Rachel Tabachnick has written an excellent overview article at the Talk to Action website called “Biblical Capitalism—The Sacralizing of Political and Economic Issues.”

In my article, “Tea Party Nation’s Convention: The Merging of God, Guns, and Wall Street,” I cited several Talk to Action articles. Tabachnick’s comprehensive article examines the historical development of the “Religious Right’s war on progressive economic policy, regulation, progressive tax structures, and labor unions.” She highlights the theology, the secular ideology, and the vast networks promoting this attack. The entire article should be read.  Tabachnick also provides links to other articles from Political Research Associates and Talk to Action resources.

Here are just a few paragraphs from her article:

The presentation is not anti-religious, anti-bible, nor anti-capitalist, but addresses the ideology that unregulated capitalism is dictated by biblical law. In other words, biblical capitalism is the belief that government intervention in the marketplace is against God’s will.

As progressives, we are well aware of the role of the Religious Right in issues such as gay rights and women’s rights. However, the Religious Right’s war on progressive economic policy, regulation, progressive tax structures, and labor unions is often overlooked. Radical free market ideology is being taught to students and adults as a biblical mandate and those in opposition are being literally demonized. Revisionist textbooks rewriting science and social sciences to align with literal biblical interpretations, are widely used in homeschooling, some private schools, and also by “family values” organizations and adult seminars.

Conspiracy theories similar to those promoted by fundamentalists in the 1920s and 1930s which combine secular conspiracy with the anti-Christ narrative of the end times, have been given new life by Pat Robertson, John Hagee, and groups like the “The Prophecy Club” have utilized conspiracy-minded former military leaders.

These conspiracy theories are then “re-secularized” by rightwing pundits like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh who drop some of the overt religious language but maintain the literal demonization of liberals found in these end times narratives.

The apostles and prophets of the NAR have adopted Rushdoony’s biblical capitalism but in a form that is less legalistic and more appealing to young people. They disseminate David Barton’s revisionist histories through their “spiritual warfare” networks and have modernized an approach for theocratic control or “dominion” which utilizes progressive language and extensive charitable outreach in order to gain influence with local, state, and national level governments. The New Apostolic agenda is being promoted through a series of movies called “The Transformations” and a motivational campaign called Reclaiming the Seven Mountains which is run by “Market Apostles.” A star of the first Transformations movie, Thomas Muthee, anointed Sarah Palin in a ceremony at Wasilla Assembly of God before she ran for governor. (emphasis added)

To read Ms. Tabachnick’s full article, click here. I also recommend you reading through the comments following the article as well.