President Donald Trump and his supporters frequently cite Christianity as a basis for their policies — but the leader of America’s largest Methodist church is running for the Senate in Kansas as a Democrat and against Trump’s agenda.
“In a world that feels more and more divided, I’ve had the privilege of being a pastor for 36 years of a church that’s roughly equally divided between Republicans, Democrats and independents,” the Rev. Adam Hamilton, who leads America’s largest Methodist charge after starting it with just a few members at a funeral home chapel, recently told a press conference. “Our people love each other precisely because of their differences.”
Describing himself as an “independent Democrat” who focuses on economic and social justice issues important to his constituents, Hamilton runs a church called Resurrection with over 24,000 members and nine locations in the Kansas City area. He has authored more than 30 books and has a reputation for a “big tent” approach, including his controversial support of full equality for LGBTQ+ members.
“For me, this feels like a calling,” Hamilton told Religion News Service on Friday morning. “It feels like a calling I’m willing to take great risks for, make great sacrifices for, because I care about our country, and I care about the people in my community, and I care about the people in Kansas.”
Hamilton said he will focus on the issues of affordability, health care, tariffs and immigration, all of which he argued put Trump’s agenda at odds with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
“I think a lot of moderates, a lot of centrist Republicans and Democrats, are saying, ‘This is not right,'” Hamilton told Religion News Service. “Whether it’s how we treat immigrants and making people afraid in our own borders, or the rhetoric that comes out of Washington, or cutting programs like SNAP and other programs that affect low-income children and families in America, I think there’s a lot of pastors and a lot of Christians who have just said, ‘This is not us.'”
Hamilton’s campaign for the Senate is part of a larger Democratic trend of leaning toward members of the clergy. In 2020, Democrats successfully ran the Rev. Raphael Warnock for the Senate in Georgia. Similarly earlier this year Democrats nominated James Talarico, a seminarian and youth pastor who similarly frames his political progressivism as being fueled by his Christian faith.
“Christ is the immigrant deported without due process,” Talarico said in a recent speech heavily criticized by Republicans. “Christ is the senior deprived of their Social Security benefits. Christ is the protestor kidnapped in an unmarked vehicle by plain clothes officers.” When Republicans reposted his comments to express alarm about them. Talarico replied by saying “I approve this message.”
