The book describes Christian nationalism in the United States as a regressive political ideology with historical ties to opposition to abolitionism in the 19th century, hostility towards Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs in the 1930s, and resistance to the civil rights movement in the 1950s.

"This privatization, although it covers itself in libertarian rhetoric, is essential to the project of indoctrinating the next generation in the 'right' ideology and the right religion—with the added benefit of funneling public dollars into the pockets of right-thinking businessmen.

"[2] The book argues that Christian nationalism in the United States is far more than just a social movement focusing simply on culture war issues like abortion and gay marriage, but a highly organized and well funded political movement that seeks to replace secular, democratic values and institutions with conservative and religious ones, where the will to power takes precedence over religious, spiritual, and moral tenets of the Christian faith.

Stewart presents a history of the movement, showing how in the 1970s, early right-wing Christian nationalism was less concerned with morality and more interested in fighting the IRS to maintain the tax-exempt status of their churches.

Reviewers noted that Stewart's book fills a niche on the subject of Christian nationalism in the United States, including previous work by Jeff Sharlet on The Fellowship in The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power (2008) and C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy (2010);[3] Anne Nelson's investigation of the Council for National Policy in Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right (2019); Gerardo Marti's historical focus in American Blindspot: Race, Class, Religion, and the Trump Presidency (2019); and Andrew L. Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry's Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States (2020).