Congressman Jared Huffman is publishing a new book titled “No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism,” in which he contends that a movement blending religious and political ideology has grown increasingly powerful and poses significant risks to the nation’s democratic institutions.
Huffman, who witnessed the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot while sheltering in his office, argues that religious symbolism and practices were central to the event but have been largely overlooked in subsequent analyses and official investigations. He characterizes the movement as a “theocratic insurgency” that has expanded further in recent years and claims the country suffers from what he describes as a “Bible-sized blind spot” regarding this phenomenon.
The congressman’s personal background shapes his perspective on the issue. He grew up in Missouri in a faith tradition, was ordained into its priesthood, but experienced a loss of religious belief during his college years following his father’s death. Huffman adopted a humanist worldview, defining humanism as an affirmative commitment to ethical living grounded in reason and science rather than supernatural beliefs. He remained private about his secular convictions for many years, even participating in a Bible-holding photo ceremony during his initial swearing-in to Congress in 2013, which he later described as leaving him feeling inauthentic.
Huffman publicly disclosed his non-belief in 2017, a decision that colleagues and advisers initially cautioned against due to polling indicating widespread voter skepticism toward non-religious candidates. Despite encountering criticism from both Republican and Democratic colleagues, Huffman received support from figures including former House minority leader Nancy Pelosi and founded the Congressional Freethought Caucus with fellow members. He argues that what he terms “Christian privilege”—a cultural protection afforded to Christian-affiliated movements that would not extend to minority or foreign religious expressions—has allowed religious extremism to operate with insufficient scrutiny and accountability within American political institutions.
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