Staff Reports
A conservative outlet has pulled audio from a January 2025 sermon by Adam Hamilton — the pastor-turned-Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Kansas — and pinned him to words that won’t play well in the heartland. In the recording, Hamilton reads several Biden-era executive orders on sexual orientation and gender identity that the Trump White House later rescinded, then calls the rescissions “painful” and says they lead to “tears and brokenness.” That clip is now campaign ammunition, surfacing just after President Donald Trump rallied for incumbent Senator Roger Marshall in Kansas.
Hamilton’s sermon and the executive orders he named
Hamilton, who leads the Church of the Resurrection, played the part of policy reader in a message titled “A Message to President Trump.” He recited summaries of executive orders like EO 13988 and others that directed federal agencies to treat gender identity and sexual orientation as protected categories in areas from education to housing to military service. Then he announced the emotional cost: members of his congregation were upset. He said his church would remain “a safe place” for anyone worried about losing those protections.
Why conservatives seized on the clip
Timing is everything in politics. The clip resurfaced after President Donald Trump campaigned in Kansas for Sen. Roger Marshall, and conservative outlets immediately tied Hamilton’s sermon to his candidacy. The point is blunt: this is not a pastor preaching general spiritual comfort; it’s a candidate taking concrete positions on culture-war policy. For many Kansas voters, especially those tired of virtue-signaling from preachers who moonlight as political operatives, that matters.
Faith, policy and the pulpit
There’s an easy, principled question here for voters: should a pastor use the pulpit to advance contested public policy while running for federal office? Hamilton’s message crossed from comfort to advocacy when he read specific executive orders and framed their rescission as an attack on people’s basic protections. Supporters will call that pastoral care. Critics will call it political campaigning disguised as a sermon. Either way, it’s now campaign material — clear, quotable, and unavoidable.
What voters should watch next
Expect both campaigns to double down. Marshall’s backers and the President’s allies will replay Hamilton’s words as proof that he’s out of step with conservative Kansas values. Hamilton will say he was comforting parishioners and defending human dignity. Voters should ask Hamilton to plainly state which policies he would pursue in the Senate, and ask whether church funds and church platforms are being used for political ends. The sermon clip was a gift to the opposition — now it’s up to Kansas voters to decide whether they want a pastor who preaches policy from the pulpit or a senator who will prioritize the interests and values of their state.
