In this episode, host Corey Nathan welcomes investigative journalist and author Katherine Stewart back to the show. Katherine has spent over 15 years researching and reporting on religious nationalism and its impact on American democracy. Her new book, Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy, exposes the deep financial and ideological networks fueling Christian nationalism and the broader anti-democratic movement.

This conversation explores how extreme wealth, disinformation, and religious nationalism are being weaponized against democracy—and what we can do about it.

[00:00:00] – Introduction to Katherine Stewart

[00:03:00] – The Origins of Her Investigation

[00:12:00] – The Enlightenment Ideals America Was Founded On

[00:19:00] – The Role of Money, Lies, and Christian Nationalism

[00:28:00] – The Psychology of the Movement

[00:32:00] – Carl Schmitt and the Playbook of Authoritarianism

[00:41:00] – Why We Should Be Concerned—and What We Can Do

[00:44:00] – Final Thoughts: How We Can Build a Pro-Democracy Coalition

"They told us they were going to smash the institutions that safeguard democracy—and that’s exactly what they’re doing." 

"This movement isn’t just about the culture wars—it’s about power, money, and dismantling democracy itself." 

"They want to replace public education with a religious and corporate-controlled system. The culture wars are just a smokescreen." 

"Not everybody who wants to go back to the ‘good old days’ is a nihilist. But those who want to smash democracy in pursuit of a mythical past certainly are." 

If you found this conversation insightful, please:

@coreysnathan:

🔥 Now go talk some politics and religion—without killin' each other! 🔥