C Street

November 22, 2010
C Street includes everything a riveting tale about a controversial national movement should—scandal, affairs, conspiracies, death, and, of course, secrecy. Sharlet's story of American fundamentalism begins in a historical mansion on Washington DC's C Street, diverts to Argentina, takes root in Uganda, and ends at a street protest in Manhattan. The second in an unofficial series (after The Family) about a religious cabal of politicians from both major parties, Sharlet brings a wealth of research (including many quotes from conversations with "C-streeters" and others in "the Fellowship") to reveal the startling mindset of a movement few even know exists. Vivid descriptions of key players brings his tale to life; in fact, the reader is never allowed to forget that this is true, and Sharlet's repetition is unnecessary. But he deftly unravels the residence as not just a place, but an ideological greenhouse for the teachings of evangelists, Christians, proponents of the Far Right, and others who compose a fundamentalist movement that aims to put Jesus in the Oval Office and get the Bible equal footing with the Constitution.

October 15, 2010

In his 2008 best seller, The Family, Sharlet reports on the influential leaders who make up the secretive fundamentalist group known as the "The Fellowship," which is led by Doug Coe, acknowledged as a major spiritual leader in the evangelical and fundamentalist movements. Now Sharlet continues the investigation, focusing on the townhouse at 133 C Street in Washington, DC, owned by the organization, and three politicians associated with it: Nevada U.S. senator John Ensign, South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, and Mississippi congressman Chip Pickering. Sharlet combines reports on scandals associated with these men with descriptions of the prayer group and leadership activities the men participate in at the townhouse, also revealing international programs in countries like Lebanon and Uganda that appear to receive government funding and support through the Fellowship members' associations with Congress and presidential administrations. However, the links to the house at C Street are not always clear. Last, Sharlet reports on what he believes is widespread proselytizing by the U.S. military officer corps in violation of both the First Amendment and U.S. military code, but the relationships between the proselytizing officers and Fellowship leaders are not clearly defined. VERDICT Readers who enjoyed The Family will find more to interest them in this book. Recommended for public libraries.--Jill Ortner, SUNY at Buffalo Libs.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2010

The story of the evangelical elite's efforts to promote Christian ideals in U.S. domestic and international affairs.

Following his bestselling 2008 exposé The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power, Harper's and Rolling Stone contributing editor Sharlet provides an unsettling account of the present-day inner workings of this secretive underground of Christian activists in government--variously known as the Family and the Fellowship--and its flagship C Street townhouse in Washington, D.C., which offers lodging, meals and prayer meetings for conservative Christian members of Congress. Elected by citizens, participating officials "persuade themselves that they were, in fact, selected by God," and promote anti-gay, anti-abortion and pro-free-market ideas. Shortly after publication of The Family, the C Street house won national media attention in connection with the extramarital affairs of three Republican politicians and Family members--Nevada Sen. John Ensign, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and former Mississippi Rep. Chip Pickering. (Ensign and Pickering were living at C Street.) Drawing on interviews and archival material, Sharlet details the scandals and Family efforts to cover them up, then clears the murk surrounding the spiritual group enough to show how C Street brings politicians and business leaders together to "do right by God and each other" by shaping legislation and fostering ties with--and U.S. support for--repressive foreign regimes. In Uganda, for example, the Family has poured millions into advancing God-led government and anti-gay efforts. One member, Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe, has often traveled at public expense to meet with leaders in Nigeria and other African nations to advance what he calls "the political philosophy of Jesus." Sharlet also explores the evangelical transformation of the armed services. Christian proselytizing pervades the military academies, and such groups as the Officers' Christian Fellowship, modeled on Family principles, view the global war on terror as a spiritual battle in which soldiers in Iraq have been forced to pray to Jesus. Sometimes called the "Christian mafia," the Family sponsors the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual Washington event that has been attended by every sitting U.S. president since Dwight D. Eisenhower.

An eye-opener that rings multiple alarms.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 15, 2010
Even after the sexual affairs of several congressmen brought the Fellowship (and its D.C. residence on C Street) into the light, most Americans have still never heard of this elitist fundamentalist organization. Even those who have will have trouble getting their heads around a mostly faceless organization whose goal is to convert the world to a trickle-down Christianity, as Sharlet calls it, where God has chosen the leaders (them) and everyone else follows. With our leaders somehow prechosen, it makes it easier to forgive their transgressions (the Fellowship, for example, has no problem working with heads of state like Haitis Papa Doc Duvalier and those in present-day Uganda, who advocate the death penalty for homosexuals).That this heavily financed, multilayered organization has been operating for decadesand today is actively implanted within the U.S. militarymakes this well-documented, probing investigation even more mind-bending. Mostly, those in the Fellowship dont talk. Maybe now the discussion will start. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: When the affairs of Fellowship members Senator John Ensign R-Nev. and South Carolina governor Mark Sanford broke, Sharlets book The Family became a best-seller. His follow-up is sure to attract similar attention.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)