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57. Matthew Boedy (Baptist) | The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy
What if something many Christians dismiss as fringe is actually an organized framework for changing American culture?
Religion. Family. Education. Government and military. Media. Arts and entertainment. Business.
These are the Seven Mountains.
Dr. Matthew Boedy, Baptist, professor, scholar of religious rhetoric and Christian nationalism, and author of The Seven Mountains Mandate, joins Alexis Rice to explain the history of the Seven Mountains Mandate and why he believes this movement matters far beyond conservative evangelicalism.
Alexis grew up in evangelical Christianity. She knew about Christian schools, Christian media, Christian politics, Campus Crusade, apologetics and the culture wars. But she had never heard anyone explain that there were seven specific areas of culture Christians were supposed to influence or “take.”
Matthew traces the framework back to Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ and Lauren Cunningham of Youth With A Mission, and explains the later influence of Lance Wallnau.
They talk about Turning Point USA, Project 2025, public schools, the Ten Commandments, spiritual warfare, pastors and politics, “marketplace apostles,” conspiracy thinking, social media, Christian media, and the difference between sharing your faith and seeking political or cultural power.
But this conversation is also about Christianity itself.
Matthew is Christian. Alexis is Christian. And the Christianity being discussed here is not all Christianity.
What happens when one expression of Christianity becomes so visible that people begin confusing it with Christianity itself?
And what responsibility do pastors, scholars, professors and other Christians have to make the larger Christian tradition visible?
CHAPTERS
02:56 Introduction
04:12 What Is the Seven Mountains Mandate?
08:37 Understanding Christian Nationalism
17:39 How Large Is This Movement?
23:10 The Global Movement
27:10 Spiritual Warfare & Strategy
30:06 Which Christianity?
32:36 Media & Counterpoints
35:18 Mountain 1: Education
41:41 Ten Commandments in Schools
44:54 The California Narrative
47:21 Mountain 2: Government
49:58 Mountain 3: Religion
53:36 Mountain 4: Family
01:01:51 Mountain 5: Business
01:05:15 Mountain 6: Media
01:09:40 Mountain 7: Arts & Entertainment
01:13:11 Hope & What Comes Next
✨ Guest + Book
Matthew Boedy
The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy https://bookshop.org/shop/thesacredslope
Professor, University of North Georgia
Westminster John Knox Press
Thanks to @aprilajoy, author of Star-Spangled Jesus , who makes a cameo in this episode, for alerting me through your book of the Seven Mountains Mandate
#MatthewBoedy #SevenMountainsMandate #ChristianNationalism #Christianity
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About The Sacred Slope
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Where the slippery slope becomes sacred ground.
For the spiritually tender - raised in or rooted in Christianity.
Come explore our global, diverse, inclusive Christian faith, deconstruction, and spiritual identity in a rapidly changing world. Through conversations with clergy, scholars, and cultural voices, the show creates space for people navigating faith after certainty, church harm, or political co-option of religion.
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