Briefing Congress on our Godless Constitution
Summary
In this episode of One Nation, Indivisible, host Andrew Seidel recounts his recent experience briefing the Congressional Freethought Caucus on the secular foundations of the U.S. Constitution and the dangerous disinformation campaigns driving Christian nationalism. Joined by Reverend Dr. Brian Kaylor, author of Baptizing America, the conversation covered everything from the godless origins of the Constitution to the fabricated myths pushed by figures like David Barton and embraced by politicians like Speaker Mike Johnson. Andrew reflects on the need to reclaim patriotism as a defense of freedom of thought, explains how historical lies fuel modern Christian nationalist legislation, and highlights coordinated efforts like Project Blitz that aim to erode church-state separation. Despite the challenges, he shares a hopeful message about members of Congress who genuinely care about truth, democracy, and protecting real religious freedom—not the weaponized version used by extremists.
Episode Resources:
Meet The Guest
Rev. Brian Kaylor
Dr. Brian Kaylor, a Baptist minister with a Ph.D. in political communication, is editor-in-chief of Word&Way. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including The Bible According to Christian Nationalists: Exploiting Scripture for Political Power and Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. He writes about religion and politics at his award-winning newsletter A Public Witness.
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