BRIDGING THE DIVIDE: HOW MY JOURNEY LED ME TO THE AMERICAN VALUES COALITION
I’ve worked for Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, which has given me a unique perspective to this current political era—and a reminder that at the end of the day, we are all Americans.
Constantino Brumidi, The Apotheosis of Washington, Fresco, 1865 (Image: Wikimedia Commons).
As we approach the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding, America reaches a unique moment in history, a season to reflect on our early days and where we stand today. I’ve found myself—fortunately or unfortunately—with a front row seat to many of the events that have dominated the news cycle for the past ten years and have come away with both battle scars and a renewed vision for America.
As an Evangelical Christian raised as a Republican in the recently electorally critical north Atlanta suburbs, I was not even remotely prepared to enter professional politics in the summer of 2016. Nothing about the rise of Trump and the MAGA movement, which would endure for the next decade and tear my country apart, was something I could have ever imagined or anticipated becoming the focus of my career—but “for such a time as this,” I guess.
God certainly has a sense of humor, because the first role I attained after sending my amateur resume to anyone I knew with connections to D.C. was as Special Assistant to the Director of Transportation for the 2016 Democratic National Convention Committee, to take place in Philadelphia that summer. While I wrestled with a momentary internal conflict over whether I was abandoning my principles to work for the opposing party, I came to peace with the opportunity, as I would merely be providing logistical support to their conference. And I had no desire to participate in what I witnessed the Republican party becoming.
“The way we see it, Christ didn’t overthrow the Roman government—even though He had the power to—and instead set up his eternal Kingdom.”
That summer, I gained inimitable professional experience, and it prepared me for all that was to come. The unexpected takeaway was how wonderful the team I worked with was. We may have had varying perspectives on which policies best secure human flourishing, but our love for our country was aligned, and I built meaningful relationships along the way.
I would later go on to work for Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 2017 (who had no issue with my past work with Democrats, as he came from a different era where it was normal to work across the aisle), and then former Presidential candidate Evan McMullin in 2018. All in all, I’ve worked for Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, which has given me a unique perspective to this current political era—and a reminder that at the end of the day, we are all Americans.
Most recently, I served as Communications Director to the American Values Coalition, where our stated mission is to “equip evangelicals for faithful political engagement that cultivates healthy communities across America.” We refer to ourselves as “evangelicals for truth, civility, and democracy.” As an organization, we see it as our mission to build up the political center. We’ve taken a strong stance against Christian nationalism and the damage it can cause. The way we see it, Christ didn’t overthrow the Roman government—even though He had the power to—and instead set up his eternal Kingdom. We aim to be a voice that unites Evangelicals to resist the rise of right-wing extremism that we sadly see coming from within many American churches. In speaking up against the way politics and the church have allied, we hope to inspire Christians to resist the temptation to seek political power over genuine faith.
We use our digital presence to speak out on abuses of power from the federal government, while also speaking up for the vulnerable. With so much misinformation in the digital ecosystem, we aim to be a voice of truth. Through providing resources, skills, and building a community, we hope to counter the extremism and the misinformation we are witnessing in our families and neighborhoods. All these efforts are important to us because as Christians, we believe it’s both wise and biblically sound to “clean up our own house” before we cast judgement on others. How can we be a light to the world if our own affairs are off balance? How can we have a leg to stand on morally if we’re enabling corruption in our own communities?
You’d think this would be a winning message among Christians across America, and yet, we’ve faced an uphill battle securing funding and dodging strays from conflict entrepreneurs claiming to do “God’s work” by exposing our non-nationalist approach.
Last year, several Christian influencers including Megan Basham and Allie Beth Stucky (amplified by The Charlie Kirk Show) took aim at our work, claiming we were a leftist front group and that our mission was to infiltrate churches with “woke theology.”
Our Director, Napp Nazworth, responded to this smear campaign with a piece in The Dispatch called “American Christianity’s False Loyalty Test,” where he dispelled the false claims made, focusing instead on the real theological issues worth debating in the public square (nowadays, X/Twitter).
We’ve seen firsthand the way the MAGA movement has perverted the sacred mission of Christ, using political power as a means to a destructive end. In our minds, corrupt ends never justify the means. As Christians, we’re thankful that God, through Jesus, provided the world a model of service and unconditional love that is far more worthy of following than the worldly temptations of money and power. We have hope of an eternal kingdom, “where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” And what a relief that is, especially in this day and age.
Thankfully, we’re not the only ones raging “against the dying of the light.” We’ve made lots of like-minded friends along this journey. Jonah Goldberg often refers to this remaining group of classically liberal, politically engaged citizens navigating this absurd moment as “The Remnant.” (I’d highly recommend his podcast—a beacon of smart, salty dialogue in a “post-truth” world). We’ve been surrounded by fellow mission-aligned influencers, outlets, and partners like The Reagan Caucus, Principles First, Unite America, Country First, The Bulwark, The New American Center, and many others who’ve allowed us to feel a bit less politically homeless.
On a spiritual level, if anything useful can come from this upside-down moment in American politics, my hope is that there is a renewed separation between true believers and the chaff of grifters using God’s name to accomplish their own wicked desires for absolute power or financial gain. I pray for a renewed vision for a stronger, more civil America. I pray we can come together—working across the political aisle—to accomplish a more united America. From my early start at the DNC to now, I’ve seen God work in the middle. And maybe things needed to shake up a bit for an awakening to be spurred.
As President Reagan once famously said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” We must continue to unite with those who share our vision of a hopeful city on a hill, and fight for a more united, strong Republic. Like Reagan said, it’s not a given but something that needs generational renewal. We are at a tipping point, and I know we can come through to the other side triumphantly. The next generation depends on it.