A Persecution Complex Links the Pilgrims and Christian Nationalism: A Conversation With Tyler Huckabee

America’s religious landscape has always been complicated, but something striking is happening inside conservative Christianity today. A movement that once spoke the language of scripture and personal faith is now increasingly shaped by grievance, politics, and an embattled sense of cultural siege.

To explore how we got here—and what this shift means for both Christianity and American liberalism—senior editor at The UnPopulist Berny Belvedere sits down with Tyler Huckabee of Sojourners to trace the long arc from the pilgrims to the rise of MAGA Christianity. They examine how persecution narratives, culture-war identity, and a growing rejection of liberal norms have reshaped much of the modern evangelical imagination, and look to whether a more open, justice-oriented expression of Christian faith can still thrive.

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