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If you’re a regular listener of our podcast Assembly Required, you probably know three things about me:
One: I’m from a very large family.
Two: I grew up in Mississippi.
And three: my mom was a librarian and my dad was a shipyard worker.
In 1989, my parents made a decision that changed all our lives. They moved the eight of us from Mississippi to Georgia after hearing a call to the ministry. For the next three years, they were full-time graduate students at Emory University, pursuing their Masters of Divinity. When they became elders in the United Methodist Church, their titles changed, but their core values did not.
I was raised in the church, first Missionary Baptist, then United Methodist. Christianity has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. It shapes my political philosophy and my activism. But lately, I often don’t recognize the Christianity I practice in the way it’s described by certain groups, and I know I’m not alone.
A few months ago, after our episode on David Graham’s book about Project 2025, we heard from a listener who was responding to our discussion of Christian nationalism. She wrote:
“I consider myself a Christian, and I cannot discern any Christian values. Could someone explain what values Christian nationalists are drawing from — anything related to the teachings of Jesus?”
My Christian faith is deeply important to me. I was taught that you cannot call yourself a Christian and ignore your responsibility to help those more vulnerable than yourself. Yet in today’s political discourse, the definition of Christianity — and how it’s used — varies dramatically. Understanding how faith intersects with, or is manipulated by, political ideology is essential in confronting the present threat of authoritarianism. Religion has long been used as a tool to divide, to impose constraints or grant freedoms, to justify grace or deliver condemnation.
This is part of Step 7 in the autocrat’s playbook: using religious identity to divide, ostracize, and assign blame.
Christian nationalist leaders have been key allies of Donald Trump since his first campaign. In 2024, then–Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance even appeared at a Christian nationalist town hall. Their policy goals are nearly indistinguishable from those being pursued by the Trump administration and Republican leadership.
I follow a Christian tradition rooted in what Representative James Talarico once described as “the ability to love Judas, not just Jesus.” My faith calls me to do the hard work of tending to the outcast, welcoming the immigrant, and putting others first. This version of Christianity doesn’t get the same media attention and rarely dominates political narratives.
As a Christian, I also believe one of America’s greatest strengths is our diversity — including religious diversity. And while much of today’s discussion centers on Christianity, that’s because the threat of Christian nationalism is the erosion of our secular democracy. Despite efforts to rewrite history, America was founded with a separation of church and state, ensuring no single religion holds supremacy. This protects people of all faiths, and those with no faith at all, so that all are equal under the law.
When Christian nationalism is conflated with Christianity, America itself is at risk. They use the guise of religion to undermine the Constitution and twist Christian values to justify demonizing LGBTQ people, stripping away reproductive rights, brutalizing immigrants, discriminating against people of color, and abandoning the poor. None of this aligns with the teachings of Jesus.
The influence of right-wing religious leaders on American politics is nothing new. The modern religious right emerged as a political movement to defend school segregation and deny Jimmy Carter a second term. Since its inception, it has pursued regressive policies that betray the central tenets of Christianity, wielding faith as a tool of oppression rather than liberation.
Volume is not the same as truth. Just because these voices are loud doesn’t make them right.
To help us better understand the threat Christian nationalism poses and and how faith can be a force for progress, I’m joined this week on Assembly Required by two extraordinary guests: Bishop William J. Barber, II, president of Repairers of the Breach, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, and professor at Yale Divinity School; and Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, Jesuit priest, and author.
I know many of our listeners come from other faith traditions, or no tradition at all. There’s something in this conversation for everyone. I hope you'll take a listen and tell me what you think.
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