the opportunity to see their fear close-up and to devise ways to provide a sense of security while still adhering to our belief in diversity in race, color, ethnicity, creed, sexual orientation, and religious affiliation. While we do not have to accept nor submit to the fews of a very vocal minority of the nation, we do have to listen lest their "temples" become even more of a breeding ground for intolerance, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and corruption of the Christian message into a power-centric, feel good, but ultimately empty parody of both the Constitution and the New Testament. It is a challenge for all of us and Sharlet's book is a good primer on the subject. (less)

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Aug 02, 2009

Sally rated it

This book is nothing short of an amazing (over-used adjective, but in this case, VERY apropos) eye-opener! Zealots of ANY persuasion make me nervous, and private citizens at the heart of international relations feels just plain wrong...illegal even? (Ever heard of the Logan Act of 1799?) We "seculars", much like the "out of touch" intelligentsia that failed to react in Germany in the '20s and '30s, need to wake up, pay attention and push back! I simply cannot believe that ...more

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Sep 16, 2009

Teri is currently reading it

This novel is an examination of a generations-long quasi-religious group that seeks to control power-brokers in business and in politics. Jeff Sharlet has recently been all over the news because 2 of the "Family" members, Senator Ensign and Gov. Sanford, have been in the news for their inappropriate behavior. The theory of this religion says that Jesus chooses certain people to have power, and when they break any of the 10 Commandments, they are excused because they have been chosen fo...more

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Aug 25, 2009

J. rated it

Shelves: political, non-fiction

Why all the worry ? ... fraudulent crypto-religious anonymity-craving 'obedience' cells pledging loyalty to nothing but the authoritarian power structure of the right wing ... secretive, coded rationales wrapped in paper-thin guises to resemble christianity ... fundamentalisms elite & populist, country-club and speaking-in-tongues, both at the service of a reactionary vision for the U.S. ... clandestine rearrangements of foreign policy, quasi-faith groups false-fronting crude laissez-faire mor...more

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Jul 03, 2010

AC rated it

Shelves: fascism, current-events

I'd been looking for some light reading -- something quick -- and thought this was an expansion of Sharlet's 2003 article on Ivanwald (http://harpers.org/archive/2003/03/00795...). As I indicated, I had a personal interest in the topic, and had been putting off reading the book (which I'd never seen). Instead, I ended up with this long, sprawling book on the whole structure of "elite fundamentalism" going back to the 17th cen.

There is very little on Ivanwald here -- and Sh...more

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Aug 09, 2011

Jason Roberts rated it

Romans 13:1. “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God.” The Family, and its Fundamentalist base, put this concept above all others. They are no different than any previous incarnation of Church. Al-Shaitan, the Arabic basis for the word Satan, translates in English to become “The Adversary”. The Adversary is any opposing power stru...moreRomans 13:1. “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God.” The Family, and its Fundamentalist base, put this concept above all others. They are no different than any previous incarnation of Church. Al-Shaitan, the Arabic basis for the word Satan, translates in English to become “The Adversary”. The Adversary is any opposing power structure that competes for the authority, period. It has never mattered if the opposing power is religious, political, corporate, or even one person… that power structure must be destroyed. The Family is the top tier of the Fundamentalist movement to create and control a theocratic American Empire. This creation has been the slow, methodic work of the power elite for generations.

The Family believes that God has chosen the wealthy as favored, and that Jesus has a special message reserved for the powerful alone. Because of the success of the wealthy elite, they are the only ones who can be entrusted to run the world for God. Because of this divine edict, the elite are to be followed without question. This is the social order that the Fundamentalist and Evangelical faiths are striving to create. If you are not a servant, you are a rebel to be crushed. The faith of the Family believes that disobedience causes poverty, and even goes as far as to believe that the poor spiritually unfit to vote.

To achieve the aims of building their empire, the Family utilizes its power political and corporate contacts to entrench themselves in the highest levels of society. The Family has crafted a Fundamentalist organization based on previous efforts deemed as successful. The Nazi party’s organization is greatly heralded. Stalin is envied for his ability to grip power so securely. Indeed, the Family structures itself into ‘cells’, in an effort to capture the essence of the Communist spread across the world. The Family sees no harm in emulating the tactics of dictators. After all, it was God’s design will that placed these men in power. This is also the reasoning on why the Family has chosen to engage with the likes of mass murders such as Pinochet, Suharto, and countless other despots. An example of this flawed logic; Abraham Vereide, founder of the Family, befriended the Lutheran pastor named Gustav Gedat. Gedat was a Nazi who was prosecuted by Germany in WWII for not believing that the Aryans were a master race. Gedat’s argument was simple, he did not believe in a master race… just in a master class chosen by God to rule the rest of the world. This is the ideology the Family follows.

This is the Family’s dream for the world. Complete dominance by the power elite. Using propaganda and vast sums of unending corporate money, the Family has crafted a Fundamentalist and Evangelical base of some size. The followers are brainwashed in an ideology that reinforces submission and obedience to the few. This base believes that the divine give righteousness to their cause, and will rise against all opposition. The Fundamentalist sect are managed by the power elite in a manner that keeps them ignorant of the realities of the world, through homeschooling and texts that edit out all but the truth the Family chooses. According to the Family, this is the natural order for the world. This is a unique form of fascism; for fascism is something the family admires as well. The realities of the world are of no concern to the power elite, because they will be the ones who suffer least in the world they are attempting to create. This is not a conspiracy; this is a glimpse of the future. And sadly, it is a glimpse of our past.

Whoever is in power will write tomorrow’s history. This is a fact we must accept. Seeing the world without illusion is the only way one can hope to overcome tyrannies like this. Sadly, those who have written the history of these people have sanitized the facts, as they always must. This leads the author to jump between facts, which lost me at times. Within three pages, one could have bounced from many a topic. I assumed this was due to the lack of research material, but the result is one having to wonder what skew was placed on the topic. This will give ammunition to those who disagree, either by design or indoctrination. This is the primary weakness of this work. These people and their followers will assail any who oppose, and they have the virtue of writing history going for them.

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Jan 24, 2010

Jason rated it

I would have given this 3 stars if only it were titled slightly differently. This book is less about The Family--a seemingly innocuous organizer of the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington that actually has deep political influence within the Republican party and even among some Democrats--as much as it is an analysis of Christian fundamentalism as an integral part of America's past, present and future. My previous sentence as well as this one--which are interrupted almost as soon as they beg...more

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Jul 08, 2009

Brian Saul marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I heard about this on Fresh Air, July 1st. I'm not usually that much into reading about financial matters, but times are different now. The "Family" goal is a curious one: "Jesus plus nothing." Now, what is THAT supposed to mean?! I'll need to read it to find out, I guess.
Below is the Fresh Air blurb, in summary:

They insist they are just a group of friends, yet they funnel millions of dollars through tax-free corporations. They claim to disdain politics...more

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Sep 09, 2009

Jukka added it

<b/>The Family - Jeff Sharlet
The book comes with a thick armor of recomendations. I won't need to add mine.

What i had heard of this book and expected was the sort of conspiracy you might find in a Dan Brown novel. Not here. That's not to say it doesn't exist, it's just not described in the book. Certainly this book scores, but it's not a 'bomb-shell'.

You may find the historical side (250 years) of this book of interest. You may find the personal relationships ...more

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Jul 17, 2010

Terry rated it

We've heard about national prayer breakfasts and know that religion has a increasing pull and influence of the nature of local and particularly national politics, but Sharlet uses the Family (a politically influential sect, if you will) as a frame to examine the historical perspective of this influence and the effects of this deeply rooted, highly influential, and not wholesomely-intended fundamentalist network. We clearly live in the global age of fundamentalism, increasingly militant and intol...more

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Apr 11, 2010

Lois rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Lois by: Author interview on WAMC

Shelves: non-fiction

Not an easy read in a couple of ways, but the Family's influence on government decision-making is important to know about. The Family teaches a brand of fundamentalism that a) is not concerned with Biblical teaching, b) believes that unregulated capitalism is good for everyone, and c) recruits and focuses on people with power rather than the vast majority of ordinary people. Sharlet distinguishes between the Family's fundamentalism and populist fundamentalism and notes that the increase in pop...more

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About Jeff Sharlet

I'm a contributing editor for Harper's and Rolling Stone and I also write about music for Oxford American, politics for The Nation, and media for The Revealer, a review of religion and the press published by the New York University Center for Religion and Media, where I'm an associate research scholar.
I'm the author of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power (Har...more

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“American fundamentalism’s original sentiments were as radically democratic in theory as they have become repressive in practice, its dream not that of Christian theocracy but of a return to the first century of Christ worship, before there was a thing called Christianity. The “age of miracles,” when church was no more than a word for the great fellowship—the profound friendship—of believers, when Christ’s testament really was new, revelation was unburdened by history, and believers were martyrs or martyrs-to-be, pure and beautiful.” — 2 people liked it

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