Exploiting Christian Nationalism
How U.S. and Russian Elites Amass Power and Wealth
Podcast: https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/ee90524d-3337-420e-a699-92ea5e50724b/audio
Exploiting Christian Nationalism: How U.S. and Russian Elites Amass Power and Wealth
Christian nationalism in the U.S. and Russia serves as a strategic tool for wealthy and politically connected elites to consolidate power, advance economic agendas, and marginalize opposition. While cloaked in religious rhetoric, both movements are exploited by power brokers who prioritize wealth accumulation and authoritarian control over genuine faith. Here’s how these mechanisms work in each context and how they intersect globally.
U.S. Power Brokers: Wealth, Policy, and Political Leverage
Wealthy donors and corporations bankroll Christian nationalist causes to secure economic benefits, using religious rhetoric as a smokescreen:
Corporate and Plutocratic Funding: Major companies and billionaires fund anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ groups—sometimes despite their own libertarian or pro-choice stances—to advance deregulation and tax cuts. For example, donor networks have supported groups targeting reproductive rights while lobbying for corporate-friendly policies.
Judicial Manipulation: Elites fund legal networks to install judges who overturn regulations and civil rights. Large corporations finance these efforts, ensuring rulings that favor corporate interests. The overturning of Roe v. Wade—driven by Christian nationalist judges—exemplifies this, disproportionately harming marginalized groups while distracting from economic exploitation.
Grassroots Mobilization: Pastors and conservative leaders are mobilized to turn out voters for far-right candidates, creating a loyal base that supports oligarchic policies. This diverts attention from wealth inequality to “culture war” issues.
Russian Power Brokers: Oligarchs, State Collusion, and Resource Control
Russian elites exploit Orthodox Christian nationalism to legitimize authoritarianism and monopolize resources:
State-Church Patronage: Oligarchs fund the Russian Orthodox Church’s nationalist ideology, receiving state contracts and political influence in return. Media empires propagate anti-Western narratives to justify policies benefiting elites.
Resource and Policy Control: The Kremlin enlists the Church to sanctify resource extraction and militarization. Church endorsements of government actions, such as military invasions, deflect scrutiny from oligarchs’ wealth and environmental exploitation.
International Exploitation: Russian elites collaborate with U.S. groups to export anti-LGBTQ+ policies, securing cross-border alliances that shield them from sanctions.
Transnational Exploitation: Synergies and Mutual Reinforcement
U.S. and Russian elites collaborate to amplify wealth and power:
Strategic Exchange: Russian media empires hire U.S. producers to refine propaganda techniques, while U.S. evangelicals fund Russian-aligned “traditional values” campaigns in Africa and Europe. This expands both groups’ global influence.
Economic Alignment: U.S. libertarians and Russian oligarchs share a playbook:
Deregulation: Christian nationalist rhetoric masks pushes for tax cuts and corporate welfare.
Resource Monopolies: In Russia, Orthodox-backed policies enable oligarchs to control energy sectors; in the U.S., donors fund extractive industries under “biblical stewardship” narratives.
Weaponizing Grievance: Both movements frame secularism as an “existential threat,” uniting disparate elites against democracy. Networks jointly fund initiatives that criminalize dissent, protecting elite interests.
Consequences: Concentrated Power and Democratic Erosion
The exploitation fuels a self-reinforcing cycle:
Wealth Inequality: Policies advanced under Christian nationalism—tax cuts, deregulation, privatization—directly enrich elites. In the U.S., the top 1% has captured a disproportionate share of wealth over recent decades.
Authoritarian Entrenchment: Courts and legislatures institutionalize elite preferences, eroding checks on power.
Global Threat: Transnational networks channel dark money into election interference, turning “religious freedom” into a tool for minority rule.
Conclusion: Faith as a Facade for Oligarchy
Christian nationalism in the U.S. and Russia is less a grassroots religious movement and more a vehicle for oligarchic control. Wealthy elites exploit religious identity to distract from economic exploitation, using state power to entrench inequality. Until democratic institutions curb dark money and transnational coordination, this alliance will continue to sacrifice pluralism and equity for power and profit.
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