Jared Huffman warns church-state separation is in grave danger in new book

Jared Huffman will speak about Christian nationalism Sunday at Dominican University of California’s Angelico Concert Hall in San Rafael and Thursday at WBUR CitySpace in Boston. The California Democrat, the only self-declared humanist in Congress, has built the message around his new book, No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism, and he says church-state separation is in grave danger.

Huffman has been the public face of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, founded in 2018 by Huffman, Jamie Raskin and Jerry McNerney and open to members of Congress regardless of religion. Huffman delivered the first floor speech in congressional history about Christian nationalism on March 31, 2022, warning colleagues about the movement and tying white Christian nationalism to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The caucus later investigated Speaker Mike Johnson’s ties to Christian nationalism and released a white paper on church-state issues after Johnson declined to meet with its members.

On March 5, 2024, the caucus invited a Christian nationalism critic to the State of the Union, and two days later Huffman and Rep. Mike Thompson highlighted religious extremism and gun violence with their guests. In a May 30, 2024 House op-ed, Huffman wrote, “I’m the only open non-believer in Congress, and I appreciate the right-wing Supreme Court justice inadvertently showing Americans the threat of Christian nationalism,” after pointing to Justice Samuel Alito’s flags.

Religious-liberty advocates and secular groups have warned that Christian nationalism threatens religious freedom and democracy. The First Amendment bars Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

The Boston stop is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, with tickets listed at $10 to $30. Huffman will appear with Bill McKibben for a conversation about church, state and the future of democracy.