Matthew Boedy’s The Seven Mountains Mandate is a sharp, clear-eyed warning about an ideological campaign that too many Americans still underestimate. Boedy traces a decades-long strategy, popularly framed as the “seven mountains” (education, politics, religion, media, entertainment, family, business), showing how a mix of pastors, philanthropies, think tanks, and political operatives have worked methodically to capture cultural power and bend public institutions toward a theocratic vision. The book is tightly focused, well-documented, and written for readers who need both a primer and a call to action.

What sets Boedy’s account apart is the combination of scholarly attention and lived experience. He situates the movement historically back to Bill Bright and Loren Cunningham in the 1970s, and then brings the story up to the present, connecting the Seven Mountains idea to contemporary actors and programs that seek to institutionalize it. He pays particular attention to the networks that link evangelical influencers to political machines, including organizations that have targeted campuses and young people.

The book’s timeliness can’t be overstated. In the weeks since publication the national conversation shifted dramatically with the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Boedy’s warnings about mythmaking, martyrdom narratives, and the political uses of faith feel painfully immediate. His examination of how leaders and followers interpret political setbacks or legal consequences as providential makes the book especially relevant in a moment when violence and grievance are being narrated as sacred duty by parts of the American right.

Boedy is also good at connecting the dots between propaganda, policy, and power. He documents how well-funded institutions and coordinated policy projects can translate a cultural theology into concrete political gains: staffing government, rewriting curricula, pressuring media, and normalizing rhetoric that blurs church/state lines. That case-making helps readers understand that Christian nationalism here is not merely a collection of fringe beliefs but a strategic program with institutional teeth.

There are places where readers might want more. Boedy’s focus is investigative and diagnostic rather than prescriptive: he terrifyingly catalogs the problem and explains how it operates, but readers seeking a detailed playbook for resistance might wish for a longer conclusion on concrete, scalable responses (what successful local coalitions look like, how to shield institutions, or strategies for persuasion across partisan lines).
A particularly alarming backdrop to Boedy’s argument is the political context of 2025: broad presidential pardons and commutations for those involved in the January 6 attack have, in the view of many legal and civic observers, elevated the sense among some extremists that political violence will be excused or vindicated, a development that feeds the very martyr and providential narratives Boedy warns against. This convergence of ideological organizing, institutional access, and high-level political clemency makes the stakes of Boedy’s argument concrete and urgent.

The Seven Mountains Mandate is an essential, accessible, and unnerving read for anyone concerned about the future of American democracy. Boedy gives us a map of how a theocratic program works in practice and why it matters now, and he compels readers to reckon with the fact that defending pluralism will not be passive work. If you value democratic institutions and religious liberty defined by freedom of conscience rather than political domination, this book should be on your reading list, and it should prod readers to organize, educate, and resist before the policies and narratives Boedy documents become further entrenched.

Thanks to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for the eARC!

I'm not sure there is a more timely book to be reading at this moment. Not just because of the recent death of the book's main subject, but because this deadly mandate is responsible for a lot of the most heinous things coming out of the current Administration. Boedy does a fantastic job of laying out the history and purpose of the mandate, as well as each of the mountains individually. I do with the afterword had been longer, because I think the antidote to these beliefs, or, rather, how to combat them, is important, and I wish he had included more examples.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book.

TL:DR: this feels like an important intro to how Christian Nationalism has grown in the last few years, but you’ll still have to do some of your own homework.

For starters, these is a book that is clearly deeply researched, with sources littered throughout. As a result, this is probably a book that would benefit from a slow read through, with additional independent research done into the various people, places, and events referenced to really give a reader the full picture.

That said, even just reading through quickly over a couple of days I learned so much, about connections across various people and groups, clear strategies at play, and about how Conservative efforts so successfully get people on their bandwagon.

With Charlie Kirk so heavily featured in the media this week after his assassination, it was really interesting timing to read this book which largely centers he and his org, Turning Point USA. I was previously unaware of Kirk, and this provided a cool headed and factual account of his impact on current day culture and politics, which I found much better than just scrolling social media to see what my algorithm chose to tell me about him.

An extremely timely book in light of recent events, including but not limited to the death by shooting of Charlie Kirk. If you've wondered what Christian Nationalism is and is not, this book should answer any questions you have. While not always an easy read, it's well worth the time, effort, and emotional investment. Then, the question literally becomes some version of What Would Jesus Do? Matthew 21:12-13 suggests it's time to call out the den of robbers who've spent decades taking over the temple.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for a digital copy of the Seven Mountains Mandate.

Thanks to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily. NetGalley invited me to add this book to my ARC list on September 9, 2025. I began reading it that night. The next day, the main focus of the book, Influencer Charlie Kirk and his Turning Point organization, was assassinated.

I always concluded that the modern conservative movement towards Christian Nationalism began with the moral majority during the Ronald Reagan years. Yet, The Seven Mountains Mandate actually began several years before Reagan became President. The movement concentrates on seven parts of society in the United States and how they can take over. These “mountains” are:

Education
Government
Religion
Family
Business
Media
Entertainment
Over the years, as the movement spread, conservatives began to be more emboldened to say and do the most racist, bigoted, sexist, misogynistic, very un-Christian, outrageous things. They believe that secularism in society is evil. Many people believe that the “moral majority” believe that life in 1950s Eisenhower America was the pinnacle of society. But really, the movement’s focuses on life even further back in time, when women did not have the right to vote, when minorities were second-class citizens, or even back to the days of the enslaved.

Things really ratcheted up in 2008, when the Tea Party formed as an off-shoot of the Republican
Party. That was also the same year the U.S. Census Bureau said that by 2050, white people would be the minority class, being overtaken by all the minorities combined. That REALLY ticked off the uber-conservative middle-aged white men.

In 2012, teenager Charlie Kirk made a name for himself in conservative circles by railing against colleges because most institutions were, in his words, were bastions of liberal indoctrination. Famed conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh gave the kid his seal of approval, and soon Kirk was visiting campuses around the country, saying more and more controversial things. And people ate it up. (I’m not going to share any Kirk quotes because some people have done that and lost their jobs. Just look it up.)

By founding Turning Point, USA, Kirk could take donations from conservatives all over the country and continue to target the Gen Z crowd. What he talked about was, to some people, very un-Christian like. I’m paraphrasing here, but Kirk said that some people had to die every year by gunshot to protect the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, which was a God-given right. He also said the 19th Amendment, which allowed women the right to vote, should be repealed. He also said that the Civil Rights Act, which guaranteed Blacks the right to vote, was one of the worst decisions ever made.

The version of Christianity that Turning Point USA pushes is one of theocracy, not democracy. The people who support the organization were behind Project 2025, which is the playbook being used by the current administration. They’ve been worming their way into society as a whole for decades, and now they have the backing of the White House. The Seven Mountains Mandate is an interesting yet alarming book to read. But then again, it’s important to know thy enemy.

is oddly prescient that I received a digital ARC of this book just a day before Charlie Kirk’s killing in Utah. Boedy’s work is an eye-opening account of how Charlie Kirk and Turning Points in particular are fueling the Christian Nationalist agenda that has been latent in US politics for decades. As we are watching Kirk lionized as an icon of “free speech” and open dialogue on college campuses that have allegedly been taken over by the intolerant left, it is more important than ever to see how intentionally the goal of Turning Points was to take over campuses for the far right. While many people of good faith in our historical moment are talking about “defending democracy” we need coverage like this to expose how many right wing thinkers genuinely do not see democracy as a good thing. The talking point of “American is a republic not a democracy” that Boedy explores here is one I remember hearing in church decades ago. I put this book in the same category of “Jesus and John Wayne” as a must-read for those looking to understand our political reality. The question remains: how do we respond? I wish I knew.

Thank you to NetGalley and WJK press for the ARC

This is a must read for anyone who is concerned about the implementation of Project 2025, the white Christian movement and the conspiracies surrounding the founding of our country. The book exposes the seven mountain mandate (7MM) of the white evangelical church, its inception, and what it purports to seek to accomplish: "dominion" over religion, family, education, government, media, arts and entertainment, and business, l.e. theocratic nation! And paving the way for the Second Coming of Christ. As the book points out, while this movement has been co-opted by forces such as Charlie Kirk and his organization, Turning Point, the intent is still the same: make this a white theocracy! The author also shows how the 7MMs and Kirk distort the gospel to change the message of being stewards and ambassadors of Christ to being "cultural conquerors." This book is masterful, well written, researched and scary. I highly recommend. I would to thank NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC.

I have never quite understood what “Christian” Nationalism referred to -now that I have read this book, as an ELCA Lutheran, I am appalled. This seems to be a very good history and explanation of the term. The “Christian” Nationalism movement has nothing to do with the Christianity taught in any versions of the Bible I have ever read. It should be read by anyone-Protestant, Catholic, and those curious about the teachings of the sage Jesus as set down in the first four book of the New Testament. And the version of the Bible should be a current version, such as New Revised Standard Version rather than a poetic version such as the King James.

As a Christian growing up in the 50s and 60s, I was in a society where Christians were content to live and flourish within a secular society. We had a Christian elementary school in our community along with the public one and we had Christian colleges alongside secular universities. Now it seems some Christians are not content with that situation and I wanted to know what changed.

I've known for some time of the existence of Project 2025 but I never understood why it exists. Boedy explained so much I now get it. Now I understand the concept of some Christians not being content to exist in a secular society but rather wanting to conform society and its institutions to be Christian.

He goes back to the origin of the concept, to Bill Bright in the 1970s, then Loren Cunningham and others, as the years went by. Some refer to Gen. 1:28 saying Christians are to have dominion over what was later identified as seven areas of culture. Rather than Christianity existing beside other religions or flourishing in a secular society, it was meant to dominate. The righteous minority would need to gain power to exercise the necessary control. That meant democracy (and the liberal majority) in the US would need to be destroyed.

Boedy goes through the seven areas and the work thought need to be done in them. Education is attacked because it indoctrinates kids against God and against America (as a Christian nation). It is no longer enough to have Christian schools and universities along with secular ones. All education must be Christian. With respect to government, democracy must be done away with in preparation for governing by a righteous minority, implementing “biblical” policies even if it is at the loss of constitutional rights. Churches are influenced by Satan, they say, and need to be purified. Regarding money, God wants capitalism free of constraining regulations, transferring wealth from the evil rich to true believers who will use it for God's agenda. Some promote a conspiracy where White people will be replaced with non-White by allowing open southern borders in the US, hence intense immigration work must be done.

For me, the most enlightening chapter was the one on the media. As a young person, we never gave a thought to the possibility of Walter Cronkite lying to us, We trusted the news broadcasters. Now, many Christians believe there is a general conspiracy against God, a conspiracy that has taken over all our cultural institutions, including the news media. (115, 116) Secular media is in the devil's hands and is a propaganda machine. People need to be kept from being brainwashed by it.

I found Boedy's book to be very enlightening, explaining much happening in the US today. I highly recommend this book.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an honest and independent review.

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. 𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱, 𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆.”

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 9/30/25

*Thank you @NetGalley and @WJKbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: This book explores the foundation of Christian Nationalism, how it’s rooted in a decades long quest. Nationalists seek to destroy current democracy and rebuild a new order based on Christianity, attacking each of the seven pillars of American scociety (Education, Politics, Religion, Media, Entertainment, Family, Business).
Scholar Matthew Boedy exposes how this movement—driven by prosperity preachers, extremist politicians, and right-wing power brokers—laid the groundwork for Trump’s presidency and is now advancing its agenda under his second administration. From local school board elections to billion-dollar megachurches, this multipronged effort is reshaping the country in ways most Americans don’t even realize. Discover what has motivated the key players in this movement, how they’ve operated, and what is the unprecedented role of millennial "kingmaker" Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and the new face of Christian nationalism and the Seven Mountain movement, who believes, “...we finally have a president who understands the seven mountains of cultural influence.”

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
🇺🇸 Politics
✝️ Current Affairs
🇺🇸 Christian Nationalism
✝️ Democracy
🇺🇸 Right-Wing Extremists Ideology

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
This was a well written, in depth look at a decades long quest to strongman Christian theocracy into the American government and society. Long before the current administration, this was in progress. The movement caught fire when the far right gabbed hold and instilled it into the current administration. If radical Evangelicals can control the seven pillars of society, they can control people and force their radical cult-Christian beliefs. It eye opening to read about how this cult version of Christianity is attempting to worm its way in society like a poison, using good faith Christians as pawns. Charlie Kirk is a current CEO of a organization that is spreading and attempting to impliment these views. Im fascinated and alarmed all at once.
Great thought provoking and informative read into the current workings and ulterior motives of the current administration.

#TheSevenMountainsMandate