CLUB RECAP: The Gov’t is Shutdown but the Christian Revival is Here
Unpacking Gen Z rising star Isabel Brown + mobilizing the Christian Right in the wake of Charlie Kirk
Welcome back to UNASB! This newsletter serves as a recap of what we discussed in our last meeting. As a reminder, here at UNSAB, we listen to conservative-leaning podcasts, analyze their messaging and themes, and brainstorm actionable ideas for how the Democratic coalition can strengthen its own approach.
In our latest meeting, we listed to The Isabel Brown Show’s Oct. 2nd episode “Speaker Mike Johnson on the Shutdown, Marxist Dems, & Why Gen Z is Getting Based” and the The Charlie Kirk Show’s Sept. 29th episode “Continuing the Revival Charlie’s Martyrdom Started”.
Isabel Brown is a conservative Gen-Z content creator who recently launched her own show on Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire network. She came up under the tutelage of Kirk’s Turning Point USA and, similar to previous UNASB subject Brett Cooper, is part of a wave of young female voices the Right is propping up to appeal to new audiences. She’s a self-described “full-time creator, author, corgi enthusiast” with “unfiltered takes on everything from faith to dating, politics to food, and just about everything else.”
A more palatable version of the ‘truth’, politics light
Brown focuses on the government shutdown, why Democrats are at fault, and pitches some friendly—dare I say ~flirty?!—softball questions to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson in a sit-down interview at the Capitol. From her Americana-themed pop art background to her giggly “I’m no budgetary expert” interview style, Brown serves up a dish light on politics and substance but heavy on likability, approachability and friendliness. She’s a lot more palatable than recent UNASB subjects Nick Fuentes or Matt Walsh, playing a kind of Christian everywoman who happens to have a thriving career but also upholds church values and puts family first. Her character is accessible—she’s trying to simply learn more about the government and politics! Which conveniently frees her from the responsibility of pushing back on Johnson’s spin of the shutdown.
Nonthreatening, polite, and amicable; Brown is an effective mouthpiece for a Christian Right aiming to appeal to a broader swath of women who may be put off by some of the more extreme (*ahem* misogynistic) wings of the party. Here, Brown shows it’s okay to be traditional, to make your husband dinner, AND you can have a cool job as a journalist who gets scoops from the Speaker of the House! See, women really can have it all!
Charlie Kirk’s martyrdom and the forthcoming Revival
Where Brown offered an accessible version of Republican talking points, this episode of The Charlie Kirk Show goes full sermon, arguing that we are at a divine inflection point that will reshape the nation and the world. It’s Christian revival time, baby!
Andrew Kolvet, self-described best friend of the late Kirk and longtime Executive Producer of the show, appears to be stepping up as the leading voice and is today joined by evangelical pastors Mark Driscoll and Josh McPherson. Together, they discuss Kirk as a martyr, his death as a “moment” that is quickly shaping up into a “movement,” and how their listeners can hopefully turn that movement into revival.
The episode embodies a consistent theme UNASB-ers have noted across the right-wing podcast spectrum: the ease and effectiveness in tapping into feelings over facts. There is very little here about politics, current events, or even Kirk’s actual beliefs and teachings. The messaging is simple: Kirk was a loving father and husband who put his faith above all, he was taken from the earth by a pernicious force of evil, but the silver lining is that people around the world are waking up to Jesus’s teachings in the wake of his death. The episode opens with several minutes of clips from ordinary Americans saying they felt called to go to church for the first time in years since Kirk’s death, followed by anecdotes from both pastors about churches exploding in attendance, with lines around the block.
It takes about an hour to approach anything remotely political, but tucked inside all the theological talk Driscoll and McPherson do make two directives clear: faith leaders must not shy away from talking about politics at church and other religious settings and instead convey that anyone against Kirk and the Republican party is simply demonic. And, in that vein, Christians must throw their support behind the ordained leaders God has placed in the government to lead us: JD Vance, of course, but also non-Christians like Tulsi Gabbard and Stephen Miller who are positioned as unwitting allies to the movement. (Notably, Trump’s speech at Kirk’s memorial, where he directly challenged Erika’s message of forgiveness to say he hates his enemies, is not discussed.)
Key takeaways: How do we fight back/what action can we take?
The Christian Right has weaponized religion. We must find ways to reclaim faith, spirituality, and morality on the left if we want to appeal to a broad swath of a deeply religious electorate—which includes not only (white) evangelicals but immigrant (Hispanic) communities who are staunchly Catholic and the Black Church across the South. We discussed figures such as Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Texas state legislator James Talarico as Democrats who speak openly about their faith. How we can uplift these folks more and find more religious messengers on the Left?
At the same time, we want to be sure to not alienate those in our coalition who are not religious. The focus should be on tolerance, empathy, and compassion. We cannot simply copy the same playbook as the Christian Right but must find our own authentic version of tapping into faith and morality as political motivators.
We need to build more Third Spaces comparable to the Church. Churches have a relatively low barrier to entry—they’re free, local, and ostensibly welcome everyone. How can we invest in more of our own ‘third spaces’ to mobilize the Left? Ex: sports events, more inclusive churches, bars and restaurants, concerts and musical venues, fitness spaces, mutual aid groups & charity, trade schools in addition to colleges and universities, etc.
The Right often highlights feelings over facts, connecting with people’s strong reactions and emotions to events rather than talk about data and logic. We can put our feelings and emotions out there, too, to give others something to relate to while still being grounded in truth. We can give people a calm from the storm and chaos where they can feel comfortable and supported. The Christian Right is turning away from tolerance and empathy, and we need to embrace those values and be our own counter to the Christian persona of a “happy warrior.”
Control our own narrative. Reframe freedom as the ability for the average American to live life as they please, such as being able to afford to buy a house. Put dollar amounts on the harmful actions of Republicans and dollar amounts on actions we take to help. Be as specific as we can in the stories and examples we share.
WHAT UNASB MEMBERS ARE READING: