Faith and Christianity have always been associated with the right wing in American politics, but Texas Democrat James Talarico is challenging that idea.

Talarico, a Texas state representative who is running for the U.S. Senate, has been vocal about his disdain for Christian nationalism, calling it a cancer on Christianity. 

Whilst Talarico’s views are certainly explicit, they haven’t come out of nowhere. Many left-leaning American Christians have likely found themselves embarrassed by the extreme views of some right wing Christians. 

Talarico has the potential to fight back against the idea of Christianity being a right wing belief. He could bring attention to progressive Christians who have felt unrepresented in their views by other Democratic candidates. 

Progressive Christianity has never been as well known as its louder conservative counterpart. Christian nationalism has always pushed the idea that science and faith are fundamentally at odds with each other, while progressive Christianity pushes the opposite. 

Progressive Christianity seeks to combine the aspects of faith and science to create a more informed society that doesn’t rely on superstition but still allows people to explore themselves spiritually. 

Many conservatives have declared Talarico to be a heretic as he pushes against the narrative that Christians are not able to embrace progress. They see his views as directly against lessons taught by the Bible. 

This is leading to a battle of interpretation over what various passages of the Bible actually mean. 

Talarico’s campaign is giving many Americans the chance to refine their beliefs and faith. 

But he is also drawing attention to a facet of American life that hasn’t had much input from progressive or left-leaning politicians.