As the rise of Christian nationalism charges forward like a runaway train, and figures within the movement continue to grow in power, the question of religious political endorsement makes its answer obvious: Church and state should remain separate, especially locally.
Religion, a fundamentally in-group versus out-group system, is decidedly at odds with democracy. Democracy relies on inclusivity to function, while religious institutions and their ideal candidates rely on presumed self-righteousness. Churches across the country justify their endorsement with the same logic: a baseline of deserved, unquestioned authority and the will to impose it. Even more directly, many believe that outsiders — often minority groups — are evil, “woke” or some other thought-terminating clichè that further incapacitates their already small-minded world.
This lack of perspective leaves local councils and positions filled with unchallenged, unqualified politicians willing to act in the interest of fellow believers and ignore other constituents. Last November, ProPublica broke a story about an online Evangelical training camp for would-be candidates — yet another overreach attempt by Christian nationalists. Key to their strategy is a blatant, near-malicious misreading of the Constitution, “spirit-led candidates” and domination in local political races.
As ProPublica notes, all churches in the U.S., regardless of their size, are tax exempt and should, by virtue, hold themselves to nonpartisanship — something the government supposedly “enforces.” The 1954 Johnson Amendment plainly forbids churches from political endorsements. However, only one church has lost its tax exempt status over politics, despite the uncountable violations spanning decades. Churches, apparently unaware of irony, spent millions challenging the provision and largely succeeded with help from President Donald Trump.
For a sense of how religious political poisoning utterly fails to uphold core American values, look no further than Trump’s cabinet. The next time Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth babbles a prayer in his idiosyncratic stupor to the country’s service-members — something rightfully being fought in court — listen carefully, and former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson just might be heard rolling over in his grave.
Despite what many sycophants would like American citizens to forget, the Constitution is clear on its stance for the separation of church and state. The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Former U.S. President and Father of the Constitution James Madison wrote in 1823 that “Religion is essentially distinct from Civil Government, and exempt from its cognizance.”
The Founding Fathers keenly recognized the innate incompatibility between religion and democracy; America was established on no single faith, and it should not come as a surprise that 77% of U.S. adults oppose endorsements from the pulpit. Keep the Constitution legitimized and pastors out of politics.
