Sara Trone Garriott’s Progressive Ministry and Congressional Bid
Sara Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor and Democratic candidate for Congress, is running against Republican Rep. Zach Nunn in Iowa’s 3rd District. In 2021, she delivered a sermon to Downtown Disciples, a community that identifies as progressive and explicitly distances itself from traditional church labels, emphasizing support for #BlackLivesMatter and LGBTQIA+ rights.
According to their FAQs, Downtown Disciples describes itself as a “spiritual community” rather than a church, focusing on fostering wholeness in a divided world. They rent spaces in community centers, coffee shops, and even parks instead of maintaining a physical church building, highlighting that the essence of the church lies in its people, not in its infrastructure.
In their FAQ, when asked if they are a Christian group, Downtown Disciples affirmed the inclusivity of their community, welcoming individuals from all faiths—and none—who wish to advocate for justice. They believe their progressive identity is rooted in a Christian perspective, promoting the values of inclusion and love as embodied by Jesus.
They expressed discontent with mainstream Christianity’s associations with exclusion, oppression, and other forms of systemic injustice, criticizing it for being intertwined with power dynamics in society.
As a community, Downtown Disciples declares itself as unreservedly progressive and LGBTQIA+-supportive, making it clear in their statements that they use inclusive language for both God and humanity. They host a “queer and Christian book club,” and all their worship practices affirm LGBTQIA+ identities. Their children’s ministry also aims to include university-aged students in their work.
The group collaborates with organizations like the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund to assist transgender and non-binary individuals seeking gender-affirming care, emphasizing that their initiatives are open to all ages.
Downtown Disciples overall focuses on activism, shying away from traditional Christian content. They promote events like the Iowa Trans Lives Festival, which showcases diverse artistic contributions from transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming communities.
In response to these values, Zach Kraft from the Republican National Committee criticized Garriott, alleging that her involvement with a community defined by “woke” ideals fits into a pattern of identity politics that he finds problematic.
Garriott’s alignment with the Downtown Disciples is consistent with her outspoken views on various social issues. She has notably claimed that Christians opposing transgender surgeries for minors are racist. Her criticisms of traditional Christian institutions include calling private Christian schools “segregation academies” and emphasizing their role in creating white enclaves.
During a recent speech, she decried the mingling of faith and political power as problematic, linking Christian nationalism to broader issues of white patriarchy. Her legislative record includes opposing restrictions on transgender participation in sports, curtailing gender reassignment procedures, and limiting LGBTQ-related education in early schooling, while also endorsing early sex education.
Garriott has been vocal about the challenges faced by transgender individuals, including food insecurity, and has argued for the representation and elevation of minority voices in political spaces, recalling her own experiences studying theology amidst post-9/11 sentiments.
