Article VI of the U.S. Constitution states, in part: “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” Yet, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is violating this article of the Constitution.
Earlier this week, Abbott sent out a text message political ad to supporters. The ad falsely claims Elizabeth Ginsberg failed to pay her taxes seven times — an accusation the Democratic candidate for the Texas House adamantly denies. But what is most shocking is the religious litmus test issued by the ad.
Superimposed over the opening image is the phrase “Anti-Christian,” as the voice over says “Elizabeth Ginsberg calls you an extremist if you’re a Christian or if you oppose radical ideology in schools.”
Ginsberg was raised Methodist, and her husband and children are Jewish.
None of that should matter because using religious language to validate or invalidate a person running for office is unconstitutional.
Also troubling is the not-so-subtle dog whistle Abbott is issuing to Christian nationalists. The image of a candidate whose last name is Jewish superimposed with the phrase “Anti-Christian” is designed to send a message — an antisemitic message. And this disgusting messaging plays on centuries old narratives.
What is surprising is that Abbott would send such an attack ad less than three weeks after appearing at an event sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas honoring the victims of the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
The ad ends with an endorsement of the incumbent Republican Rep. Morgan Meyer — who is Methodist, making the smear against Ginsberg even more startling. The ad states it is paid for by “Greg Abbott Campaign.”
As a Christian, I also find the ad offensive. Christian nationalism is a problem in this country and especially in the state of Texas where I live. In fact, Texas has been identified as the epicenter of Christian nationalism.
Christian nationalists like Abbott like to paint opposition to Christian nationalism as some kind of attack against Christianity. It isn’t.
Christian nationalism is a political ideology. On a recent episode of the podcast Dangerous Dogma produced by Word & Way’s Brian Kaylor, sociologist Andrew Whitehead defined Christian nationalism empirically as “the desire to see a particular expression of Christianity fused with American civic life. And they want to see that fusion defended and upheld by the government as a whole at different levels.”
It’s that particular expression of Christianity that Christian nationalists like Abbott practice and others call “extremist.” The kind of extremist Christianity I and others like Amanda Tyler of the campaign Christians Against Christian Nationalism fight against is an expression of Christianity that is dangerous to all people everywhere regardless of whether they are a different kind of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or of no particular faith.
It is against this particular expression of Christianity that the founders sought to protect our country. It is why Article VI and the First Amendment of our Constitution exist. Someone should remind Gov. Abbott.
Mara Richards Bim serves as a Clemons Fellow with BNG and as program director at Faith Commons. She is a spiritual director and a recent master of divinity degree graduate from Perkins School of Theology at SMU. She also is an award-winning theater artist and founder of the nationally acclaimed Cry Havoc Theater Company which operated in Dallas from 2014 to 2023.
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