Josh Howerton, one of Texas’ most outspoken megachurch pastors, has a message for Christians trying to stay politically neutral: stop.
Howerton, the senior pastor at Lakepointe Church in the Dallas area, argued on X earlier this week that Christians are effectively surrendering political influence while other religious and ideological groups actively seek it.
“Muslims have a plan to make America a Muslim nation. Marxists have a plan to make America a Marxist nation. Secular Progressives have a plan to make America a Secular Progressive nation,” Howerton wrote.
Christians, he argued, are doing the opposite.
“Christians seem to always have a plan to keep Christianity from further influencing our nation by discipling people into political apathy (‘we don’t get political’) or political ambiguity (‘Jesus isn’t a Republican or Democrat, neither Right nor Left’),” Howerton wrote, adding that the approach has produced “very predictable results for the last few decades.”
It’s hardly a new argument from the pastor.
In a 2024 essay titled “11 Ways Christians Are Gaslit into Staying Out of Politics,” Howerton similarly argued Christians should seek political influence.
“If GODLY people don’t lead, GODLESS people fill the void,” he wrote.
Howerton has increasingly made politics part of his public platform. Chron recently reported he joined The Blaze, a conservative media company founded by Glenn Beck, while former Lakepointe members have previously criticized what they described as increasingly political rhetoric from the pulpit.
But Howerton’s argument that Christianity needs “further” influence comes in Texas, where Christian beliefs already play a prominent role in recent political fights.
Texas lawmakers have approved Bible-infused elementary school curriculum and passed a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. The latter remains tied up in a court fight, with the U.S. Supreme Court recently asked to weigh in.
Howerton’s comments also come amid a broader wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric in Texas, including claims that Muslims are attempting to “takeover” the state or reshape it around Islamic law.
Chron has reported similar rhetoric surrounding mosque projects in North Texas, including a heated McKinney meeting where opponents invoked Sharia law and other anti-Muslim stereotypes. The backlash became so intense that one speaker later returned to City Hall specifically to address what he described as anti-Muslim hate.
Howerton himself has already leaned into that debate, including an episode of his “Live Free” podcast titled “An ISLAMIC Takeover is Coming…Here’s what Christians Should Do,” which discussed whether Christians should oppose mosque construction and what it described as the Muslim Brotherhood’s “long game.”
So whether Christians are actually sitting on the political sidelines in Texas is another question entirely.
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This article originally published at Texas pastor says Christians need more political influence in America.