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| Faith, the Flag, and the Capital at Twilight Christian Nationalism and Seven Mountains Mandate |
Matthew Boedy’s The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy does both, and does so with clarity, restraint, and deep documentation.
This was my first book of 2026, recommended by a speaker from one of the Saturday morning seminars hosted by the Progressive Adventist online community we joined during the pandemic. It turned out to be one of the most sobering and illuminating reads I’ve had in years.
Who Matthew Boedy Is and Why He Wrote This Book
Matthew Boedy is a professor of rhetoric and communication, trained to analyze how language shapes belief, allegiance, and power. That background matters. Boedy is not reacting emotionally to headlines; he is tracing patterns, how ideas move from the fringes into the mainstream through repetition, framing, and religious legitimacy.
Equally important, Boedy writes as someone deeply familiar with Christianity. His critique is not aimed at faith itself, but at how faith is being reengineered into a political instrument.
At the heart of today’s Christian nationalist movement is a theological framework that few Americans fully understand.
What Is the Seven Mountains Mandate?
At the center of the book is the Seven Mountains Mandate, a belief system that teaches Christians are divinely called to control seven spheres of society: government, media, education, business, arts and entertainment, family, and religion.
This framework represents a sharp departure from earlier expressions of American Christianity, which, however imperfectly, coexisted with pluralism and democratic institutions. The Seven Mountains theology does not seek coexistence. It seeks dominion.
Boedy shows how this ideology transforms political opposition into spiritual rebellion, making compromise not just undesirable, but sinful.
Turning Point USA and the Power of Rhetoric
A significant portion of the book focuses on Turning Point USA (TPUSA) and its founder, Charlie Kirk. Rather than relying on interpretation or hearsay, Boedy grounds his analysis in Kirk’s own public words: speeches, podcasts, social media posts, and appearances.
When concerns are raised about racism, bigotry, or misinformation, defenders frequently argue that Kirk has been “taken out of context.” Boedy’s response is meticulous: he provides context in full, assembling an extensive index of documented statements that reveal consistent rhetorical patterns rather than isolated missteps.
This approach pairs well with an understanding of what talking points are and how they function, because TPUSA’s influence depends heavily on repetition, emotional appeal, and simplified narratives rather than evidence-based reasoning.
How Followers Are Gained, and Held
Boedy carefully explains how TPUSA uses:
exaggerated or false anecdotes
moral panic surrounding education and social change
grievance-based identity politics
selective biblical language detached from historical theology
These tactics thrive in podcasts and live events, where charisma replaces accountability and applause substitutes for verification.
Christianity Then and Now
One of the book’s most important contributions is its distinction between historic American Christianity and White Christian Nationalism.
The former, at its best, recognized limits on power and affirmed democratic norms. The latter fuses nationalism with divine authority, reframing Christianity as a tool for cultural dominance rather than moral formation.
Boedy argues persuasively that this shift is not accidental, but strategic.
Trump, Influence, and the Candace Owens Conundrum
Donald Trump’s presence runs throughout the narrative, not as a theologian, but as a model of power that prizes loyalty over institutions and spectacle over truth. TPUSA’s alignment with Trump-style politics amplified its reach and normalized its messaging.
Boedy also addresses Candace Owens as a case study in contradiction: a highly visible figure whose influence often outweighs accuracy. Her repeated promotion of false or unsupported claims, something I’ve explored in how often Candace Owens has been wrong in her conspiracy theories, illustrates how authority is constructed in this media ecosystem.
Why This Book Matters
The Seven Mountains Mandate presents a clear, accessible, and thoroughly documented case that far-right Christian nationalism, through organizations like TPUSA, poses a real challenge to democratic culture in the United States.
Boedy does not argue that democracy has already fallen. He argues that it is being steadily eroded, often under the banner of faith. That warning feels increasingly prescient.
This is not a book meant to inflame. It is a book meant to clarify. And in times like these, clarity is an act of care.
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