American Caesar by Bradley B Onishi

About the Book:

From Silicon Valley boardrooms to rural pulpits, from Catholic monasteries to Beltway think tanks and Project 2025, a convergence is underway. Reactionary Catholics dream of a new Christendom. Protestant pastors invoke divine right over democratic rule. Tech billionaires, led by the likes of Peter Thiel, argue that freedom and democracy are incompatible. Their solution? A singular ruler to bring “order” out of what they see as liberal chaos.

With a theologian’s sensibility, a journalist’s touch, and a historian’s eye for how movements evolve and adapt, Dr. Bradley B. Onishi traces the strange alliance between spiritual warfare and Silicon Valley libertarianism. At the center of it all is the desire for an unbound executive―one man, beyond checks, beyond balance, beyond democracy. This isn’t nostalgia for the 1950s. It’s an organized attempt to abandon the American experiment altogether. A former insider turned academic expert, Onishi brings unmatched depth to this investigation―tracing his own path from evangelical pastor to co-host of Straight White American Jesus, the nation’s leading religion and politics podcast.

As the 2024 election fades into history and a new political order takes shape, American Caesar is not just a warning. It’s a map of how we got here―and a call to act before the Republic as we know it becomes just another chapter in a forgotten history book.

My Review:

I read this book in my continuing effort to understand the current US political atmosphere. The US has gone from being a light in a secular society to creating a Christian nation. I had no idea so many powerful people see democracy as a problem. Autocratic rule is preferred for western supremacy. A powerful strong man can impose the necessary culture and religious order. Pluralism is something that needs to be overcome. (264/4830) Liberalism is the fundamental cause of civilizational decline. (275/4830)

This book helps one understand the Christian influence in US politics today. The strong influence of Rushdoony and his dominion theology is only the beginning of an ongoing story. This book is another good one to understand more of how we in the US got to where we are in the political scene.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

St Martin's Essentials, 320 pages.

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

(My star ratings: 5-An exceptional book, 4-Better than average, relevant and liked by me, 3-It is average, 2-It is below average and not liked by me, 1-It is practically unreadable.)