The God Machine: Monetizing Faith in American Classrooms

This investigation uncovers the financial and organizational machinery behind a nationwide campaign to place unlicensed chaplains in American classrooms. Drawing from IRS filings, model legislation, and donor-advised fund records, it documents how Christian nationalist groups and dark money networks monetize public education through a credentialing pipeline. The “God Machine” is presented as a case study of the broader Pincer Movement, the coordinated strategy reshaping democratic institutions from both the top down and the bottom up.