Congressman Jared Huffman is publishing a book titled “No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism,” in which he contends that the United States possesses a significant blind spot regarding a theocratic political movement. Huffman argues that Christian nationalism represents the country’s most dangerous political threat and that its power has increased following recent political developments. The congressman asserts that this movement poses greater risks to science, education, and freedom than widely recognized.
Huffman is the only current member of Congress who publicly identifies as a non-believer. He grew up in Independence, Missouri, as a devout member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, an offshoot of the LDS tradition, and was ordained into its priesthood. During his sophomore year at UC Santa Barbara, the death of his father prompted him to question his faith. He eventually concluded that supernatural elements of his religious upbringing no longer resonated with him, though he retained values from his Christian background. Huffman identifies as a humanist, defining this as a commitment to living moral and ethical lives based on science, facts, and reason rather than religious belief.
For years, Huffman kept his secular worldview confidential. Following his election to Congress, he participated in a Bible-holding photograph during his swearing-in ceremony, an experience he later described as leaving him feeling hypocritical. The turning point came after his mother’s death and the election of Donald Trump, which Huffman characterizes as opening opportunities for religious extremism in government. Despite warnings from his wife, brother, staff, and advisers that public disclosure would damage his political career—noting that polling shows atheism to be the worst label for candidates—Huffman decided to publicly acknowledge his non-belief.
Huffman received support from prominent colleagues including House minority leader Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Jamie Raskin, with whom he founded the Congressional Freethought Caucus. He has encountered criticism, including from Democratic colleagues who identify as devout Christians. Huffman frames his critique in terms of “Christian privilege,” which he defines as cultural protections that shield domestic religious movements from scrutiny applied to minority or foreign faiths. He points to the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack as an example where religious elements of the event were overlooked by many lawmakers, and cites the House January 6 select committee’s final report, asserting that references to Christian nationalism were deliberately removed.
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