""God's Profits" by Sarah Posner presents a timely expose of the Word of Faith (WoF) movement and a discussion of its significance within American culture and the Republican Party. Ms. Posner writes with the immediacy of a seasoned journalist who has backed up her story with solid documentation and onsite investigative reporting. The result is an important book that helps us understand how the "pray, pay and vote" movement has played a crucial role in steering our democracy in an increasingly fanatical and dangerous direction.

Ms. Posner demonstrates that the WoF movement is particularly obsessive about its fund raising efforts even as its most visible proponents enjoy lavish lifestyles. Although the WoF's "prosperity gospel" may be disputed by reputable scholars, it has proven to be enormously effective in coercing the faithful to tithe their earnings in exchange for the promise of God's material blessings. Marketed aggressively through megachurches, mass rallies, religious schools and a vast media empire that includes book publishing, DVDs and movies as well as television networks, the WoF message reaches tens of millions of people who are eager to support their leaders' causes. For example, Ms. Posner contends that WoF supporters were encouraged in 2004 to support a ban on same-sex marriage and cast votes that may well have made the critical difference in George W. Bush's re-election in the crucial swing state of Ohio.

Ms. Posner makes clear that the WoF movement's relationship with the Republican Party is one of mutual interest. Ideologically, the WoF's self-help message dovetails with the rugged individualism of economic neoliberalism, where success or failure in the marketplace is determined by one's own efforts and not by government policies. Although George H.W. Bush paid lip service to the 'thousand points of light' of the faith community, he was punished at the polls when he did not deliver meaningful legislation or support; not wishing to repeat this mistake, George W. Bush has granted WoF leaders with unprecedented access to the White House. On this point, Ms. Posner describes how specific WoF positions on topics such as support for Israel and war against Islam have gained sympathetic ears within the upper echelons of power, bringing new insight to the influences that have shaped the Bush administration's foreign policies.

Thomas Jefferson warned that religion can result in "the last degradation of a free and moral agent" whose ability to engage in critical thinking is essential to the exercise of democracy. In that light, the WoF's emphasis on revelation against rationality poses a danger to us all, and it is one that in Ms. Posner's opinion will not diminish in the future. To that end, the vivid reporting and astute analysis presented by Ms. Posner empowers us to challenge the religious hucksters who have made their fortunes profiting from our insecurities.

I highly recommend this book to everyone."

""God's Profits" by Sarah Posner presents a timely expose of the Word of Faith (WoF) movement and a ...

"I personally believe there may well be a linkage between conservative protestantism and the current administration - both do share some common characteristics and beliefs. However, I have to say this book does nothing to prove there is a connection (if indeed one actually exists).
Sarah Posner presents a rant on the evils of evangelical protestantism especially with regards to how money is collected and the excesses of (some) spokespersons. This is easy to do with multi-million dollar churches, fancy cars and jet airplanes. So it's rotten, selfish and certainly misses most of the essential messages in the Bible.
At the same time she also presents a rant on the evils of the Bush administration. Also easy to do - these guys are lowering taxes on those who can best afford to pay them while cutting the benefits to those who can least afford to do without them. They are also less than honest with the American public with carefully crafted terminology (compassionate conservatism comes to mind).
Two rants in the same book do not prove either one infuenced the other. I wish she had been able to show some cause/effect linkage - I bought the book in part to reinforce my belief there must be some great evil linkage. (She also does not show an understanding of the history or the nature of conservative evangelicals nor what drives their agenda.) She frequently hints at a conspiracy but fails to show where the evangelical movement influenced the administration and it's decisions. She also does not show how any administration decision has exclusively benefited the evangelical movement. Both sides are telling lies to get their points across. Each seems intent on furthering it's own agenda with little regard for the impacts on people. Sorry, it's a sad indictment of our government and of some religious organizations but that does not prove any linkage between these two essentially selfish organizations. "

"I personally believe there may well be a linkage between conservative protestantism and the current...

"I hope to Gawd this book gets a lot more exposure as we get to the fall elections. John McCain has sought and received the blessings of the madmen preachers profiled in this book. That alone should be enough to make him lose in a landslide. Seriously! Hagee and Parsley scare the crap out of me with all their promotion of all-out nuclear war to bring about "Jesus Christ - The Encore Presentation". Yikes!!!
Great work, Sarah Posner! Thank you for this timely book."

"I hope to Gawd this book gets a lot more exposure as we get to the fall elections. John McCain has ...

"This does not strike me as a muckraking work. The religious leaders Posner describes are multi-millionaires who are invited to the White House. Even their scandals, trials for corruption and the like, are matters of public record -- not to mention jokes on late night television. Posner is a great expert, but she is just assembling available information, as a good reporter ought to do. I don't think she makes one risky or undocumented statement, and as a result her book is a little fact-packed and tedious. On the other hand, she does know more about these people than anyone else; she writes frequent columns about them for PROSPECT and other magazines. And these millionaires are openly doing their best to turn our country into a theocracy, so it certainly doesn't hurt to have their activities all brought together in a thoroughly reliable book like this."

"This does not strike me as a muckraking work. The religious leaders Posner describes are multi-mill...

"Posner has followed both the money and the beliefs of a crew of the nation's sleaziest snake oil salesmen to produce a horrifying but important story. "God's Profits" is a book anyone who wants to understand how good and honest people are seduced into movements led by theological sham artists needs to read. Of particular value is Posner's reporting on Rod Parsley, a rising star of "populist" fundamentalism. This is fast-paced, fearless muck-raking of the first order. "

"Posner has followed both the money and the beliefs of a crew of the nation's sleaziest snake oil s...