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Weaponized Religion: From Christian Identity to the NAR:

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735160962

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCGGZX3K

John and Jed discuss how wealth is accumulated and obscured within authoritarian religious movements, drawing from their personal experiences in Branhamism and the International House of Prayer (IHOPKC). They discuss a pastor who secretly died with $4 million, exposing how perceived poverty can be used to mask extreme wealth. The conversation shifts to IHOPKC, where Jed describes the dual system of control: most members live in poverty, relying on food banks and subsidized housing, while leaders quietly acquire wealth through donations, real estate, and shell nonprofits. This disparity creates dependency, making it hard for followers to leave, as their housing, finances, and community ties are tied to the organization.

The hosts analyze how these financial dynamics form part of a broader authoritarian structure. They explain how IHOP used manipulative systems of guilt, false spiritual elevation, and hidden assets to maintain power, even when the organization was collapsing. As they expose the deceitful practices—such as laundering money through shell organizations, undervaluing assets, and silencing dissent—they call attention to how difficult it is for victims to recognize abuse in the midst of desperation. Their critique expands into a condemnation of organized doctrinal manipulation, equating it to a form of spiritualized organized crime that benefits leaders at the expense of devoted followers.