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In recent years, accusations of “white Christian nationalism” have become a staple of Democratic attacks on Republicans. At the same time, a growing number of progressive politicians are openly invoking Christianity to defend their own policy positions, a trend that has received comparatively little scrutiny from mainstream media.
CNN’s March 8 series premiere on Christian nationalism reflects this imbalance, focusing almost entirely on right-leaning politicians and leaders while giving little attention to progressive figures who similarly frame their policy agendas in religious terms.
Consider Texas state representative and U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico, a Democrat who frequently presents progressive politics as the natural expression of Christianity. Through speeches, interviews, and social media posts, Talarico argues that his policy views on immigration, economic justice, and social issues flow from his faith.
A clip from Talarico’s appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast went viral after he cited Genesis 2:7 — which says God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” — to defend his support for abortion.
When Republicans cite Scripture to justify their opposition to abortion, they are often accused of blurring the line between separation of church and state. No such accusations followed Talarico’s remarks, even though he delivered a sermon last year declaring that “Christianity is both spiritual and political because politics is just another word for how we treat our neighbors.”
He’s not the only one. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear recently said on “The View” that he supports transgender treatments for minors because his faith tells him that “all children are children of God.” Earlier this year, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in the Atlantic, referencing Matthew 25 in an effort to criticize conservative figures who warn against what they call “toxic empathy.”
Taken together, these examples point to a broader shift in American politics: Religious language is increasingly being deployed as a political tool across the ideological spectrum. Religion has always played a role in American political life, but the modern Left has only recently begun invoking it with the same frequency and explicitness that Republicans have long employed.
There’s a good reason this religious strategy is reemerging specifically on the Left. Secular moral language alone ultimately fails because it lacks a deeper foundation beyond shifting cultural mores. Appeals to concepts such as equity, fairness, or social justice can persuade, but they rarely command the same instinctive authority that religious language still holds. Appealing to Jesus or Scripture places political arguments within a moral framework that many Americans, even those who are not particularly religious, still recognize and respect.
Democrats, however, rarely receive the same criticism for doing so. For example, when Talarico says Christians have a duty to take their faith “from the sanctuary to the streets” to love their neighbors well, he is applauded. But when Christian Republicans such as former Vice President Mike Pence say faith “shapes my vision of the world and my vision of public policy,” they’re pegged as pushing Christian nationalism.
For decades, Republican politicians have appealed to Christianity to frame issues such as abortion, marriage, and religious liberty as moral imperatives rather than policy preferences. What’s different today is that both sides are doing it — some genuinely, some in a way that’s politically calculated to tap into a particular demographic of voters.
For example, when the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security placed Bible verses over flashy social media posts about pursuing illegal immigrants, the move appeared like a deliberate attempt to provoke political opponents. Likewise, Talarico sparked controversy in another Rogan segment by suggesting that Mary, the mother of Jesus, could have aborted Jesus had she not consented when the angel Gabriel appeared to her, a claim many viewed as less theological and more political.
The reason the “religion tool” works is not difficult to see. As American politics becomes increasingly — yet subjectively — moralized, religious language is a powerful shortcut to sway hearts and minds.
When a policy position is framed as a Biblical mandate, disagreement can be portrayed not merely as political dissent but as a failure of moral character or disobedience to a soul-level imperative. Even in an increasingly secular culture, the moral authority of religion still carries weight, especially when it’s convenient for one’s political ends.
The dynamics of social media amplify it all. Progressively-coded viral posts portray Jesus as a “brown Palestinian illegal immigrant,” implying that modern immigration enforcement stands in direct opposition to Christianity itself. In some small corners of the pro-Trump internet, followers push quasi-religious suggestions with memes portraying the president as a divinely chosen defender of America.
In both examples, complex policy debates are distilled into false moral narratives absent serious discussion of law, history, or public policy. When Scripture is reduced to a collection of slogans, cherry-picked verses, or partial narratives in service of partisan agendas, there’s a problem.
Faith has always shaped American public life, and it is natural for citizens to want their moral convictions reflected in public policy, whether those convictions are religious or secular. That is not Christian nationalism, regardless of which side it is on. But people of faith should be willing to call out leaders who twist or selectively deploy Scripture for political ends, whether Democratic or Republican.
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Ericka Andersen is the author of “Freely Sober: Rethinking Alcohol Through the Lens of Faith” (InterVarsity Press, 2026)
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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