Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Amazon Prime includes:
Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
- Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
- Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.
-45% $9.89$9.89
Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com
$7.28$7.28
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: ZBK Wholesale
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
OK
Audible sample Sample
The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power Paperback – June 2, 2009
Purchase options and add-ons
Inspiration for the Netflix Documentary Series
“Of all the important studies of the American right, The Family is undoubtedly the most eloquent. It is also quite possibly the most terrifying.” — Thomas Frank, New York Times bestselling author of What's the Matter with Kansas?
They insist they're just a group of friends, yet they funnel millions of dollars through tax-free corporations. They claim to disdain politics, but congressmen of both parties describe them as the most influential religious organization in Washington. They say they're not Christians, but simply believers.
Behind the scenes at every National Prayer Breakfast since 1953 has been the Family, an elite network dedicated to a religion of power for the powerful. Their goal is "Jesus plus nothing." Their method is backroom diplomacy. The Family is the startling story of how their faith—part free-market fundamentalism, part imperial ambition—has come to be interwoven with the affairs of nations around the world.
- Print length464 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJune 2, 2009
- Dimensions7.97 x 5.38 x 1.13 inches
- ISBN-100060560053
- ISBN-13978-0060560058
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
Frequently bought together
Similar items that may ship from close to you
Editorial Reviews
Review
“One of the most compelling and brilliantly researched exposes you’ll ever read—just don’t read it alone at night!” — Barbara Ehrenreich, New York Times bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch
“Of all the important studies of the American right, THE FAMILY is undoubtedly the most eloquent. It is also quite possibly the most terrifying.” — Thomas Frank, New York Times bestselling author of What's the Matter with Kansas?
“An astounding entrée to a fascinating Christian network unknown to most Americans. . . . A must-read for any American who wants to know who is actually pulling the strings at the highest levels of power.” — Heidi Ewing, co-director Jesus Camp
“A gripping, utterly original narrative about an influential evangelical elite that few Americans even know exists. . . . The Christian Right will never look the same again.” — Michael Kazin, author of A Godly Hero: the Life of William Jennings Bryan and The Populist Persuasion: An American History
“[Sharlet] has managed to infiltrate the most influential and secretive fundamentalist network in America, and ground his reporting in the most astute and original explanation of fundamentalism I’ve ever read. . . . Indispensable.” — Hanna Rosin, former religion reporter for the Washington Post and author of God’s Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save the Nation
“I was once an insider’s insider within fundamentalism. Unequivocally: Sharlet knows what he’s talking about. . . . Those who want to be un-deceived (and wildly entertained) must read this disturbing tour de force.” — Frank Schaeffer, author of Crazy For God: How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It Back
“Un-American theocrats can only fool patriotic American democrats when there aren’t critics like Jeff Sharlet around―careful scholars and soulful writers who understand both the majesty of faith and the evil of its abuses. A remarkable accomplishment in the annals of writing about religion.” — Rick Perlstein, author of Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America
“Jeff Sharlet provides a fascinating account of how part of American Christianity has gone off on a dangerous tangent. It should worry everyone—maybe especially those of us who understand the Gospels to be a call to help the powerless, not prop up the powerful.” — Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and The Bill McKibben Reader
“Jeff Sharlet is one of the very best writers covering the politics of religion. Brilliantly reported and filled with wonderful anecdotes, THE FAMILY tells the story of an influential group that you haven’t previously heard of, and need to know about.” — Ken Silverstein, Washington editor of Harper’s and author of The Radioactive Boy Scout
“A brilliant marriage of investigative journalism and history, an unsettling story of how this small but powerful group shaped the faith of the nation in the 20th century and drives the politics of empire in the 21st. Anyone interested in circles of power will love this book.” — Debby Applegate, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher
From the Inside Flap
They insist they are just a group of friends, yet they funnel millions of dollars through tax-free corporations. They claim to disdain politics, but congressmen of both parties describe them as the most influential religious organization in Washington. They say they are not Christians, but simply believers.
Behind the scenes at every National Prayer Breakfast since 1953 has been the Family, an elite network dedicated to a religion of power for the powerful. Their goal is Jesus plus nothing. Their method is backroom diplomacy. The Family is the startling story of how their faith--part free-market fundamentalism, part imperial ambition--has come to be interwoven with the affairs of nations around the world.
--Frank Schaeffer, author of Crazy For God: How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It BackFrom the Back Cover
They insist they are just a group of friends, yet they funnel millions of dollars through tax-free corporations. They claim to disdain politics, but congressmen of both parties describe them as the most influential religious organization in Washington. They say they are not Christians, but simply believers.
Behind the scenes at every National Prayer Breakfast since 1953 has been the Family, an elite network dedicated to a religion of power for the powerful. Their goal is "Jesus plus nothing." Their method is backroom diplomacy. The Family is the startling story of how their faith—part free-market fundamentalism, part imperial ambition—has come to be interwoven with the affairs of nations around the world.
About the Author
Jeff Sharlet is a visiting research scholar at New York University's Center for Religion and Media. He is a contributing editor for Harper's and Rolling Stone, the coauthor, with Peter Manseau, of Killing the Buddha, and the editor of TheRevealer.org. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Product details
- Publisher : Harper Perennial (June 2, 2009)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 464 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0060560053
- ISBN-13 : 978-0060560058
- Item Weight : 12.3 ounces
- Dimensions : 7.97 x 5.38 x 1.13 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #264,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #276 in General History of Religion
- #378 in History of Religions
- #633 in Political Conservatism & Liberalism
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Jeff Sharlet is the New York Times and national bestselling author of THE FAMILY and C STREET, and executive producer of the 2019 Netflix five-part documentary series based on them, THE FAMILY. His newest book is THE UNDERTOW: Scenes from a Slow Civil War (W.W. Norton, March 2023). His other books include THIS BRILLIANT DARKNESS, SWEET HEAVEN WHEN I DIE, and RADIANT TRUTHS. With Peter Manseau he wrote KILLING THE BUDDHA and edited BELIEVER, BEWARE. Of SWEET HEAVEN WHEN I DIE, The Washington Post writes, "This book belongs in the tradition of long-form, narrative nonfiction best exemplified by Joan Didion, John McPhee [and] Norman Mailer… Sharlet deserves a place alongside such masters.” An article for GQ that became the beginning of THIS BRILLIANT DARKNESS won a National Magazine Award, and excerpts from C STREET were honored with the Molly Ivins Prize, the Thomas Jefferson Award, the Outspoken Award, and the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association's prize for feature writing. Barbara Ehrenreich called THE FAMILY "one of the most compelling and brilliantly researched exposes you'll ever read."
Sharlet is the Frederick Sessions Beebe '35 Professor in the Art of Writing at Dartmouth College, a contributing editor for Vanity Fair and editor-at-large for VQR. He has been a frequent commentator on MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show," "All in With Chris," and NPR's "Fresh Air." He has received grants and fellowships from The MacDowell Colony, the Blue Mountain Center, The Nation Institute, and other organizations. His writing on music has twice been featured in the annual BEST MUSIC WRITING volume.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
The author tackles a complex and sensitive subject, the intersection of Christian fundamentalist beliefs with the American political system. He had the erudition to place it within an historical context, and relates it to the secular strains of American life. He starts with his own personal experiences at Ivanwald, the "retreat" for the elite fundamentalists, those who want to utilize "Jesus," the one they define as a tough, muscular one, certainly not the "turn the other cheek" one, to further specific political objectives, as well as the general ones, of expanding the influence of "free-markets" and the American empire. Next, Sharlet places today's fundamentalist movement in an American historical context, starting in the early 1700's, with the preacher Jonathan Edwards, author of "The Great Awaking," and his relationship with Abigail Hutchinson. He then moves in the early 1800's, and the character of Charles Finney. I'm beginning to think: Do I really need to know all this? Fortunately, I persevered, and Sharlet did convince me that I DID need to know it: specifically, his theme that religious fundamentalism has been one of the essential strains of the American historical experience. The author then moves into the modern period, and how Abram Vereide used fundamentalism in his fight against the labor movement of the `30's, and in particular, Harry Bridges of the Longshoremen's union.
The author discusses how numerous leaders of the fundamentalist movements, including Coe in recent times, openly admired the techniques of various totalitarian leaders, from Lenin to Hitler and Mao, although he is generally careful to insist that the fundamentalist leaders are not actually fascists themselves. He also shows how many dictators in the world, from Papa Doc in Haiti, through Haile Selaisse in Ethiopia, to even a Muslim leader, like Sukarno in Indonesia, became friends of "The Family," and were in turn sponsored by them with political leaders in Congress. The last third of the book is wryly entitled the "popular front," and centers on a town three hours to my north, Colorado Springs, CO., which has become a "Mecca" for fundamentalist. I particularly appreciated the detailed background on Pastor Ted Haggard, whom I had only recalled as yet another hypocritical preacher when he was exposed briefly in the media.
I found the book most readable, though it is difficult to organize material of such a vast scope without seeming to be episodic. Sharlet has his witty moments, with some pithy comments like: "This religion isn't an opiate of the masses; it's the American Christ on methamphetamine." And "For Coe, it was Jesus plus nothing--a formula into which he could plug any values. It was a theology of total malleability, perfect for American expansion." And in discussing Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, the author says his attitude is: "Hate the sinner, love the sin."
This is a rich, informative book, which addresses the working of power, and as those who wield it so often prefer, they would like to remain "behind the curtain." I thought of Mearsheimer's and Walt's book on "The Israeli Lobby." Both books steer clear of a "conspiracy theory" mode, yet frankly address the behind-the-scenes political lobbying efforts of each lobby. And for their efforts, both have received their share of 1-star reviews. I read all the 1-stars on Sharlet, and concluded that they were of limited substance, and usually outright wrong, such as the statement by Coffman that Sharlet was claiming "The Family" was "anti-Semitic." I was particularly impressed that Sharlet answered in a thoughtful manner.
Lastly, I loved the cover, well-done as an antique Bible, and I felt one of Sharlet's concluding messages was aimed at me: "We cannot just counter fundamentalism's key men with our own; nor can we simply switch out the celebratory model of history for an entirely grim chronicle of horrors. Rather, we must continue to revisit the history of American fundamentalism--which is to say, we must reconsider the story we speak of when we say "America." In another words, we must pay much more attention to that which we really don't want to look at. A solid 5-star work that will be re-visited.
The author, Jeff Sharlet, knows the Family better than most outside the elite Washington set -- Sharlet spent a month in 2002 living in one of the Family's many residences, Ivanwald. While there, Sharlet was privy to confidential Family documents and met with the head of the Family, Doug Coe. In 2005, Coe was named one of the 25 most influential evangelicals by Time magazine, joining the ranks of more widely-recognized figures like Chuck Colson (a Family member and product); James Dobson; and others.
The Family, Sharlet says, "is a story about two great spheres of belief, religion and politics, and the ways in which they are bound together by the mythologies of America." And quite a story it is, too. Best known for their behind-the-scenes sponsorship of the annual National Prayer Breakfast, the Family is a far less benign, and far more influential group than might be apparent at first glance. Recently, some members of the Family have made headlines for their marital infidelity -- Senator John Ensign, and Governor Mark Sanford. But the Family counts its many friends among the most powerful business and political leaders in the world, many of whom are not Christians and some of whom have crossed the line into international criminality.
Sharlet writes with a captivating clarity, weaving the story of the organization from the Family's own records housed at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. Once accessible to anyone, more recent documents are now off-limits to researchers because of Sharlet's articles and the inquiries of several international reporters, according to Sharlet. Secrecy creates the impression the Family has something to hide, which Sharlet's critics say they don't.
Does Sharlet get it all right? I'm not sure about all the details, but at times the book seems to gather up the whole of evangelicalism under the suspicion of one part of it, the Family. But perhaps this is Sharlet's way of pointing out that evangelicalism's unquestioning embrace of all who bathe their work in the name of Jesus ought to be re-examined. For the most part, Sharlet's book is a stunning expose' of the blurring of power politics and a reinvented gospel fostering an Americanized-version of Jesus.
Jeff Sharlet has done evangelicals a favor by showing us that in the case of the Family, the emperor really is naked. The argument which forms the basis for the Family -- that men of authority are there because God placed them there -- is a poor exegetical attempt to justify amoral power politics. If Jesus had adopted the philosophy of the Family, he would have worked with Herod, and taken Pontius Pilate to lunch. And, when Satan tempted Christ by offering him raw political power, Jesus would have jumped at the chance because, as Doug Coe says, "we work with power where we can [and] build new power where we can't."