In a bold move that surprised absolutely no one, Democrats have turned to faith to counter Trump\u2019s policies\u2014because nothing says “progressive resistance” like quoting scripture on the Capitol steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a man who clearly knows his audience, declared to the Religious News Service<\/em>: \u201cFaith leaders have been at the forefront of every progressive movement\u2026 so I\u2019m glad to see them getting into \u2018good trouble.\u2019\u201d<\/em> (Translation: \u201cWe need all the help we can get.\u201d<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scene? A dramatic \u201csit-in\u201d led by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Cory Booker, who\u2014armed with a gold cross and a Baptist church membership\u2014kicked things off with a prayer so solemn you\u2019d think they were filming a sequel to The West Wing<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFather God, we humble ourselves before you\u2026\u201d<\/em> Booker began, before launching into a 12-hour marathon of Bible quotes, liberation theology references, and the phrase \u201cfaith traditions\u201d<\/em> (used 45 times, because repetition is key to spiritual\u2014and political\u2014messaging).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joining them was Rev. William Barber II, who delivered the mic drop of the day: \u201cIf you P-R-A-Y at the Senate but then P-R-E-Y on the vulnerable with your policies, you just canceled out your prayer.\u201d<\/em> (Take notes, GOP.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n This holy alliance isn\u2019t entirely organic\u2014Barber admitted he only got a last-minute invite to the sit-in\u2014but Democrats are desperate. With Republicans controlling all three branches of government, liberals are suddenly very interested in what the religious left has to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the religious left has been busy. Since Trump\u2019s inauguration, faith leaders have sued his administration, preached against his policies, and even gotten arrested in the Capitol Rotunda\u2014because nothing says \u201cmoral clarity\u201d<\/em> like a pastor in handcuffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barber\u2019s \u201cMoral Monday\u201d<\/em> protests have become a weekly spectacle, complete with civil disobedience and pithy one-liners. \u201cLet there be no peace where there is no justice,\u201d<\/em> declared activist Shane Claiborne before his arrest. (Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers were probably praying for quieter Mondays.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Democrats, ever the eager students, are now quoting scripture like seminary dropouts. Coons cited \u201cover 2,000 references to caring for the poor\u201d<\/em> in the Bible, while Booker channeled John Lewis with a call for \u201cgood trouble.\u201d<\/em> (Because if there\u2019s one thing politicians love, it\u2019s a ready-made slogan.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n But let\u2019s be real\u2014this holy-Democrat alliance is as awkward as a youth group mixer. Barber refuses to let politicians speak at his protests, and lawmakers are careful not to officially<\/em> endorse civil disobedience. Still, the message is clear: When in doubt, bring out the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Barber put it: \u201cThis isn\u2019t about left or right\u2014it\u2019s about right or wrong.\u201d<\/em> (And, apparently, about who can quote Matthew 25 the fastest.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n So grab your hymnals, folks. The holy war against Trump\u2019s policies has begun\u2014and the prayers (and protests) are just getting started. For more information: https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2025\/05\/07\/to-put-pressure-on-trump-democrats-turn-to-religion-and-religious-activists<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From prayer protests to Capitol arrests, Democrats and religious activists like William Barber, Cory Booker, and Hakeem Jeffries are using faith to oppose Trump\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4887,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[19],"tags":[6026,6293,6303,6301,6297,502,6302,6294,6299,6304,6296,408,6305,6298,445,6295,5949,6300],"class_list":{"0":"post-4885","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-bible","9":"tag-christianity-and-politics","10":"tag-christians-vs-trump","11":"tag-cory-booker-faith-speech","12":"tag-democrats-and-religion","13":"tag-faith","14":"tag-faith-leaders-protest-trump","15":"tag-faith-based-resistance-to-trump","16":"tag-hakeem-jeffries-religion","17":"tag-liberation-theology","18":"tag-moral-monday-protests","19":"tag-politics","20":"tag-prayer-as-political-resistance","21":"tag-progressive-faith-movement","22":"tag-religion","23":"tag-religious-activists-against-trump","24":"tag-trump","25":"tag-william-barber-activism"},"yoast_head":"\n
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