The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War

Jeff Sharlet travels across the United States to document a growing religious and political fringe that views American democracy as an expired experiment. He reports from roadside rallies, QAnon gatherings, and the churches of the New Apostolic Reformation, where figures like Ashli Babbitt are venerated as martyrs. Sharlet identifies a shift from traditional conservatism toward a fusion of Christian nationalism and armed militancy. He analyzes how local grievances and internet mythologies coalesce into a collective desire for a cleansing conflict, framing these disjointed movements as a singular, accelerating tide of domestic instability.

Readers interested in the intersection of theology and political radicalization will find a sober assessment of the current American psyche. The book serves those who want to understand the psychological mechanics of belief and the way aesthetics shape modern extremism. It provides a detailed map of the rhetoric used by those who have abandoned conventional discourse in favor of apocalyptic expectations. The reader leaves with a clearer view of the specific cultural grievances that fuel separatist movements and the reality of a nation divided by irreconcilable realities.