Elizabeth Neumann's Kingdom of Rage aims to tackle the serious issue of Christian extremism, but it ends up being a muddled mix that doesn't quite hit the mark. Neumann, a former counterterrorism official, attempts to dissect how evangelicalism and right-wing politics have intertwined to foster extremism. However, she tends to lump together a wide array of groups—traditionalists, conservatives, megachurch attendees—under the "extremist" label, which feels like an overreach.

The book's structure is all over the place, shifting between personal anecdotes, political analysis, and theological discussions without a clear focus. This scattershot approach makes it hard to grasp her main arguments. Moreover, her broad generalizations about the evangelical community come off as unfair and unhelpful, alienating readers who might otherwise engage with her message.

While Neumann's intentions are commendable, Kingdom of Rage ultimately fails to provide a nuanced or constructive perspective on a complex issue. If you're seeking a thoughtful exploration of Christian extremism, this book doesn't deliver.

Neumann, who worked in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the George W. Bush and Trump administrations and is a counter terrorism specialist, uses her expertise to study what has led to the marriage of the evangelical church and far right extremism in the United States. As someone who still identifies as Christian, she speaks to this from a unique perspective - one of having studied extremism professionally and lived Christianity and "church life" personally. I did find the book repetitious at times, but I thought it brought an interesting perspective and, most of all, provided ideas for solutions and ways of looking out for signs of radicalization in the ones you love.

**⭐️⭐️⭐️ | A Valuable Yet Uneven Analysis**

Elizabeth Neumann’s *Kingdom of Rage: The Rise of Christian Extremism and the Path Back to Peace* provides a significant exploration of the growing influence of Christian extremism and its impact on societal stability. Neumann’s insights into the origins and motivations of extremist groups are both informative and thought-provoking. However, the book sometimes struggles with a lack of depth in its proposed solutions and practical steps for addressing the issues discussed. While the analysis is important and timely, the narrative could benefit from a more comprehensive approach to the path forward. *Kingdom of Rage* remains a crucial read for understanding the current landscape of Christian extremism but may leave readers wanting more actionable recommendations.

The greater enemy was never outside; it was always within.

Thus Elizabeth Neumann, a former Department of Homeland Security staff member at the White House in the Bush II and Trump administrations, concluded based on all the evidence DHS had obtained regarding the prospects of radicalism and terrorism.

In Kingdom of Rage: The Rise of Christian Extremism and the Path Back to Peace, Neumann describes her own experiences and what she has come to learn and understand about the significance of the reactionary turn among many white Evangelicals in America, and considers some of why that has taken place, and what she believes must be done to return to some kind of moderation.

Much of the honesty in the book is refreshing: it is good for participants in American conservatism writ large to recognize, confess, and lament how the movement allowed all kinds of incredibly right-wing reactionaries to cultivate influence and power, how much fearmongering has become part and parcel of discourse, and how conservative Christendom has gone along with said movements more than they have resisted it. The author grapples with how it was “her people” who became more reactionary, considers why she did not, and what it all means.

The way forward is not easy. The author hopes for opportunities for de-escalation, but confesses how difficult it can be to bring people back from the conspiracy theory laden ways of the reactionaries.

While I am sure said reactionaries would portray the author as liberal or as a RINO, she is anything but. As she herself noted, hope for those deep into the reactionary world is slim; but perhaps many of those more moderate who have not yet wished to grapple with the seriousness of the right-wing reactionary problem might be persuaded by what she has to say.

I can only hope there will be a moderating way forward which does not involve a lot of violence and conflict. Time shall tell.

I found this to be an underwhelming read, mostly because the author can't completely divorce herself from the increasingly radical direction of the modern American conservative movement and will fall into the "both sides have issues and need to be more reasonable" side. I would like to think that conservative Christianity has the inner resources to be able to address the extremism within the movement, but it's becoming increasingly doubtful that they have the moral clarity or commitment to shared democratic goals that it would take to be able to do so. The author can't decide if she wanted to write about the history of Christian extremism or a self-help book for people dealing with extremists, so we get some of both . . . neither fully satisfactory.

Books that I felt gave a better understanding of this moment are "The Undertow" by Jeff Sharlet (this is from a non-Christian perspective) and "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory" by Tim Alberta (this is from a Christian perspective). These books are explore the content much more completely and manage to demonstrate incredible empathy for the subjects without pulling punches about the harm they're doing to our country.

This is not a quick, easy read by any measure. It is heavy, academic, and takes time to get through in a meaningful way. However- this is such a necessary book in such a turbulent time in politics, and I genuinely believe that this author can help change the minds of people who may have otherwise been radicalized. The author has a long resume of relevant experience in anti-terrorism work and has heavily researched the WHY behind the radicalized nature of many white evangelicals today. The author presents counter-measures in a non-biased, straightforward way that can be implemented into both individual and corporate life, and I would strongly recommend this read to anyone who is curious about anti-radicalist work, who has radicalized individuals in their life who they struggle to communicate with, or who may work with individuals/companies that deal with radicalized groups. I received an ARC copy of this book through NetGalley, and my opinions are uninfluenced and thoroughly my own. I look forward to seeing what the author does next.

Although I really like some parts of the book, I can't say much good about its execution. It felt too long, too personal, too repetitive, and too superficial. Instead of reading about the author's personal beliefs and ideals, I wanted to learn more about counterterrorism practices. And if this book is the result of decades of professional insight and program development, no words can describe my disappointment. Even its final message, that love will save the USA, is so generic and unoriginal. “Kingdom of Rage” is underwhelming, underdelivering, and unimpressive.

In Elizabeth Neumann’s new book, Kingdom of Rage, Neumann explores the radicalization of certain groups controlling the narrative in today’s politics. She discusses how we got here as a society (specifically leading up to the attack on the capital in January of 2021), how this involves Christians and Christianity, and where we need to go from here.

It is very obvious from the beginning of this book that Neumann has done extensive research. Although I would have appreciated more of her own wording than so many quotes, especially in the first part, she was able to piece everything together from multiple sources into something very cohesive and educational. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half. I learned a lot and found the information fascinating.

Yet, after Neumann explains the why of everything, she switches gears and the book becomes almost like an editorial column. Yes, Neumann gets “preachy”, but I expected that from the title so I wasn’t bothered by it. In fact, she gave some great information from her experience and from her knowledge of the Bible and her faith. What I didn’t appreciate is how she started to say “I think” so much instead of just stating the point she wanted to make and giving examples. She also started writing “you” statements: “you should”, “you can”, “you are”. I don’t know if this is marketed as a self-help book, but it very much should be at least so the reader knows what to expect. If it isn’t, Neumann should have refrained from directly telling the reader what they should and should not do. I would have had much more respect for her an an author if she could have made her points without literally telling me what I should or should not do. It irked me so much, I felt like it was taking away from any credibility she had built up from the first half. Especially since she had an appendix! That is where I would expect to find all of her “I highly suggest” statements. In addition, she referenced PathtoPeace.com so much it became redundant. Again, something that should have been left for the appendix.

Overall, I appreciate what she was trying to do with this book. Our society would greatly benefit if more people were aware of a lot of this information. But, unfortunately, I believe the best parts of this book are lost because she was unable to express her ideas and thoughts in the second half assertively and with examples, and she felt the need to tell her readers what to do instead of show them. However, if this it’s considered a self-help book, that should be made very clear (which it’s not), and then I would argue that the first part of the book doesn’t work as well, as it is mostly an info dump. Finally, I would also point out that she makes a lot of statements about how to handle certain people and how to address these situations with children and teens as if she has a background in psychology of some sort, which as far as I have read, is not the case.
***Thank you NetGalley, Elizabeth Neumann, and Worthy Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.***

"Kingdom of Rage" by Elizabeth Neumann is a well-intended exploration of the American Church and its descent into extremism. Well-researched and thoughtfully written, the book ultimately falls a bit flat. The author's deeply personal faith is in the periphery and she does not hide it but it feels like a great deal of that was left out as she documents the descent of the church. There are powerful suggestions on how to deal with those that have succumbed to the extremism and that's valuable. I appreciate that #netgalley and #worthypublishing allowed me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.