'Christian Taliban leader' Madison Cawthorn accused of calling for 'holy war' against Democrats

U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), facing growing and heated opposition from North Carolina Democrats and Republicans, is now being accused of calling for a "holy war" after posting a clip from a speech he delivered a week ago at the North Carolina Faith & Freedom Coalition's "Salt & Light Conference."

"It is time for us to stand up and say 'no' to your tyranny," Cawthorn says in the beginning of the clip he posted to social media, with a musical soundtrack and b-roll shots of the Bible and religious settings, along with Washington, D.C. added in to make it look like he was delivering a speech to Congress (selection of screenshots above.)

"Now is a time for our pastors and our congregations, like this one here, like many of you that you represent. It's time for us to stand up and declare boldly that as men and women have faith, we have a duty to stand against tyranny. We have a duty to be civically involved, we have a duty to save this country for the next generation."

"Look into the Old Testament, look at David, look at Daniel, look at Esther. Look at all these people who influence the governments of their day to uphold Christian principles," he says. The Old Testament is based on the Hebrew Bible, commonly referred to as the Torah. It's both co-opting and a stretch to claim the Jews practiced "Christian principles," when Christ was not yet born.

"It is time for the American Christian Church to come out of the shadows to say, 'no longer are we going to allow our culture to be determined by people who hate the things that we believe in,'" Cawthorn declares. "We are going to stand valiantly, for God's, God's incredible inherent truths that predate any version of government. Because my friends if we lose this country today, if we bend the knee to the Democrats today, our country will be lost forever, our children will never know what freedom is. It's our duty to stand up, Let us stand united as men and women of faith to fight for our country."

He was widely mocked: