Texas Republicans Poised For Christian Nationalism Ahead Of New Session

Shortly before State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) clinched the race for Speaker of the Texas House, a group of Republican lawmakers and Christian nationals gathered outside for a prayer meeting on the capitol steps. Despite the win for Burrows—considered the moderate, bipartisan choice for leadership, the far-right evangelical portion of the Texas conservative movement had it clear who their allegiance was to.

“Father, today, Lord, we take charge and authority over the 89^th Legislative Session,” Brandon Burden, a Frisco pastor with deep ties to the Christian supremacist movement, the New Apostolic Reformation, said in a prayer outside. “We, the Ecclesia, which are the people of God and are called by the name of Jesus, and covered in the blood of the lamb, have been given spiritual jurisdiction over the affairs of men. And so, God, we take care of the spiritual battle first, before we take care of the natural battle today.”

In a video of the event, Republican lawmakers can be seen participating, including State Rep. David Lowe (R-Fort Worth). The crowd is almost exclusively white.

The past several legislative sessions have been fruitful for the Christian nationalist movement in Texas. The rightward shift of the Texas Republican Party is largely driven by two oil and gas billionaires, Farris Wilks and Tim Dunn, who have used their wealth to challenge any Republican that pushes back against Christian supremacy.

The prayer meeting (and accompanying blessing inside the chamber itself), is indicative of the overtly political goals of the “charismatic” Christian churches in the state. These churches reject the Johnson Amendment, a federal rule that has prohibited churches from engaging in political speech since 1954.

Burden, for example, urged followers to stockpile weapons and food ahead of President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, saying that a national blackout might follow to keep then former-President Donald Trump out of power. During the prayer meetings last week, Burden also claimed that the separation between church and state is a myth, saying “we don’t want the government in our churches, but we should be in the government.”

Pastors like Burke are increasingly finding themselves near the seats of power in Texas thanks to the belief system of the Republican Party’s largest donors. It’s led to bills and laws putting pastors and overtly Christian lessons in public schools as well as a throng of anti-LGBT legislation. The 89^th Legislative Session looks to be more of the same. Republican Party of Texas Chair Abraham George agreed with Burden at a recent rally, saying that church and state should not be separate.

At the same time that Christian supremacy becomes more normalized in the halls of the legislature, Christian progressivism is being attacked. A Catholic charity in El Paso, Annunciation House, is defending itself from a lawsuit by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Annunciation House says that their half-century history of sheltering and advising migrants in the area is an expression of their Christian faith. Paxton says that faith does not include supporting possible undocumented immigrants. The Christian nationalist side of the faith is almost exclusively anti-migrant.

Emboldened by Trump’s return to the White House, the Christian nationalist movement is now firmly embedded in Texas state politics with no room for a more progressive form of Christianity and a focus on promoting church-led authoritarian rule.