How Christian Nationalism Threatens Democracy - Original Airdate 2025
Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams
Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams
4.6 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 16 June 2026
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode originally aired in 2025. Christian nationalism is an extremist, anti-democratic ideology rooted in the belief that the United States should be a nation for Christians to the exclusion of all others. In modern times, the Trump administration and its Republican allies have wielded this ideology as a weapon to divide Americans and implement an agenda via plans like the infamous Project 2025 that eviscerates the rights of immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, questions the rights of women to vote, restores a freedom to discriminate against others and targets reproductive rights. This week, in response to a listener question asking what Christian nationalism has to do with the central tenets of Christianity, Stacey shares her own experience as a progressive, democratic Christian, pulling back the curtain on a core truth: the malice and hatred preached by right-wing religious leaders who shape our politics has nothing to do with Jesus’s actual teachings. She’s joined by Bishop William Barber, president of Repairers of the Breach, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, and professor at Yale Divinity School and Father Greg Boyle, Jesuit priest, founder of Homeboy Industries, and author. Together, they break down the threat Christian nationalism poses to democracy and show how faith, at its best, can be a powerful force for justice and progress. This inspiring conversation has so much to offer all our listeners, whether they come from a Christian background, some other faith background, or no faith at all.
For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.
Learn & Do More:
- BE CURIOUS: To learn more about progressive Christian philosophy, liberation theology is a good place to start: read “A Theology of Liberation” by Gustavo Gutierrez and “The Cross and the Lynching Tree” by James Cone.
- SOLVE PROBLEMS: Join secular or interfaith organizations that can oppose the march of Christian nationalism and reassert our faith pluralism. Check out the Interfaith Alliance at interfaithalliance.org, whose mission is to advocate at all levels of government for an equitable and just America. Look for similar groups where you live — but remember, belonging must be met with volume and action.
- DO GOOD: Visit homeboyindustries.org to learn how you can volunteer or donate to support their programs. Check out poorpeoplescampaign.org to get involved with a movement led by the poor and dedicated to supporting those in poverty across the country.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi. This is Jane Koston from Crooked Media. Stacey is out this week, so just wanted to let you know that we'll be replaying an excellent conversation she had with Bishop William Barber and Father Greg Boyle. They talk about the ways the Trump administration is using Christian nationalism to divide Americans and attack vulnerable communities. Unfortunately, this issue is as relevant today as it was last year. |
| 0:21.5 | If you want to hear the latest news, be sure to check out today's episode of Water Day, |
| 0:25.7 | hosted by me, Jane Koston. |
| 0:28.7 | Enjoy this episode of Assembly Required. |
| 0:43.2 | Welcome to Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams from Cricket Media. |
| 0:45.3 | I'm your host, Stacey Abrams. |
| 0:49.8 | If you're a regular listener to Assembly Required, you likely know three things. |
| 0:51.6 | One, I'm from a very large family. |
| 0:53.7 | Two, I grew up in Mississippi. |
| 0:57.7 | And three, my mom was a librarian and my dad was a shipyard worker. |
| 1:01.2 | But in 1989, my parents changed all of our lives. |
| 1:06.4 | They moved the aid of us from Mississippi to Georgia because they heard a call to the ministry. |
| 1:12.6 | For the next three years, my parents were full-time graduate students at Emory University, pursuing their masters of divinity. |
| 1:15.4 | When mom and dad became elders in the United Methodist Church, their roles had changed, |
| 1:20.0 | but their core ethos had not. |
| 1:22.1 | My parents had raised us in the church, first missionary Baptist and then United Methodist. |
| 1:27.2 | But Christianity had been a part of my |
| 1:28.7 | life for as long as I could remember. It also undergirds my political philosophy and my activism. |
| 1:36.5 | Lately, though, too often I don't recognize the Christianity I practice when it's described by a |
| 1:42.5 | distinct group. The dissonance isn't just mine. A couple of |
| 1:46.6 | months ago after our episode on David Graham's book on Project 2025, we heard from a listener |
| 1:52.0 | who asked a question that got our attention. She was responding to our discussion of Christian |
... |
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