FFRF Action Fund’s “Theocrat of the Week” is a Texas legislator who believes his role as a public official is “to do what God wants me to do” rather than the will of his constituents.
While appearing on a recent episode of “Kings & Statesmen,” a New Saint Andrews College podcast that aims to “inspire young men” who adhere to an extreme brand of Christianity to enter politics, Texas state Rep. Brent Money declaimed that the “word of God” takes top priority.
The podcast episode covered the proposed importance of “Christian political influence” in governance. When prompted by one of the podcast hosts to explain how he legislates as a “true Christian,” Money detailed how he had come to realize that he did not truly believe in all of his campaign promises, such as telling voters, “I’m here to serve you, I’m here to do what you want to do.”
“I’m sitting there going, ‘Man, I’m here to do what God wants me to do,’” Money said. “That doesn’t mean you ignore the will of the constituents, but there are things that I think we’re called [to do].”
“If you’re put in a position of power and authority, and you’re the only one that says, ‘This is what the word of God says,’ and it’s going to cost you, that’s still primary,” Money stressed, thereby declaring that he would place the “word of God” above the wants and voices of his constituents.
Money continued, “I’m not going to do anything, I hope, that says, ‘Well, I think this is what God wants me to do, but this is what my constituents want me to do and so I’m going to have to [do that].’” The legislator underscored: “That is just not the way that I see the world.”
Later in the episode, Money said that the book “King of Kings: A Reformed Guide to Christian Government,” which details why “government must promote Christianity as the one true religion,” furthered his convictions as a Christian legislator.
Money explained that the book details how its author “went back and actually read all of the people that [he] read for everything else in theology and doctrine” and realized that “they all have a lot to say about politics,” stressing that Americans “have just lost a lot of that.”
“We read what they say about soteriology, we read what they say about church governance, we read what they say about family, and then we get to politics and we go, ‘We don’t want to talk about that,” Money complained, blatantly arguing that Christians should ignore the constitutional separation between state and church.
Money also professed that the “idea that Christians should not be imposing our religion is brand new,” and that the state/church prohibition on “imposing” religion onto others is “exclusive to Christians.”
Fellow Texas state Rep. Daniel Alders joined Money on “Kings & Statesmen.” The podcast episode’s thumbnail features the tagline “Texas belongs to Christ.”
Responding to backlash following the episode’s release, Money took to X to write: “I love and serve my constituents best by loving and honoring God first.” He also quipped, “Christian Nationalist Achievement UNLOCKED! I’ve been amplified by Right Wing Watch!” in response to Right Wing Watch’s coverage of his theocratic remarks.
The FFRF Action Fund urges Money to fulfill the true responsibilities of public office by upholding the will of his constituents, not his personal religious beliefs. Governance in the United States relies on religious neutrality and must not be overridden by the Christian nationalism that Money is attempting to impose.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.