Breaking America for God: What Russ Vought Believes Will Hurt Us
From Erika Kirk to Mike Johnson: this isn't Marjorie's MAGA anymore
Journalist and Trump biographer Michael Wolff made a reel on the government shutdown and Russ Vought.
In the comments, I wrote, “The ‘weird one’ is a theonomist and Christian Nationalist of the most conservative order. Russie wants patriarchy, and how the patriarchy runs their homes is how they want to run the country: with Dad on top, no questions asked, no committees, no democracy.”
The moment underscored a thought I’ve been taking notes about this week on the factions in Christian Nationalism. That began with a post by Ronan Farrow and a reel he had made to this point, highlighting that not all Christian Nationalists are the same. Farrow explained how dominionism and white supremacy factor into the quest for a Christian State; he used Charlie Kirk and Marjorie Taylor Greene as examples.
But, with respect to both journalists, a Christian Nationalist like Russ Vought is not the same kind of Christian Nationalist as Greene, and in moments like this, with the administration expressing glee over how badly they’ll hurt Democrats with this shutdown, that matters. They’re more than weird. They’re dangerous.
Russell Vought plainly got a sadistic thrill while announcing Wednesday that as part of the government shutdown battle, he will inflict punitive spending cuts on states that voted against Donald Trump in 2024. The Office of Management and Budget chief, a shadowy and powerful figure lurking behind the despot’s throne, declared that he is canceling $18 billion in infrastructure projects in New York and another $8 billion in green energy projects in 18 states that Kamala Harris won.
In Vought’s vision for America, Greene doesn’t have a job. The deep vein missing in Farrow’s graphic is theonomy.
More devoted to patriarchy than the average evangelical Christian Nationalists, the theonomists (Vought, Hegseth, Heritage Foundation, Christian Fundamentalists) are the trad conservatives who believe in heavy breeding for white dominion. They seek a return to enslavement and women out of the public sector, ending contraception and women’s suffrage. Pastored by Doug Wilson and celebrated by extremist podcasters like Joel Webbon, the theonomists tread quietly when the rest of the right is embroiled in public drama, in hopes they’re overlooked like a submarine.
This is why you may not be familiar with Vought. He keeps to the shadows. Vought co-authored Project 2025; he was VP of The Heritage Foundation. While Trump attempted to distance himself from Project 2025 during his campaign, in reality, his cabinet is staffed with its authors and adherents, and today, he admits it’s the plan.
A more conservative conservative
Theonomy is a form of Christian reconstructionism that holds that the Old Testament legal code applies to modern society and that Christians are obligated to obey it.
If you’ve heard of R.J. Rushdoony, Bill Gothard, and The Seven Mountains Mandate, you’ve felt the brush of theonomy in your religious background.
If you’re aware of draconian laws against women (no voting, no contraception, no visibility in the public sector) and the ten commandments in classrooms, you’ve felt the brush of theonomy in our culture.
Theonomists are more niche than your run-of-the-mill MAGA like Marj. I’d count someone like Charlie Kirk as a sort of hybrid: unbearded and comfortable in secular society, Kirk adhered to the “7MM” but in a less Handsmaidy way than Wilson, Vought, Webbon, or Hegseth. This is likely the hair-splitting difference between reconstructionism and “General Equity” theonomists; such arguments are for the naval gazing patriarchs who like to “debate” with cigars and whiskey what absolutely no one outside of their high-control misogyny cares two hoots about.
The bottom line you need to know is that theonomy is rooted in the Levitical law. It’s harsh, ancient, and (as many Jewish readers remind me) taken out of context by Christian Patriarchy. Theonomists are more conservative, and in my experience, meaner, than the MAGA evangelical base who like their Lifeway, Hobby Lobby, and Chick-fil-A. Meaner even than the Southern evangelicals who think making America great again means making it white again (as if it was ever.) Theonomists don’t flinch over public executions, enslavement, or vanquishing enemies, and they really hate women.
Since Charlie said Erika was more conservative than he was, I wouldn’t be surprised if she favors a theonomist’s views. Women do, sometimes. Paula White is a strong advocate of the Seven Mountains Movement. So is lil’ Karo and Lauren Boebert. What’s gonna bite them back, though, is that the patriarchy only suffers women in public because they need them to bring in other women. Once that job is done, Erika and Paula, and the rest of the MAGA Blondes, will discover they aren’t different than any other woman in the patriarchy: an empty vessel with hands and a vagina, intended for male service and breeding.
Vought’s frothy over this shutdown. The BBC reported on him with the headline, “Trump’s Grim Reaper—from Project 2025 to Shutdown Enforcer.” Many people are about to lose their jobs, and they know exactly who is behind it. As I commented on Wolff’s reel: “Russie wants patriarchy, and how the patriarchy runs their homes is how they want to run the country: with Dad on top, no questions asked, no committees, no democracy.” Vought is shutting the government down because he’s breaking it on purpose.
To what end?
In Vought’s view, white men are in authority over the country, which is governed as a patriarchy in a Christian state. There is no need for bureaucracy, Congress, committees, elections, democracy, or a constitution. We will only have Christians in government, Christian entertainment, Christian education, Christian art and media, and Christian churches. We will all be Christian families.
Anyone else can be fired, deported, killed, or told to stay home. Theonomy is as anti-American and intolerant as extremism comes.
Those who like to “follow the money” may be interested in this: “Ziklag is a Christian nonprofit organization named after the biblical city of Ziklag which subscribes to the Seven Mountain Mandate. Its membership is exclusively for high-net-worth individuals with a net worth of over $25 million as well as faith-based interests.”
Two substacks not to miss:
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I went to a young adult Bible study once, and they showed "The Truth Project" with Del Tackett by Focus on the Family. I believe it was dominionist theology. A few years later, I was introduced to the idea of the Seven Mountain Mandate. It was basically the same thing. That Christians were to influence all of these sectors of society.
Yes, alot of those passages from the OT are very much taken out of context. They pick and choose what they want to follow. I doubt any of them will be giving up pork any time soon. It's a weird, skewed way of applying it to the modern world. I also think that alot of evangelicals take verses about child training from the Book of Proverbs out of context as well, and twist them to an unhealthy extreme.
I also remember, when I was younger, reading the works of the Botkin Sisters, and all of the other similar voices in that world.
That's some good insight on Vought. I've never really been sure where he stood.