Matthew Boedy was targeted by Turning Point USA in 2016 and listed on its “professor watchlist” after speaking up against allowing concealed guns on college campuses. As one of the foremost experts on Turning Point USA and its founder and CEO Charlie Kirk, Boedy exposes their role in perpetuating Christian nationalism in the United States and the threat to democracy they pose. With a background in journalism, an MFA in creative writing, and a PhD in rhetoric, he is a dynamic and experienced scholar whose first book, Speaking of Evil, explored the evolving rhetoric surrounding evil. Boedy currently teaches rhetoric and composition courses at the University of North Georgia and lives in Gainesville, Georgia, with his wife and two daughters.
""A sobering assessment of the evolution of Christian nationalism."" -Publishers Weekly ""Boedy, a professor of rhetoric at the University of North Georgia, provides a succinct, readable overview of 7MM [the Seven Mountain Movement] and…highlighting the role of Charlie Kirk, founder and president of Turning Point USA (TPUSA)—the nation’s preeminent conservative youth organization—in making 7MM 'the central organizing element of the Trump era' and thereby bringing us to 'the precipice of the destruction of our democracy.'"" - Spectrum Magazine ""The Seven Mountains Mandate is a sobering, harrowing, vital read. With clarity and precision, Matthew Boedy explains Conservative Christians' long-game plans to establish theocracy in America, so that we can be strategic in our collective counter-response. In times when it's easy to be swept up by our emotions, Matthew's words are a calm and steady presence, moving us from overwhelm to agency. We need that now, more than ever."" – John Pavlovitz, author of Worth Fighting For and If God Is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk ""Gifted at translating the Seven Mountains Mandate into its political and social realities, Boedy illustrates how this transformative doctrine affects the lives of believers and nonbelievers alike."" —Elle Hardy, journalist and author of Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity Is Taking Over the World ""Boedy provides a succinct, readable overview of 7MM [the Seven Mountain Movement] and . . . the role of Charlie Kirk, founder and president of Turning Point USA (TPUSA)—the nation’s preeminent conservative youth organization—in making 7MM ‘the central organizing element of the Trump era’ and thereby bringing us to ‘the precipice of the destruction of our democracy.'"" —Spectrum Magazine ""Matthew Boedy offers a vital and incisive account of how dominionist ideology has saturated the political imagination of much of American evangelicalism. As a pastor who has spent years navigating the fallout of Christian nationalism in my congregation and community, I’m deeply grateful for Boedy’s clarity, scholarship, and moral courage. This book is a needed resource for those seeking to faithfully resist the powers that would co-opt the way of Jesus for political domination."" —Rev. Caleb E. Campbell, author of Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor ""We cannot change where we’re going without knowing where we’ve been, which is why Matthew Boedy's work is so vitally important. With expertise and candor, Boedy illuminates the history of theocracy and anti-democracy in this country that has too often hidden underneath a thin veneer of Christian rhetoric. This book is especially important as we attempt to navigate our way through Trump’s second administration and push back against the onslaught of Christian Nationalism."" —Zach W. Lambert, pastor of Restore Church in Austin, Texas, and author of Better Ways to Read the Bible ""The Seven Mountains Mandate masterfully charts the current struggle for the American soul. Through his lucid writing and meticulous research, Matthew Boedy details the rightwing crusade to impose Christian control over government, family, religion, education, business, media, and entertainment. Is that possible? In 2024, the movement behind the mandate, decades in the making, overcame theological and denominational differences to help elect President Donald Trump. Now, with the White House on their side, activists like Charlie Kirk on the march, and Fox News creating their own reality, supporters of the Seven Mountains Mandate are on their way to, as Boedy fears, Christianizing America and destroying democracy. If you want to understand the who, what, why, when, where and how of white Christian nationalism, The Seven Mountains Mandate is where to start."" —Diane Winston, Knight Chair in Media and Religion, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California