It was January 6, 2021, and U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA)—along with his colleagues in both the House of Representatives and Senate—were set to handle some routine business. To officially certify the results the previously November’s Presidential election, declaring Joe Biden the winner over incumbent Donald Trump. A mere formality, usually passing without incident.
But of course, that day would prove to be anything but routine. As a mob of protestors challenging the results, both stoked and guided by Trump and a series of bellicose speakers, stormed the U.S. Capitol in a brief-but-still-violent takeover. Resulting in destruction, injury, and death. And a whole lot of debate about actions, intentions, provocations, and justice.
Among the banners held and flags flown by the crowd, there was the usual fare: Pro-Trump, MAGA, QAnon, “Stop the Steal,” and those that flirted with Nazi and Confederate imagery and words. But Huffman noticed something else: a plethora of heavy religious and Christian-themed entries, including the “Appeal to Heaven” flag.
“I knew there was a religious ethos to the mob. But it took me awhile to connect all the dots and understand the depth of religious extremism that went into the radicalization, planning, and mobilization of the insurrection,” Huffman says via Zoom.
The wall separating Church and State had already been chipped at during Trump’s first administration. In his second, it’s actively being demolished.
Huffman lays out the background, players, policies, incidents, and possible future of all of this in No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism (240 pp., $28.99, W.W. Norton). “Christian Nationalism,” he writes in the book’s intro, “is now America’s most dangerous political movement.”
“I don’t want to just scare people, but we do need a wakeup call,” Huffman continues on Zoom. “And I hope this book, coming from inside the highest level of government, is taken as a warning. This Christian Nationalist project is much further along than most people realize.”
One of the things that downright baffles Huffman and many others is just why Donald Trump—whose following of the teachings of Jesus and personal commitment to religion is extremely shaky at best—is so loved and embraced by so many Christians?
Huffman points to their approval of Trump springing from the belief that he is a latter-day recipient of a “Cyrus Anointing” as mentioned in Isaiah 45:1-2 in the Bible. Where God can and does sometimes choose an “imperfect man” on purpose to fulfill a divine purpose.
“A lot of people continue to scratch their heads at how 80 percent or more of white Evangelicals became totally devoted to this man who is about as un-Christian as anyone you can find. And the Cyrus Anointing is what it took. Suspending credulity and inquiry and just accept it. But that’s how it works,” Huffman says.
“It’s not rational. And it explains why Trump can get anyway with literally anything. Because if you be God has chosen him as a divine instrument, you’re just going to follow him wherever he takes you.”
Huffman also writes about Christian Persecution Complex—the belief of some Christians that their rights are being trampled upon in wider society. And Christian Privilege—how it’s nearly impossible to even mildly criticize any Christian doings without being dubbed as “anti-religion” or “anti-God.”
“It is remarkable, this fake persecution complex. But it’s a huge part of the way that Christian Nationalism advances,” he says. “They make it really unpleasant to scrutinize or challenge them in any way. Even when they’re trying to topple our government and doing violent or treasonous things!”
Huffman chronicles how three powerful groups—nicknamed “Rad Trads,” “Theo Bros,” and “New Apostolics”—struggle even amongst themselves to make sure their version of Christianity and Scripture interpretation is dominant. Or has the most influence in political life. And with views that make those religious pillars of another era like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Pat Buchanan seem quaint by comparison.
There are pastors like Cindy Jacobs who believes that antique furniture could be subject to literal demonic possession. Or Ralph Drollinger, who has said that COVID-19 was God’s punishment for the “national sin” of homosexuality.
“I’m almost nostalgic for the Moral Majority!” Huffman laughs. “I lived through that era and share in the book how I studied under one of the leading experts of the New Religious Right of that era, Walter Capps. I thought they were absolutists and bigoted and extremists. But they weren’t saying they wanted to end democracy,” Huffman notes.
“From those days of a culture war waged within the system of democracy to today where right wing Christians are at war with the system and proposing to end it. And increasingly militant and open to violence to get there. That’s an incredible swing in a single generation.”
In Texas, Christian Nationalists have burrowed into public education whether it be the now-required readings of Bible stories for grades K-12, the Greg Abbott/Dan Patrick/Ken Paxton push for a display of the Ten Commandments in all school rooms, or HISD’s adoption of the Bluebonnet curriculum.
And while the prevailing justification is that the United States was “founded as a Christian Nation,” Huffman pokes many holes in that theory.
“You know that Dan Patrick, your Lieutenant Governor, just finished chairing the so-called Religious Liberty Commission. They released a 200-page report saying there is no such thing as separation between church and state. That it’s all a hoax and not what the founders intended. And we should embrace much more religious influence in government,” Huffman says.
“It’s an extreme contortion of the founding intent. But you can believe Dan Patrick, or the guy who wrote the Constitution, James Madison. Who could not have been more clear on this!”
But it’s here. Whether Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s official/non-official Christian Prayer and Worship Services, or Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s “shadow theocracy” of leaders, or the never-ending line of religious figures freely trodding in and out of the hallways of Congress and the White House.
At the time he was writing No Prophets, Huffman was the only member of the U.S. Congress to come out publicly as a non-believer. And while he co-founded the Congressional Freethought Caucus with fellow Congressman Jamie Raskin (who writes the book’s foreword), he still stood alone. Even though he writes that secretly others in his position have agreed with him, but don’t want to risk career suicide.
Today, he notes that he’s becoming “less and less of an oddball all the time” as two new incoming freshman colleagues have also not professed a specific belief in God. And whether the term Humanist, Deist, Agnostic, Atheist, or “non-religious” is preferred, the intent is mostly the same. “I will have some company in the next Congress, and I won’t have to eat alone in the religious cafeteria!” he says.
Maybe he could break out his guitar to make some new friends. Not only is Huffman a player, he’s a certified Dead Head who counts Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart as a constituent and has jammed with him. In February of this year, he even appeared on the U.S. House floor with a speech to honor band co-founder/singer/guitarist Bob Weir after his passing. And barefoot, as Weir usually appeared onstage.
No Prophets is rough on Christian Nationalism. But Huffman wants to be crystal clear on one thing: It’s not an attack on Christianity in general, or its adherents.
“There is genuine religious belief animating the Christian Nationalist movement. But this is telling people it’s their religious duty to conquer all of these elements that disagree with them,” Huffman says.
He notes there’s even now a group called Christians Against Christian Nationalism, led by Amanda Tyler—a devout Baptist, former staff member for U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), and herself a Texan, Huffman points out. He also shouts out another Texan in the news of late.
“[Christian Nationalism] is rejected by most Christians in the country, and frankly most think it’s crazy. The fact that lot are rising up against this movement, I think is very encouraging. And you’re not going to hear a better messenger on this than James Talarico,” Huffman says of the man running against Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate.
“He is just pitch perfect. And nothing about what he says makes me as a Humanist, a non-believer uncomfortable. He talks about his personal faith. But he also says, ‘I’m not going to use government to jam it down anyone’s throat, and I support church-state separation.’ He is really sharp on this thing.”
