My husband and I attended our first Arizona Secular Summit on Saturday, January 4, which was held at the United Church of Christ Shadow Rock. The irony of hosting this event inside a church was not lost on anyone. We walked up to an insanely gorgeous building and were blown away by the view from the interior.
The voice of Bob Dylan played over the speakers, providing a backdrop to the croissant and coffee breakfast served outside. Jeanne Casteen, Executive Director of Secular Coalition for Arizona, was present to greet attendees and engage in conversation about music. I overheard her gush about a folk singer named Jesse Welles, and I decided to check out his music on YouTube and immediately fell into a Jesse Welles-sized rabbit hole. This guy is all about the lyrics. I’m posting a video here where he sings in front of an enormous pile of junk.
The Summit officially began when the few people who attended were seated in various pews. Jeanne thanked us for attending and noted that none of us spontaneously combusted by doing so. The conversation kicked off with legal director Dianne Post providing an overview of the various complaints the organization had dealt with over the past year regarding violations of the separation between church and state. One example she highlighted was a case in Camp Verde, where someone filed a complaint about the Bible being taught in a public school. The organization’s legal department was interested in filing legal action but lamented that they couldn’t secure a plaintiff. Residents in the small town felt too uncomfortable to put their safety at risk, especially since those who initially expressed willingness to come forward faced harassment, including having their cars keyed and receiving verbal threats. Many of us expressed our concern that this culture of fear will only increase once the new administration takes office at the highest level in the land. She concluded her discussion with a plea for monetary donations. It takes money to fight these legal battles, and Secular AZ never has enough funds in their coffers.
The Summit continued as outlined above, focusing significantly on the connection between American identity and the Bible. Discussions highlighted the decline of progressive churches alongside the rise of mega-churches, with a notable shift away from inclusive rhetoric toward a form of American Christian nationalism. Concerns were raised about the manipulation of laws into tools of oppression.
The discussion with the minister of Shadow Rock surprised many of us, as it revealed that those of us with secular views have allies within the theological community. The time for theological bullshit is over, and we’d be wise to combine forces with those in the Progressive Christian camp, as they are also fighting against the rise of extreme Christian views.
A Zoom conversation with Matthew Taylor, author of “The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy,” was very engaging.
Overall, the central message was clear: Christian nationalism poses the greatest threat to the integrity of American democracy. He provided a detailed explanation of how MAGA has evolved into a populist authoritarian movement that has transformed into a religious national movement. To illustrate this theory visually, he presented what I’m calling Exhibit A:
Rhetoric such as, “The U.S. is a Christian nation” and “America has an ordained relationship with God,” is patently false and should be phrases that true Americans push back on. Something in my brain clicked when Matthew Taylor said that Trump was a Christian nationalist avatar, and now I can’t unsee him as such. Christian nationalists have unprecedented access to the White House, through entities like the National Faith Advisory Board and the Heritage Foundation, which is deeply concerning.
Christian nationalists have been implementing a long-term strategy for decades through grassroots organizations, which have no equivalent on the left. Matthew Taylor emphasized the importance of the left forming “the largest coalition they’ve ever created before,” but I personally doubt that will happen. I wanted to ask him what Plan B was, but I knew the response would likely revolve around something about “hope” (I put the word in quotations because I don’t know if I believe in hope anymore). The reality is that the left doesn’t have a Plan B because they haven’t even established a Plan A. The left is significantly behind in a game they have yet to acknowledge they’re playing.
The summit was running a little bit behind schedule when it was author Talia Lavin’s turn to talk about her book “Wild Faith” over Zoom. She explained that when money and politics mix with a mission, it becomes easier to convince followers that certain events or people represent “God’s will.” She focused on the Evangelical agenda, which seeks to change the United States into a nation that aligns with their view of Christianity.
During lunch, Minister Ken Heintzelman asked if he could join my husband, another attendee, and me at the table, which we welcomed. We respected that he invited a secular community to have their summit at his church, and his conversations helped open our minds to collaborate with like-minded religious leaders.
Arizona House representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton spoke after lunch and shared insights into the antics that occur at the Arizona Capitol. She explained that she was censured for her peaceful protest against the practice of prayer before state meetings. Hamilton discussed how the line between religion and government is increasingly becoming blurred and outlined her efforts to address this issue. She explained how she had to fight for the proper wording on Arizona Prop 139 to keep the proposition neutral, defending the terms fetal viability versus unborn human being. All states need more people like her, but, sadly, Stephanie Stahl Hamilton’s are the anomaly and not the norm.
Next was a slideshow presentation by Secular AZ’s Jeanne Casteen. A significant portion of her discussion centered on Carole Cadwalladr’s 2024 Substack article titled “How to Survive the Brolicharchy,” where the term McMuskism was introduced. I’ve apparently been out of the loop and hadn’t heard of that word before, but the term makes perfect sense. Essentially, McMuskism is a modern version of McCarthyism for the modern world. McCarthyism was characterized by blacklists, political repression, and the persecution of left-wing individuals or perceived “subversives,” which led to their removal from public employment or denial of public assistance. It also involved demanding loyalty oaths from public servants and severely restricting or banning the Communist Party. McMuskism is emerging as political persecution driven by surveillance and online harassment. I will also add it’s accompanied by an unwavering loyalty to America’s new overlord.
Her conversation concluded with a discussion about her one of her greatest concerns: how MAGA extremists are gradually taking control of Arizona school boards. She discussed the calamity that is Arizona’s school voucher program and how Arizona’s curriculum is going the way of Praeger U.
Overall, this was a great Secular Summit, and not enough people were there to hear these conversations in person. I’m uncertain about the Zoom attendance numbers, but I doubt they were very high. Not enough people are paying attention to what is happening to America’s future, but we will all learn the hard way when the future becomes the present.
Secular AZ is fighting the good fight, and they’ve emboldened me to join the fray.
I took a lot of notes and jotted down a bunch of keywords that I want to explore in further detail in additional blog posts. Words such as Praeger U, Turning Point USA, Hillsdale College, Lifewise Academy, The Straight White American Jesus podcast, C. Peter Wagner (a Jan 6 influencer, “spiritual warfare,” Backbone of Trumpism) “New Apostolic Reformation“, National Faith Advisory Board, Secular AZ substack, article How to Survive the Brolicharchy, Ralph Drollinger’s Capitol Ministries
My books Memory Road Trip (e-book or paperback) and Time Traveled (e-book or paperback) are both available! You can also find them at most major international book sites.
Krista Marson 
This is SO cool. You are a hero. I’m particularly impressed with the idea of building a populist (don’t be afraid of that word) coalition with moderate and leftist religious groups. I say don’t be afraid of that word because I’ve just finished reading an article by Sarah Smersh who ran for Senate in Kansas. She was a Democratic populist and very much believes that populism runs through and beyond all political labels. She watched as Kansas populists backed Sanders before turning to Trump. Populists simply want what traditional politics deny. Traditional politics tend to separate along cultural “lines” and populists tend to gather people along class desires.
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