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The ‘Pastors in Name Only’: The new (old) fight over who counts as christian

August 3, 2026 · 1 min read

Why Democratic pastors are being attacked for their faith, not merely their politics.

Pastors, seminarians and other faith leaders are running for office as Democrats across the country. Their campaigns are making progressive Christianity newly visible — and prompting opponents to challenge not only their politics but their legitimacy as Christians.

RNS national reporter Jack Jenkins joins Amanda to examine James Talarico’s rise, attacks involving a “Satanist wedding” and biblical inerrancy, and the theological dispute between Raphael Warnock and Mike Johnson over Matthew 25. Do these candidates represent a durable religious political force, or are they a temporary reaction to Trump?

RELATED:

White Christian clergy running for Congress as Democrats face skeptics in their own party

The Bible verses dividing Washington: How Matthew 25 became a political litmus test

Kansas last sent a Democrat to the Senate in 1932. A megachurch pastor aims to change that.

This transcript was generated using AI tools and may contain minor transcription errors.

AMANDA HENDERSON: From RNS and the Institute for Religion, Politics, and Culture, this is Complexified , a…

Source: Religion News Service  ·  Read the full story →
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