Joe Rogan argued on his podcast Saturday that progressive politics has become a kind of substitute religion for some people on the left, and that some are reshaping Christianity to fit their political views.
He said he sees the left as “much more loony” than the right in part because many liberals have embraced secularism. In Rogan’s view, people who regard themselves as too intelligent for religion may be left without a shared moral framework.
Rogan said that common principles, such as the Ten Commandments, and humility before a higher power can benefit society. He suggested that some politically progressive Christians are reinterpreting traditional teachings, pointing to pastors who support LGBTQ identities and abortion rights or describe God as nonbinary.
He questioned whether those interpretations are consistent with the Bible, adding that he was unsure whether bringing what he called “woke” ideas into religion was a good thing. His concern, he said, was that believers might be moving away from Christianity’s original teachings.
Rogan added that if biblical passages were to be reconsidered through a modern lens, he would start with those concerning slavery and genocidal warfare, rather than with questions about God’s gender identity.
Francis Foster, co-host of the podcast “Triggernometry,” agreed. Recalling his Catholic upbringing, he contrasted it with a more modernized Church of England service and said people seeking religion should want a faith that takes its beliefs seriously.
“You want to hear the Latin,” Rogan replied.
Foster said religion should also convey that actions have moral consequences, describing the feeling of fearing hell as part of taking faith seriously.
Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on Fire and bishop of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota, said he broadly agreed with Rogan’s argument. He said some forms of liberal Christianity had gradually set aside core doctrines in favor of progressive politics.
Barron said the Apostles’ Creed offers a test of whether someone genuinely accepts classical Christian beliefs, including the divinity of Jesus and the truth of the Resurrection. Without those convictions, he argued, Christianity may be used to disguise support for a political agenda.
