Breckenridge Texan

The lieutenant governor may want to brush up on these verses.

Editor’s Note: This column originally appeared in The Dallas Morning News, where Glenn Rogers is a contributing columnist.

By Glenn Rogers

“You can all go to hell, and I will go to Texas,” are famous words spoken by Davy Crockett after an electoral defeat ended his tenure as a Tennessee legislator. He got sideways with President Andrew Jackson over his stance on the Indian Removal Act. It is estimated that 10,000 Native Americans died in the Trail of Tears after its passage. When Crockett said you can “all go to hell,” it was an expression of disappointment in former friends and allies and signaled time to move on, not to wish eternal damnation on fellow Tennesseans.

Over 190 years later, a different political “go to hell” moment has come along. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick serves as chairman of President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission. At a recent convention that featured speakers telling people of a particular religious faith to leave the country, the crowd booing the sitting Republican speaker of the Texas House, and even a real live elephant urinating all over the floor, Patrick took the stage.

Ironically, the large elephant’s appearance symbolized the need for a bigger tent. President Ronald Reagan once stated, “There is room in our tent for many views,” without compromising basic philosophy. Alas, the Texas GOP leadership instead has chosen to go the route of the pup tent and closed Republican primaries.

Sporting a black turtleneck and a black leather jacket — never mind the June Texas heat — Patrick came out and declared that if Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate James Talarico keeps campaigning the way he is, then he is “going to Hell for sure.”

Given the context and tone of the conversation, it appears Patrick, an outspoken evangelical, was passing judgment on the state of Talarico’s soul.

I served in the Texas Legislature for two sessions, both with Talarico as a House colleague and with Patrick as the boss in the upper chamber. To pass any bill, I often had to find ways to collaborate with other politicians, many of whom I did not agree with. I often disagreed with Talarico and I had my disagreements with Patrick, but I had to work in a legislative system with both. While they come from quite different theological perspectives, I know they both have read the Bible, including the following passages:

The Book of James tells followers of Jesus, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you — who are you to judge your neighbor?”

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells his followers, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells his followers, “Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.”

As Christians, we have a responsibility to take our place as followers of Jesus. We are not prophets. We are not gatekeepers of heaven and hell. And we certainly are not God. And yet Patrick decrees that Talarico is “going to Hell for sure.”

The problem with the modern Christian nationalist movement, which Patrick proudly claimed to be a part of in this same speech, is that its adherents believe that God has bestowed all kinds of power upon them — political and spiritual power alike. Christian nationalists self-elevate themselves to a level almost equal to God himself. They believe they are anointed to rule over the country. They believe their version of faith is the only way through heaven’s gate. They believe any opposition must be dominated and destroyed.

But is that the way, the truth and the life?

Contentious campaigns have a way of bringing out the worst in each of us. I will be the first to admit that through three brutal primary campaigns, I fell into the trap of being too quick to anger, speaking in ways that offended and not always walking in grace.

Being a Christian means identifying ways in which we fall short, accepting the grace of Jesus and beginning anew each day with the goal of being a better disciple.

So, this campaign season, I would call on all Christians to reflect on our Holy Scriptures. Are our words condemning someone else when Jesus calls us not to condemn?

The Texas Republican Party convention called for party unity. Well, Jesus called for unity over 2,000 years ago. Perhaps it is time we answer his call, not the call of a political party.

Glenn Rogers is a rancher and veterinarian in Palo Pinto County. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025, representing Stephens County. He is a Dallas Morning News contributing columnist.