Seven Mountains Mandate (Matthew Boedy) - Review
There has been much talk recently
about the rise of Christian Nationalism and the dangers it poses to democracy.
Numerous books have been written covering different aspects of this movement/ideology.
As these books reveal, there are various facets to the movement that need to be
addressed. There are different ways of addressing these different facets. Some of
the studies focus more on the political dimensions and others on the religious
dimensions. Although it may seem that Christian Nationalism is a new reality,
it’s been with us for a very long time. We might even want to trace it back to the
fourth-century embrace of Christianity by Constantine and Theodosius. If Mainline
Protestants are honest, we will need to acknowledge that we’ve not been immune
from its seductions, as Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood remind us in their
recent book Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build
Christian Nationalism. Another facet of this movement, a facet that has
many worried, is known as "The Seven Mountains Mandate." This
mandate, which is embraced by growing numbers of evangelicals, seeks to
dominate seven areas of human life. The question is whether those who embrace
this mandate pose a threat to American democracy.
This is the question that Matthew
Boedy seeks to answer in his book The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy. He does believe
that those who seek to implement this mandate do pose a threat to democracy. As
you read Boedy's exposé of proponents of this ideology, you will discover what
the seven elements of this mandate involve and who is pushing it. One of the
key figures in Boedy's book is the recently murdered Charlie Kirk, who has been
hailed as a martyr and even a saint by many in the country. Kirk was also a
strong ally of Donald Trump, helping organize younger voters, especially white
male voters, to back Trump’s campaign. As for Donald Trump, after Kirk’s death,
he ordered flags across the nation to be flown at half-mast. When it came to
his memorial service, it turned into a right-wing political rally featuring many
figures from the current administration. Kirk had connections with the Seven
Mountains movement. Of course, he wasn’t the originator of the movement, so we
need to take a look at those figures as well.
As for the author of The Seven Mountains Mandate, Matthew Boedy teaches rhetoric and composition at the
University of North Georgia. He was targeted by Turning Point USA in 2016, which
placed him on its "professor watchlist" after he spoke out against
people carrying concealed guns on college campuses. One thing we learn here is
that while Charlie Kirk supposedly argued for free speech, it was a rather
one-sided affair. But as you read, you will see how not only Kirk, but others who
are now part of the Trump administration, are implementing aspects of The Seven Mountains Mandate.
While Kirk and Trump might be the best-known
figures in this effort, it’s important that we get to know some of the other key
figures in the development of this movement, starting with R.J. Rushdoony, the
founder of a movement known as Christian Reconstructionism. Rushdoony argued
for the implementation of "biblical law" in the United States. Others
who contributed to the origin of this movement include several key figures in
evangelical circles, including Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for
Christ (Crux), Loren Cunningham (Youth with a Mission), Peter Wagner (Fuller
Theological Seminary and the New Apostolic Reformation), and Lance Wallnau (New
Apostolic Reformation). Douglas Wilson also fits into this movement, and Pete
Hegseth is part of a church connected to Wilson. Many of the parts of the Seven
Mountains agenda found their way into Project 2025, which the Trump
administration is trying to implement. While dominance of the government is one
of the mountains this movement seeks to take control of, it's not the only one.
Matthew Boedy seeks to uncover each of the seven areas of life that the movement
seeks to control.
In his Introduction to The Seven Mountains Mandate, Boedy introduces the reader to the origins and the development
of the movement. As he reveals, the earliest efforts began some fifty years ago
when Bright and Cunningham apparently received visions of what they believed
God wanted to accomplish, starting in the United States. These visions
suggested that there are seven mountains that Christians need to dominate,
because it is their divine right to rule. While very few Americans have heard
about the movement, it has picked up speed in recent years, capturing
significant parts of the Republican party, including Mike Johnson, the Speaker
of the House. As we have been witnessing, the threat the movement poses to
democracy is real. The reason Charlie Kirk figures so prominently in the book
is that he was, as Boedy notes, the heir to the earlier leaders, such that he
and Turning Point have become the indispensable organizers of the movement.
Although Kirk is no longer alive, the organization is working hard to use his
death as a catalyst for expansion into more places.
Each of the seven chapters explores
one of the seven mountains, beginning with "The Mountain of
Education." The chapter is titled "God's 1776 Project," a title
that draws on Donald Trump's attempt during his first term to implement patriotic
history. Boedy begins there because the attempt to dominate education began to
really take shape with Charlie Kirk's lists of liberal professors, together with
the charge that American education is dominated by leftists, such that
conservative voices are marginalized. The attempt to dominate education takes
many forms, including the use of vouchers to support religious schools, an
effort that is intended to undermine public education. There are other aspects,
including the implementation of conservative curriculum efforts, the turn to
"classical education,” that often makes use of materials produced by
Dennis Prager, Hillsdale College, and Turning Point. There is another piece to
the education pie, and that is animus of Kirk and others toward higher
education itself. We are seeing this take place at this very moment as the
Trump administration is threatening universities, often using federal funding
as a club to get them to submit to its efforts, especially regarding diversity,
equity, and inclusion.
The second mountain is "The
Mountain of Government." Titled "Counselor to the King," Chapter
2 explores how conservative Christians, mainly white evangelicals and some
Catholics, have sought to dominate the government by taking control of the
Republican Party. Some of the supporters of this effort speak of biblical
government and seek to limit voting rights. A deep exploration reveals that
this movement has an authoritarian bent. One of the key figures in this turn is
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House. There are several elements here, many of
which emerge out of evangelical teachings on spiritual warfare and spheres of
influence. The end result, however, is an implementation of a government that
is dominated by conservative Christians, such that those outside the movement
will see their rights downgraded.
The third chapter, titled
"Biblical Citizenship," focuses on "The Mountain of
Religion." It is with this mountain that the spiritual foundations for the
other emphases are being laid. This
emphasis begins with the embrace of a so-called "biblical worldview."
While Francis Schaeffer was a proponent of the biblical worldview idea, he
wanted it to stand up to intellectual scrutiny. After his death, proponents
embraced forms of spiritual warfare that involved less intellectually rooted efforts.
We see this emphasis present in the rise of the New Apostolic Reformation, along
with the pastor summits hosted by Turning Point. When it comes to spiritual
warfare, supporters of this move seek to empower churches to participate in anti-democratic
civic actions, including elections. We also see this emphasis present in claims
that the United States is not a democracy but a republic, as if these are
mutually exclusive categories. Pursuit of religious liberty is also part of
this effort, though religious liberty is often narrowly defined, such that
Islam and perhaps even progressive Christianity are not included. Thus, the
movement is a threat to the religious pluralism in the United States as it
pursues forms of Christian supremacy.
The fourth mountain that the
movement seeks to control is the Family. The title of this chapter is "The
Masculine Heart and the Feminine Mystique," and the message here doesn’t
only include the suggestion that there are only two genders but involves
narrowly defined gender roles. According to this mandate, the husband is
supposed to be in charge, while the wife submits to his authority (though he is
supposed to be gentle in his leadership). But what this mountain seeks to do is
return things to the blessings of the supposedly traditional family (1950s
style). Turning Point has taken the lead in this effort to turn back the clock.
The Kirks were put forth as the model of this form of family and marriage,
though Erika Kirk didn’t really fit the model of the submissive stay-at-home
mother since she had her own business enterprise (now she is the CEO of Turning
Point). At least some forms of this ideology pose a threat to democracy, with
some in the movement suggesting that the nineteenth amendment giving women the
right to vote should be abolished, with the husband voting on behalf of the
family.
The fifth mountain seeks to control
the economy/business. This mountain is described in Chapter 4, which is titled
"Marketplace Apostles in God's Economy." This is a full-throated
embrace of capitalism, together with a call for a reduction in taxes. The goal here
is to gain wealth. One of the ways proponents of the mandate seek to do this is
through the use of cryptocurrency. Believing that power requires money,
participants in the movement need to find ways of increasing their wealth. Among
the contributors to this effort is the embrace of the prosperity gospel. It is
not surprising that they have found an ally in Donald Trump.
The sixth mountain involves the
media, which is discussed under the chapter title "What's Really
Happening." In this chapter, Boedy takes note of the emergence and development
of alternative news sites, podcasts, including Charlie Kirk’s podcast. These sites
often share conspiracy theories that include theories about climate change,
elections (claims of voter fraud), January 6th, COVID, immigration, etc. As
people distrust so-called mainstream media and embrace these alternative forms
of information (disinformation), it poses a threat to democracy. Why? Because whom
do you trust? This divides communities and people. Boedy writes that “conspiracies
as strategy create factions that don’t engage with others, only seeking to
overcome the enemy through defeating the larger conspiracy.” That conspiracy is
often traced to mainstream media (p. 126).
The final chapter is titled
"The Left Can't Meme." It focuses on “The Mountain of Entertainment.”
Proponents of the Seven Mountains and other Christian Nationalists understand
the value of entertainment. Since many in the entertainment industry are
liberals, controlling entertainment is important. One of the first areas where
control was sought has been sports. Since pop culture is an important place to
engage, there have been efforts to move into this area, though that has been a
struggle. Since the book was published, we’ve witnessed some rather successful
takeovers of traditional media and entertainment venues as allies of Donald
Trump have purchased leading entertainment/media enterprises such as Paramount,
which owns CBS. The reference to the use of memes involves pop culture. Boedy
also includes in this conversation podcasts; several of the ones with large
followings are supportive of right-wing efforts.
The challenge of the publishing
industry is that facts on the ground can outstrip the realities of publishing
schedules. Boedy’s book, which focuses much of its attention on Charlie Kirk
and Turning Point, went to the publisher before Kirk’s death. While Kirk is no
longer at the helm of the organization, Turning Point has benefited from
efforts to make Kirk a martyr and a saint, such that it is inappropriate in
many circles to criticize him. While that may be the case, Boedy has provided
us with a helpful look at a movement that is increasingly influential, even if
many, if not most, of those influenced by it don’t know the full scope of The
Seven Mountains Mandate. Whether a majority of Americans embrace the
movement, partisans have made important inroads into each of the seven areas of
life described here. These efforts have important implications for democracy
because many of the leaders of the movement have authoritarian tendencies (we
see this demonstrated in the way many mega-churches are led). From a Christian
perspective, there is a concern that since the purveyors of this viewpoint have
loud voices (social media megaphones), it will turn off even more people to the
Christian message, especially if the effort to “Christianize America” involves
exerting oppressive power over others.
You may purchase a copy of this book at your favorite retailer, including my Amazon affiliate and my Bookshop.org affiliate.
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