Culture, Faith and Politics with Pat Kahnke

Trump's Iran threats crossed a line that even seasoned political observers are calling genocidal. Charlie Sykes joins Pat Kahnke to break down what just happened — and why Christian nationalism is the theological permission structure behind it. In this conversation, Sykes and Kahnke analyze Trump's recent statements targeting Iran — statements that Sykes calls "the most deranged ever issued by a U.S. president" — and trace how evangelical Christian nationalism has moved from the fringes to the center of American foreign policy. From Pete Hegseth's holy war rhetoric to Doug Wilson's "sin of empathy" theology, this is what MAGA Christianity looks like when it has its hands on a nuclear arsenal.

Donald Trump threatened the nation of Iran with genocide this morning, and everyone seems to care except for his Christian supporters. Let's talk about that. Also: how did Trump and his MAGA followers desecrate the Holy Week? Pat Kahnke and the live audience dive into the words of Paula White-Cain, Pete Hegseth, Franklin Graham, and Trump’s profane Truth Social post on Easter.

In Part 2 of my interview with Matthew Taylor, we move from defining Christian antichrists to exposing the movements trying to reshape American politics and religion in real time. We break down the three major wings of Christian nationalism now competing for power inside MAGA: the Reconstructionist Calvinist world associated with figures like Pete Hegseth, the New Apostolic Reformation orbit represented by Paula White, and the Catholic reactionary lane often linked to JD Vance. Matthew explains how these movements differ, where they overlap, and why Donald Trump remains the central political vessel holding them together. We also look at the theological shift from the old “Cyrus” language to something much darker: Trump as a violent avenger, even a Jehu-like figure raised up to punish enemies and restore power. That change matters, because it reveals how MAGA theology is increasingly willing to justify domination, cruelty, and authoritarian politics in the name of God. If you’ve been trying to understand Christian nationalism, MAGA theology, religious power, and the spiritual logic behind this movement, this conversation will help connect the dots.

Is it fair — or even biblical — to apply the word "antichrist" to a political movement? Visiting scholar Matthew D. Taylor (Georgetown University) answers that question from scripture and history. In this conversation, I sit down with Matthew Taylor, author of Defying Tyrants: Following Jesus in a World of Christian Antichrists, to explore one of the most uncomfortable questions in American Christianity today: when does a Christian movement begin to exhibit the spirit of antichrist? Taylor's answer draws on New Testament scholarship, the parable of the wheat and tares, and a deeply inconvenient argument — that the history of Christianity, from Constantine forward, is in part a history of Christians abusing power in Jesus's name. That's not a fringe claim. It's a scholarly one with serious biblical grounding. This is not a political hit piece. Taylor is careful, precise, and anchored in the text. But the implications for Christian nationalism are impossible to avoid. If Christians can be the persecutors — not just the persecuted — what does that mean for movements wrapping authoritarian power in a cross?

Pat Kahnke and Adam Swenson break down new polling data showing Donald Trump and the MAGA movement losing ground with the American public. They examine Trump’s approval and disapproval trends, what the numbers reveal about key voter groups, and why more Americans are reacting negatively to the direction of MAGA politics. This conversation explores demographic shifts among younger voters, Black voters, Hispanic voters, and independents, along with the broader cultural and moral fallout surrounding Trumpism. Pat and Adam discuss why the movement increasingly feels exhausting, divisive, and politically corrosive to many Americans.

Franklin Graham spoke at the recent CPAC event and once again showed that his allegiance to Trump and power remains strong. Pat Kahnke takes a closer look at the words of Trump’s unholy propagandist and more on this episode of Culture, Faith, and Politics live.

In this first installment of The Bible vs MAGA series, I'm asking a question that no one in evangelical leadership wants to answer: What happens when you hold MAGA values up against the words of Jesus — specifically the Beatitudes? 

In Part 1, we begin at the beginning — with the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes are Jesus's most concentrated ethical teaching. And they stand in direct contradiction to nearly every policy position and public posture of the MAGA movement and its religious defenders. But here's what I want you to hear: Franklin Graham made his choice. We don't have to make the same one.

I spent three hours at the Minnesota State Capitol this weekend with somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 people — and it changed something in me. This wasn't a political rally. It wasn't a hate rally. It wasn't a festival of grievances. The No Kings protest was something I haven't felt in a long time — a crowd of grown-ups who know who they are, fighting for something better, without a demagogue telling them what to believe. In this episode, I share what I witnessed, what it meant to me as a former evangelical pastor and lifelong Republican, and — most importantly — the single biggest lesson I took away from the weekend.

MAGA Christianity isn't a political stance — it's a theological crisis. In this first episode of The Bible vs. MAGA, retired evangelical pastor Pat Kahnke defines exactly what MAGA Christianity is, and why it represents a fundamental break from the historic Christian faith. Using the three core pillars of theology — Christology, Epistemology, and Eschatology — he exposes how MAGA Christianity has replaced Jesus with Trump at every level: as Lord, as the source of Truth, and as the hope for the future. Whether you're an evangelical, an exvangelical, or a Christian trying to make sense of how faith became entangled with political power, this series is for you.

What IS 'MAGA Christianity', anyway? And Why Is It Dangerous? Pat Kahnke takes a closer look at these questions and more on this episode of Culture, Faith, and Politics live.