In January 2016, then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made a promise. “I will tell you, Christianity is under tremendous siege, whether we want to talk about it or we don’t want to talk about it,” Trump said. If he were to be elected president, he vowed that “Christianity would have power.”


For decades, the Christian Right has underscored many aspects of conservative politics, existing as a base of support for many Republican politicians and as a driving force behind many cultural issues. In its most extreme form, it exists as a powerful Christian nationalist movement. This movement is defined by an ideology known as Dominionism — the idea that regardless of theology, means or timetable, Christians have a right to exercise control over society’s political and cultural institutions. It is a belief in Christians’ God-given right to power in America.


Dominionism is a trans-denominational ideology. Founded in evangelical circles, it was embraced by Catholics joining Christian nationalist movements in the late 20th century. Today, its political goals are often oversimplified as a position against abortion rights, which has remained the most famous cultural issue among evangelicals and has driven a deep wedge in the Catholic electorate. In reality, Christian political organizations have cultivated “biblically correct” positions on dozens of issues, ranging from public schooling to taxes.


Dominionists frame their pursuit of political control as a defense of religious liberty. They do this by rejecting secularism as a principle of America’s foundation. Instead, they insist that the United States was founded on Judeo-Christian ideals that have been worn away over time. This revisionism has led some scholars to allege that some churches are held together more by political orientation and sociology than by theology. 


This is an ongoing project.

A white statue of Jesus Christ, lit by a flash against a black background. The thumbs of the statue are broken off.
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A statue of Jesus Christ, Columbia, Mo.

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A statue of Jesus Christ, Columbia, Mo.

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A wooden cross covered in Christmas lights is just in front of a cork board. On the cork board are multiple pieces of paper, including one that prominently features a sleeping child. The walls of the room are all white with beige trim.
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Anti-abortion pamphlets hang alongside a cross in the entryway of St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo.

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Anti-abortion pamphlets hang alongside a cross in the entryway of St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo.

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A woman in a yellow sweater raises her arms into the air. She is standing in the center of the frame, where to sets of stairs meet. Behind her is an ornately painted mural and arch, as well as an American flag and Missouri state flag.
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A woman prays and dances atop the central staircase in during a “prayer and praise” event held on Monday, March 20, 2023 at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo.

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A woman prays and dances atop the central staircase in during a “prayer and praise” event held on Monday, March 20, 2023 at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo.

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A man in dark jeans and a dark blue flannel shirt sits on a white bench and in front of a white wall. He is not wearing shoes over his socked feet.
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Nick Koval came to the United States as a 10-year-old religious refugee from the Soviet Union. Today, he leads a college ministry in Columbia, Mo. and his thinking on faith and its role in American life is influenced by his understanding of his own history and the history of Christianity itself. In the first 300 years of the Christian faith, the church was never a recognized part of the Roman Empire, Koval said. After Emperor Constantine I legitimized Christianity within Rome, the church began to cater to secular leaders and began squeezing those who disagreed out of positions of influence. Now, Koval sees history repeating itself in the United States. “Caesar protected the church and the church approved the emperor. This is the downfall of the church in America. We look to D.C. to protect us, and we approve D.C.,” Koval said. “When we work so closely with Washington D.C., we destroy our ability to be a true witness for God.”

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Nick Koval came to the United States as a 10-year-old religious refugee from the Soviet Union. Today, he leads a college ministry in Columbia, Mo. and his thinking on faith and its role in American life is influenced by his understanding of his own history and the history of Christianity itself. In the first 300 years of the Christian faith, the church was never a recognized part of the Roman Empire, Koval said. After Emperor Constantine I legitimized Christianity within Rome, the church began to cater to secular leaders and began squeezing those who disagreed out of positions of influence. Now, Koval sees history repeating itself in the United States. “Caesar protected the church and the church approved the emperor. This is the downfall of the church in America. We look to D.C. to protect us, and we approve D.C.,” Koval said. “When we work so closely with Washington D.C., we destroy our ability to be a true witness for God.”

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A flash illuminates an elderly man's shirt, jacket and hands against a church pew. His jacket has "40 Days for Life" sewn onto the breast. Over his shirt hangs a wooden cross. His hands hold a wooden rosary.
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James Imhoff prays the rosary on Nov. 3, 2020 at St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. He, along with a handful of other parishioners, prayed the church’s “Election Day rosary” in the hopes that the outcome of the election would advance the anti-abortion movement. Imhoff had previously spent the morning praying outside a Planned Parenthood in nearby Columbia, Mo. That Planned Parenthood location does not provide abortions.

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James Imhoff prays the rosary on Nov. 3, 2020 at St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. He, along with a handful of other parishioners, prayed the church’s “Election Day rosary” in the hopes that the outcome of the election would advance the anti-abortion movement. Imhoff had previously spent the morning praying outside a Planned Parenthood in nearby Columbia, Mo. That Planned Parenthood location does not provide abortions.

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A sign reading "Pray to end abortion" is staked into the dirt in front of a stained glass window and brick wall. To the right of the sign is a small, white statue of a robed figure.
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A stained-glass window and an anti-abortion sign sit outside St. Peter & Paul’s Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. 

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A stained-glass window and an anti-abortion sign sit outside St. Peter & Paul’s Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. 

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A sign reading "Excommunicate Pro-Choice Catholics" in red and blue lettering sticks up from a crowd. Everyone in the crowd is facing away, except for two young women in the foreground, looking in the direction of the camera.
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A sign present at the 2023 March for Life encourages the excommunication of Catholics in favor of abortion rights. Polling shows that despite Vatican teaching, abortion is a divisive issue for Catholic voters, with about 50% of Catholics supporting abortion rights. 

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A sign present at the 2023 March for Life encourages the excommunication of Catholics in favor of abortion rights. Polling shows that despite Vatican teaching, abortion is a divisive issue for Catholic voters, with about 50% of Catholics supporting abortion rights. 

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A crowd of young women, brightly illuminated by a flash, hold pink signs that read "Protect safe, legal abortion" and cardboard signs that read other messages — most prominently "Keep my WAP out of politics" and "You can't ban abortions, only safe ones."
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Supporters of abortion rights rally on May 3, 2022 outside the Boone County Courthouse in Columbia, Mo. The rally was part of a nationwide show of support for abortion rights, in the wake of the May 2, 2023 leak of a draft opinion that suggested the Supreme Court was prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

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Supporters of abortion rights rally on May 3, 2022 outside the Boone County Courthouse in Columbia, Mo. The rally was part of a nationwide show of support for abortion rights, in the wake of the May 2, 2023 leak of a draft opinion that suggested the Supreme Court was prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade. 

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A young woman and young man hold hands while facing the camera. Behind them are a pair of bright yellow stained glass windows and a wooden cross.
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University of St. Mary Students for Life President McKinzie Horsley and Vice President Landry Murley founded the campus chapter of Students for Life.  And in 2023, they led the club on a pilgrimage to Washington, DC to take part in the first March for Life in a post-Roe v. Wade United States. Ideologically, Horsley and Murley believe in abortion restrictions without exception for rape or incest and both tie their activism to their Catholic faith. "You don’t have to be a Christian to believe that life is valuable,” Horsley said. “But for Christians specifically, that is so central to our faith, that life is sacred, that it was designed and created intentionally for a purpose is that we didn’t just happen. And if you’re truly living and acting out of that belief, I don’t know how you couldn’t do something.”

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University of St. Mary Students for Life President McKinzie Horsley and Vice President Landry Murley founded the campus chapter of Students for Life.  And in 2023, they led the club on a pilgrimage to Washington, DC to take part in the first March for Life in a post-Roe v. Wade United States. Ideologically, Horsley and Murley believe in abortion restrictions without exception for rape or incest and both tie their activism to their Catholic faith. "You don’t have to be a Christian to believe that life is valuable,” Horsley said. “But for Christians specifically, that is so central to our faith, that life is sacred, that it was designed and created intentionally for a purpose is that we didn’t just happen. And if you’re truly living and acting out of that belief, I don’t know how you couldn’t do something.”

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A young woman in a yellow shirt passes a playing card to another young woman in a blue sweatshirt. They are seated near the front of a charter bus with blue seats and lights, with other young people filling out the seats in front and behind them.
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Ava Burghart, front left, and McKinzie Horsley, center right, exchange cards during a game of Uno on the 28-hour bus ride to Washington, DC. 

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Ava Burghart, front left, and McKinzie Horsley, center right, exchange cards during a game of Uno on the 28-hour bus ride to Washington, DC. 

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A close-up of a red carnation flower held in a person's hand. A flash has created a shadow of the flower on the person's blue sweatshirt, which is decorated with text that reads "Our world needs Jesus."
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McKinzie Horsley carries a carnation to the Monument of the Unborn on Benedictine College’s campus on Jan. 18, 2023. 

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McKinzie Horsley carries a carnation to the Monument of the Unborn on Benedictine College’s campus on Jan. 18, 2023. 

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In a long-exposure photograph lit by a flash, two people walk by a statue covered in flowers. The heads of the people are cropped out of frame. The statue is of a winged angel holding a baby, with plaque reading "Memorial of the Unborn."
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Students leave carnations at the Monument of the Unborn on Benedictine College’s campus on Jan. 18, 2023. 

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Students leave carnations at the Monument of the Unborn on Benedictine College’s campus on Jan. 18, 2023. 

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Five young people sit at a corner table with a bright red bench. On the left wall is a large mural of a gas station and an "Interstate - Ohio 70" sign. Directly above the table is a television playing an episode of Scooby-Doo.
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From left, Sebastian Stephenson, Kortney Flynn, McKinzie Horsley, Ava Burghart and Kelsey Taylor eat breakfast at a Hardees in Ohio, more than 12 hours into their journey to Washington, DC. 

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From left, Sebastian Stephenson, Kortney Flynn, McKinzie Horsley, Ava Burghart and Kelsey Taylor eat breakfast at a Hardees in Ohio, more than 12 hours into their journey to Washington, DC. 

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A close-up of a hand holding a white, red and yellow Hardees food container, which is out of focus. In focus is the t-shirt of the person holding the container, which is black with a blue NASA logo. Hanging down onto the logo is an gold cross necklace.
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Sebastian Stephenson, a student at Benedictine College, holds an empty Hardee’s sandwich container. 

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Sebastian Stephenson, a student at Benedictine College, holds an empty Hardee’s sandwich container. 

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Four young people, part of a larger crowd that can be seen around the edges of the frame, smile while they walk with signs reading "Pray to end abortion" and "I am the post-Roe generation."
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Students from the University of St. Mary Students for Life anti-abortion group attend the 50th March for Life on Jan. 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. This March for Life was the first since Dobbs v. Jackson Mississippi Women’s Health overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the power to legalize or restrict abortion to lawmakers. 

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Students from the University of St. Mary Students for Life anti-abortion group attend the 50th March for Life on Jan. 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. This March for Life was the first since Dobbs v. Jackson Mississippi Women’s Health overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the power to legalize or restrict abortion to lawmakers. 

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Three people, part of a larger crowd that can be seen around the edges of the frame, all look solemnly toward the left edge of the frame. The most prominently featured is a young woman, in the foreground center, who looks to be on the verge of tears.
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From left, Emma Coit, McKinzie Horsley and Weston Hutchings listen to a speaker at the March for Life rally. 

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From left, Emma Coit, McKinzie Horsley and Weston Hutchings listen to a speaker at the March for Life rally. 

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The U.S. Capitol is seen from the view of a crowd. On the left of the frame, sticking up from the crowd, is a sign that reads "Life is a human right."
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The March for Life makes its way toward the U.S. Capitol. In 2023, the march’s route was changed to walk by the Capitol before it reached the Supreme Court. The change was symbolic of the anti-abortion movement’s new focus on enacting abortion restrictions at the federal and state level now that the Court overturned Roe v. Wade. 

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The March for Life makes its way toward the U.S. Capitol. In 2023, the march’s route was changed to walk by the Capitol before it reached the Supreme Court. The change was symbolic of the anti-abortion movement’s new focus on enacting abortion restrictions at the federal and state level now that the Court overturned Roe v. Wade. 

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Three people holding pro-abortion rights signs stand in a crowd. One person holds a bullhorn and is holding up a sign that reads "America is not a Christian nation."
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A small group of counterprotesters met the anti-abortion activists attending March for Life on Jan. 20, 2023, outside of the U.S. Supreme Court. Bullhorn in arm, their leader yelled, “Thank God for abortion.”

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A small group of counterprotesters met the anti-abortion activists attending March for Life on Jan. 20, 2023, outside of the U.S. Supreme Court. Bullhorn in arm, their leader yelled, “Thank God for abortion.”

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Three men stand on the steps of the Missouri Capitol. One is holding a Christian flag, a sign reading "Matthew 18:6" and has his face covered. Another is holding a Christian flag and is wearing a Confederate flag sweatshirt.
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Three men stand on the steps of the Missouri Capitol during a political rally on March 20, 2023. The event was held in support of SB49, a bill that would criminalize gender affirming healthcare for transgender children. One man's sign invokes Matthew 18:6 — “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” 

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Three men stand on the steps of the Missouri Capitol during a political rally on March 20, 2023. The event was held in support of SB49, a bill that would criminalize gender affirming healthcare for transgender children. One man's sign invokes Matthew 18:6 — “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” 

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A man, standing at a podium, points up and out of frame. Behind him, two women whisper to one another at the bottom of a staircase while two men whisper to one another on the second floor the staircase leads to.
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Addam Dommeyer, a regional manager with Turning Point USA Faith, points to a words engraved in an archway of the Missouri Capitol “Lord of God our hosts be with us yet - lest we forget” during his speech at a rally on March 20, 2023. During his speech, Dommeyer called on American pastors to speak out on political issues. 

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Addam Dommeyer, a regional manager with Turning Point USA Faith, points to a words engraved in an archway of the Missouri Capitol “Lord of God our hosts be with us yet - lest we forget” during his speech at a rally on March 20, 2023. During his speech, Dommeyer called on American pastors to speak out on political issues. 

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Two signs sit at the base of a fold out table. One says "Pray for the USA" in red, white and blue lettering. The other shows the silhouette of a robed figure and reads "The Church is the conscious of the state - Martin Luther King Jr."
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A Turning Point USA Faith table, set up on March 20, 2023, inside the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. Part of the Turning Point USA network, TPUSA Faith is an organization “on a mission to engage, equip, and empower Christians to change the trajectory of our nation.”

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A Turning Point USA Faith table, set up on March 20, 2023, inside the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. Part of the Turning Point USA network, TPUSA Faith is an organization “on a mission to engage, equip, and empower Christians to change the trajectory of our nation.”

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A close up of a shield decorated to look like the American flag and prominently featuring the words "God Bless America." Also on the shield are stickers reading "Pro-Life" and "Save the Babies."
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An anti-abortion activist dressed as Wonder Woman carries an American-themed shield invoking the phrase “God bless America” on Jan. 20, 2023 at the March for Life rally.

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An anti-abortion activist dressed as Wonder Woman carries an American-themed shield invoking the phrase “God bless America” on Jan. 20, 2023 at the March for Life rally.

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A group of young women approach a male vendor. Above the vendor's cart wave a number of flags, most prominently the Christian flag and a flag reading "Let's Go Brandon."
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A cart selling both Christian flags and flags exclaiming “Let’s Go Brandon” — a conservative euphemism for “Fuck Joe Biden” — positions itself near the entrance of the March for Life rally on Jan. 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. 

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A cart selling both Christian flags and flags exclaiming “Let’s Go Brandon” — a conservative euphemism for “Fuck Joe Biden” — positions itself near the entrance of the March for Life rally on Jan. 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. 

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A man wearing a camouflage sweatshirt that reads "In God We Trust" sits in the front row of a set of wooden chairs in a darkly lit room.
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Pastor Ken Peters is the pastor of Patriot Church, where Christianity and conservative politics are intertwined. To him, his church is a fortress on the front lines of political culture wars, from where Peters can fight for the Judeo-Christian beliefs on which he believes the country was founded.  He has also used it to promote the conspiracy that the 2020 election was fraudulent and that Donald Trump is the true president of the United States. Patriot Church does not align itself with any specific denomination, but it is evangelical. Experts say that evangelical support for Trump is best understood the the context of Christian nationalism, an ideology with supporters who are more likely to believe America should be a Christian nation, espouse racist and pro-authoritarian views and view political violence as acceptable. Experts also characterize Christian nationalism as a core motivation of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. 

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Pastor Ken Peters is the pastor of Patriot Church, where Christianity and conservative politics are intertwined. To him, his church is a fortress on the front lines of political culture wars, from where Peters can fight for the Judeo-Christian beliefs on which he believes the country was founded.  He has also used it to promote the conspiracy that the 2020 election was fraudulent and that Donald Trump is the true president of the United States. Patriot Church does not align itself with any specific denomination, but it is evangelical. Experts say that evangelical support for Trump is best understood the the context of Christian nationalism, an ideology with supporters who are more likely to believe America should be a Christian nation, espouse racist and pro-authoritarian views and view political violence as acceptable. Experts also characterize Christian nationalism as a core motivation of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. 

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A wooden bard with a metal roof, painted to look like an American flag.
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The barn in which Patriot Church meets, in Lenoir City, Tenn., is adorned with a massive American flag painted on the roof. The flag was already present when Peters found it in July 2020. 

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The barn in which Patriot Church meets, in Lenoir City, Tenn., is adorned with a massive American flag painted on the roof. The flag was already present when Peters found it in July 2020. 

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Four young people sit in a row of wooden chairs, holding open Bibles.
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From left, Jack Miller, Karis Peters, Alona Savchenko and Jenna Nepomuceno attend morning service on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. The group of students, most of whom were on Thanksgiving Break from Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Fla., led Patriot Church’s worship service that morning. 

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From left, Jack Miller, Karis Peters, Alona Savchenko and Jenna Nepomuceno attend morning service on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. The group of students, most of whom were on Thanksgiving Break from Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Fla., led Patriot Church’s worship service that morning. 

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A tablet, microphone, water bottle, copy of the book "Church and State: How the Left Used the Church to Conquer America" and a leather-bound Bible are on a wooden table. The Bible is decorated with a hint of the American flag emerging from the top right.
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The book “Church & State: How the Left Used the Church to Conquer America” features chapters written by numerous far right pundits and religious leaders. The book claims, “Marxists have been infiltrating every aspect of our American way of life in an attempt to fundamentally change our great country” and frames the evangelical church as “the last beacon of hope to push back against their progressive, leftist socialist agenda.”

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The book “Church & State: How the Left Used the Church to Conquer America” features chapters written by numerous far right pundits and religious leaders. The book claims, “Marxists have been infiltrating every aspect of our American way of life in an attempt to fundamentally change our great country” and frames the evangelical church as “the last beacon of hope to push back against their progressive, leftist socialist agenda.”

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A man, wearing a gray suit and t-shirt that reads "Obedience - Sacrifice" screams.
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Pastor Ken Peters yells during his sermon on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. Peters’ sermon focused on ideas of “freedom” in both a Biblical and American context, as he preached from the Book of Galatians and pulled inspiration from American founding father Patrick Henry, famous for his quote, “Give me liberty or give me death!” Pastor Ken Peters yells during his sermon on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. Peters’ sermon focused on ideas of “freedom” in both a Biblical and American context, as he preached from the Book of Galatians and pulled inspiration from American founding father Patrick Henry, famous for his quote, “Give me liberty or give me death!” 

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Pastor Ken Peters yells during his sermon on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. Peters’ sermon focused on ideas of “freedom” in both a Biblical and American context, as he preached from the Book of Galatians and pulled inspiration from American founding father Patrick Henry, famous for his quote, “Give me liberty or give me death!” Pastor Ken Peters yells during his sermon on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn. Peters’ sermon focused on ideas of “freedom” in both a Biblical and American context, as he preached from the Book of Galatians and pulled inspiration from American founding father Patrick Henry, famous for his quote, “Give me liberty or give me death!” 

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A crowd of people, all facing toward the left of the frame, raise their arms and sing.
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Members of Patriot Church worship on the morning of Nov. 29, 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not a single person in the congregation was masked in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, a virus that killed 818 Americans that day. 

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Members of Patriot Church worship on the morning of Nov. 29, 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not a single person in the congregation was masked in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, a virus that killed 818 Americans that day. 

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A hand is illuminated by a flash, against a dark black background. In the background, Christmas lights look like star-like dots against the dark background.
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A worshiper raises a hand as they sing on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn.

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A worshiper raises a hand as they sing on Nov. 29, 2020 at Patriot Church in Lenoir City, Tenn.

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A thin wooden cross is illuminated in dark. To its left is a hand-made sign reading "Time's Up" and to it's right is another that reads "Turn to Jesus." Both signs are tied to a barbed-wire fence.
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 A cross and signs saying “Time’s Up, Turn to Jesus” stand along a side road on March 1, 2023 outside Fair Grove, Mo.

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 A cross and signs saying “Time’s Up, Turn to Jesus” stand along a side road on March 1, 2023 outside Fair Grove, Mo.

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The interior of a small, wood-walled chapel. Hanging on the wall is an American-flag painted cutout of the United States, with a dark wooden cross placed over it.
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A chapel stands just off the geographic center of the contiguous United States, just outside of Lebanon, Kan. It seats eight people and is open to visitors 24 hours a day. It is, unequivocally, a tourist attraction — a photo opportunity just a couple miles off the highway. In February 2021, rockstar Bruce Springsteen starred in a politically-themed Super Bowl commercial for Jeep featuring the chapel. 

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A chapel stands just off the geographic center of the contiguous United States, just outside of Lebanon, Kan. It seats eight people and is open to visitors 24 hours a day. It is, unequivocally, a tourist attraction — a photo opportunity just a couple miles off the highway. In February 2021, rockstar Bruce Springsteen starred in a politically-themed Super Bowl commercial for Jeep featuring the chapel. 

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A statue of Jesus is on a table. To the left is a medieval-style painting of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. Below the painting, a gold table is covered in red and blue glass candles.
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A painting of the Virgin Mary and a statue of Jesus Christ inside St. Peter & Paul’s Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. 

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A painting of the Virgin Mary and a statue of Jesus Christ inside St. Peter & Paul’s Catholic Church in Boonville, Mo. 

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In the left of the frame, a White woman carrying the Christian flag and wearing American flag socks walks toward the edge of the frame. To the right of the frame and in the foreground, a masked Black woman looks toward the opposite edge of the frame.
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A woman, holding a Christian flag and wearing American flag socks, walks down the sidewalk during the 2023 March for Life on Jan. 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. 

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A woman, holding a Christian flag and wearing American flag socks, walks down the sidewalk during the 2023 March for Life on Jan. 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. 

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A young man wearing glasses, a brown sweater and jeans sits cross-legged on a dark couch. A flash has caused his shadow to appear behind him on the wall.
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It was outside a movie theater in Springfield, Missouri that Leighton Shepherd realized he couldn’t go to church anymore. He was attending a weekend church retreat along with most of his friends, when one of them brought up something that had happened within the church — a student working on the digital team was asked to step down because he was gay. For Shepherd, who is gay and had been hiding his identity from the church, his family and his friends, that incident was like a wake-up call. Three years removed from his former church, Shepherd is now an atheist. “Christianity, on another level, is a toxic religion,” Shepherd said. “How does one community get to decide ‘God sent this man’ and now he’s in power?”

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It was outside a movie theater in Springfield, Missouri that Leighton Shepherd realized he couldn’t go to church anymore. He was attending a weekend church retreat along with most of his friends, when one of them brought up something that had happened within the church — a student working on the digital team was asked to step down because he was gay. For Shepherd, who is gay and had been hiding his identity from the church, his family and his friends, that incident was like a wake-up call. Three years removed from his former church, Shepherd is now an atheist. “Christianity, on another level, is a toxic religion,” Shepherd said. “How does one community get to decide ‘God sent this man’ and now he’s in power?”

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A bowl of buttons and pins, including pins that read "God loves everyone" across the colors of the trans flag, viewed from above.
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LGBTQ-affirming pins and stickers are displayed on a desk at The Neighborhood in Columbia, Mo. The Neighborhood is a queer-affirming and deconstructing college ministry that encourages its members to “question everything.” 

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LGBTQ-affirming pins and stickers are displayed on a desk at The Neighborhood in Columbia, Mo. The Neighborhood is a queer-affirming and deconstructing college ministry that encourages its members to “question everything.” 

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A group of 11 young people all sit or stand in a loose circle, all looking toward a brown-haired woman sitting in the foreground with her back to the camera.
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College students attend an “Ask Me Anything” session on April 5, 2023 at The Neighborhood in Columbia, Mo. The session, led by Rebes Bennett, explored Jewish and Christian histories with abortion rights before breaking into group sessions so students could discuss their own thoughts.

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College students attend an “Ask Me Anything” session on April 5, 2023 at The Neighborhood in Columbia, Mo. The session, led by Rebes Bennett, explored Jewish and Christian histories with abortion rights before breaking into group sessions so students could discuss their own thoughts.

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In the center of the frame, a painted picture of Jesus with streaks of red, white and blue pouring out of his chest. To the left is the Missouri Capitol and to the right is the steeple of a Catholic school
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A picture of Jesus is displayed near a sidewalk on Monday, March 23, 2023 in Jefferson City, Mo. To its right rises the steeple of St. Peter Interparish School. To its left is the Missouri Capitol building. 

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A picture of Jesus is displayed near a sidewalk on Monday, March 23, 2023 in Jefferson City, Mo. To its right rises the steeple of St. Peter Interparish School. To its left is the Missouri Capitol building. 

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Tristen Rouse is a documentary photographer and photo editor born and raised in southwest Missouri. He was also raised in the Southern Baptist Church. In 2016, he saw many of those he knew in the church begin to support a presidential candidate who dehumanized refugees, bragged about assaulting women and advocated for violence against those who opposed him — but promised to secure Christianity as a powerful force in the United States. In this candidate and in the members of his faith who supported him, Rouse did not recognize the values espoused by Jesus Christ. In 2016, Rouse left organized Christianity. Today, his relationship with God is simple, but his relationship with Christianity is complex. He believes in the values of Jesus Christ but does not see them in some of His supporters. He does not attend church but carries a Bible that once belonged to his mother. He understands Christianity to be one of the most influential voting blocs in modern conservative politics but does not understand why. This project is a reconciliation for Rouse as he searches for reason within the relationship between scared beliefs and secular politics.

© 2023 Tristen Rouse | 417.631.3200 | tristenrousephoto@gmail.com

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