Matthew Taylor: The Uneasy Coalition of Christian Nationalists and MAGA

Join us Friday, May 22 at noon/PT  as we welcome Dr. Matthew Taylor.

The media treats “Christian nationalism” and the MAGA movement as a single, unified force. They’re not. MAGA and Christian nationalism have always been an uneasy coalition — a blend of competing theologies, rival ideologies, and clashing leadership networks. Now that coalition is cracking. This presentation maps the fault lines of a low-grade civil war erupting inside Donald Trump’s base: who the key players are, what they actually believe, and what their conflict could mean for the future of American politics.

Watch on Secular AZ’s YouTube channel.

Matthew D. Taylor is an award-winning author, public scholar, and nationally recognized speaker focused on religion, politics, and democracy in the United States. He is the author of Scripture People, The Violent Take It by Force, and the forthcoming book Defying Tyrants, which will be published in October ’26. His work has appeared or been featured in the New York Times, CNN, Weekend Edition, On the Media, Rolling Stone, The Bulwark, Politico, Sojourners, and Religion News Service.

A theologian and religious studies scholar who specializes in American Islam, Christian nationalism, and Christian extremism, he is also the creator of two limited podcast series — American Unexceptionalism and Charismatic Revival Fury. Taylor holds a PhD from Georgetown University and an MA from Fuller Theological Seminary. He currently serves as a visiting scholar at the Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University.