Texas just elected its most vocally religious politician in recent memory.
asserted
Texas → elect → memory
James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian who built his campaign around Scripture, became the first Democrat the state has sent to the U.S. Senate since 1988.
asserted
state → build → 1988
Days later, Texas Monthly declared that “The Christian Nationalist Agenda Is Dead.”
asserted
Agenda → declare → ?
When liberals bring God into politics on behalf of their preferred social programs, the media welcome it as moral courage.
asserted
media → bring → courage
When conservatives invoke the same faith to support pro-life, small-government, and pro-family policies, critics brand it Christian nationalism.
asserted
critics → invoke → it
Americans can disagree about what Scripture means and how it applies to public policy.
asserted
it → disagree → policy
Christians on the Right and the Left get it wrong, and they will keep getting it wrong.
asserted
it → get → Right
That’s a debate worth having.
asserted
That → ’ → ?
But applying the “Christian nationalist” label only to one side is a double standard, not an innocent analysis that just happened to land that way.
asserted
that → apply → side
It’s unrealistic to expect anyone to make ethical choices apart from his or her deepest beliefs.
asserted
anyone → ’ → beliefs
For people of faith, that’s where the moral framework comes from.
asserted
framework → ’ → where
Even those who claim no religion live by a set of convictions, whether or not they can trace from whence those convictions came.
uncertain
convictions → claim → whence
We all bring our worldviews into the voting booth, and every voter — not just the ones whose conclusions meet with secular, public approval — should have the freedom to do so.
asserted
conclusions → bring → freedom
Talarico was one of 13 seminary-trained Democrats elected on Tuesday, alongside Kansas megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton, who won a seat in the U.S. Senate.
asserted
who → train → Senate
Liberal Christian author Jen Hatmaker, a prominent critic of Christian nationalism, posted on Wednesday that she’d forgotten “what hope feels like” until the results came in, praising the newly elected for speaking the language of the Beatitudes, Isaiah 58, and 1 Corinthians 13.
asserted
results → post → Beatitudes
I disagree with some of the theology these new officeholders have articulated, such as Talarico’s suggestion that all religions lead to God or Hamilton’s view that abortion can be acceptable.
asserted
abortion → disagree → God
But that’s beside the point I’m making.
asserted
I → ’ → point
They have every right to carry their faith into public office how they choose — and so does everyone else.
asserted
everyone → have → office
With so many who identify as “religious Left” in the Senate now, one might expect the usual critics of religion in politics to be out in full force.
uncertain
critics → identify → force
But chances are that we will see no CNN documentaries, concerned magazine essays, or fresh warnings about the separation of church and state.
asserted
we → see → church
Last year, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) quoted Matthew 25 on the House floor to oppose portions of a bill that would have cut some Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provisions.
asserted
that → quote → provisions
No one accused him of trying to build a theocracy by invoking his faith to change legislation.
asserted
one → accuse → legislation
Democrats regularly cite Matthew 7:12 — “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” — and Matthew 25:35 — “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” — to make the case for their immigration and economic policies.
asserted
you → cite → policies
Last summer, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) quoted Old Testament prophet Amos to condemn proposed cuts to Medicaid and food assistance.
asserted
Warnock → quote → Medicaid
I’m fine with them doing this, even if I disagree with their interpretation.
asserted
I → ’m → interpretation
So why aren’t they OK with it when Republicans do it?
asserted
Republicans → do → it
When he said on air in 2023 that anyone curious about his views should “go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it,” the response was outrage.
asserted
response → say → it
Jen Psaki went on MSNBC to label him a Christian fundamentalist.
asserted
Psaki → go → him
MSNBC’s Sarah Posner called him the most unabashedly Christian nationalist speaker in history.
asserted
Posner → call → history
Politico, Time, and Newsweek all ran headlines tying him to Christian nationalism.
asserted
Politico → run → nationalism
When conservatives defend positions on borders, life, marriage, and taxes from Scripture, media compare us to theocrats.
asserted
media → defend → theocrats
When liberals do the same on immigration and economics, media hold their actions up as the “right” kind of Christianity.
asserted
media → do → Christianity
Critics will say this misses the point.
asserted
this → say → point
Christian nationalism, they argue, isn’t about Christians who vote their faith; it’s about wanting the government to impose Christianity itself.
asserted
government → argue → Christianity
I agree that specific church-state proposals deserve criticism and comprehensive discussion, but that’s not how critics use the Christian nationalism label in practice.
asserted
critics → agree → practice
Media branded Johnson a Christian nationalist the moment he said the Bible shaped his worldview, not in response to any particular church-state policy.
asserted
Bible → brand → policy
And let’s be real: Christian Democrats aren’t actually content to keep their beliefs personal.
asserted
Democrats → let → beliefs
They too want to see their worldviews pushed into law; that is the entire point of voting for the politicians they did.
asserted
they → want → politicians
They want federal law on taxes, immigration, and abortion shaped by their reading of Scripture.
asserted
They → want → Scripture
That is exactly what Johnson wants.
asserted
Johnson → want → what
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
