By Rep. David Leavitt | Originally published at David’s Substack
The latest so-called “lecture” presented at the College of Southern Idaho—sponsored by Boise State Public Radio, Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG), and the nonprofit Idaho Solutions—wasn’t journalism, and it certainly wasn’t civic education. It was an ideologically loaded hit piece aimed squarely at Christians who dare to bring their faith into the public square. This event masqueraded as a neutral conversation on “Christian nationalism,” but make no mistake: it was an attempt to smear conservative believers as dangerous extremists while dressing the smear up in polite academic language. As someone who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and who has lived a life grounded in personal responsibility, public service, and faith, I will not let that go unanswered.
The event, titled “Extremely American: How Christian Nationalism is Changing Politics in Idaho and D.C.”, was hosted by Chenel Dixon, a former Republican legislator from District 24 and founder of the nonprofit Idaho Solutions. According to its website, Idaho Solutions claims to promote economic prosperity, educational excellence, collaborative leadership, and fiscal sustainability. But if this event was any indication, its true aim appears to be undermining faith-based conservatives in the name of “community engagement.” Also present was Brian Johns—an occupational health physician and medical director at St. Luke’s—who served as the moderator. Johns is not only a high-ranking figure in the healthcare system, but also a member of the Magic Valley Times-News editorial board. In fact, several prominent individuals in the audience that night—county commissioners, Republican precinct committeemen, and civic leaders—masquerade as conservatives in public, yet attend events like this to quietly nod along while their own values are publicly ridiculed.
The speaker, Heath Druzin, admitted outright that he sees Christian nationalism as one of the biggest threats to democracy. That’s not analysis. That’s activism. And while he claimed to present “both sides,” he spent nearly the entire lecture cherry-picking statements, decontextualizing quotes, and attributing the beliefs of a few individuals to entire communities of faith and political conviction. This wasn’t about informing the public—it was about creating fear and resentment toward conservative Christians and their growing role in Idaho’s political landscape.
Throughout the talk, Druzin portrayed Idaho as a kind of breeding ground for religious extremism, fixating repeatedly on figures like Pastor Doug Wilson. He described their views as “radical,” “austere,” and even compared them to the Taliban. Yes, you read that correctly. In a room full of supposedly thoughtful, educated individuals, Druzin compared American Christians to Islamic fundamentalists who burn women alive and stone homosexuals to death. Not only is this grotesquely dishonest—it’s reckless. It equates people who advocate for traditional family values, constitutional government, and moral clarity with terror cells and authoritarian regimes.
Let’s be absolutely clear: supporting biblical values does not make someone a theocrat. Defending the unborn does not make someone a fascist. Believing that marriage is between a man and a woman or that God has a role in shaping human law does not make someone an extremist. These are views held by millions of Americans from all races, classes, and backgrounds—and they are fully protected by the First Amendment. The real extremism is using taxpayer-funded platforms to demonize people of faith simply for participating in public life.
And Druzin’s attempts to paint Christian voters as a hidden cabal influencing politics behind the scenes? That’s not journalism—it’s projection. If anyone is trying to manipulate the system, it’s the activists using “public radio” to launder progressive ideology into our civic institutions. He repeatedly warned that conservative Christians are “gaining power” and “playing the long game,” as if long-term planning and community organization are somehow sinister when done by the right. Meanwhile, his own sponsors—MWEG among them—claim to be “nonpartisan,” all while coordinating with left-wing media, undermining conservative legislators, and advancing a thoroughly progressive agenda cloaked in virtue-signaling platitudes.
Heath also attempted to paint the Idaho Family Policy Center and similar organizations as dangerous simply because they are effective. He noted their discipline, their messaging, and their commitment—and instead of admiring that civic engagement, he framed it as a threat. Apparently, you’re allowed to be “proactive” and “faithful” only if your values align with the left’s moral relativism. If you believe in objective truth, natural law, or personal accountability—you’re labeled a “Christian nationalist” and lumped in with slave apologists and fascists.
It gets even more absurd. The audience Q&A turned into an echo chamber of progressive assumptions, many of which Druzin eagerly validated. One question compared Christian conservatives to characters from The Handmaid’s Tale. Another asked why Christian nationalists “hate empathy.” Still another wanted to know if conservative Christians secretly wanted to ban interracial marriage and criminalize homosexuality. Instead of correcting these ridiculous assumptions, Druzin leaned into them—feeding the fire of paranoia instead of diffusing it with truth.
When asked about “historical revisionism,” Druzin pointed to Pastor Wilson’s past writings on the South—but conveniently ignored how modern progressives have rewritten America’s founding as a story of systemic oppression rather than liberty and self-government. He accused Christians of ignoring Jim Crow and slavery, while conveniently overlooking that it was Christian Republicans who led the fight to abolish slavery in the first place. Men and women moved by biblical conviction were at the forefront of the abolitionist movement—not in spite of their faith, but because of it. Meanwhile, Druzin refused to confront the staggering reality that over 60 million children have been lost to abortion since Roe v. Wade. Many of those abortions occurred in low-income neighborhoods and disproportionately impacted Black communities—a tragic legacy rooted in the very eugenicist ideologies that early abortion activists once championed. But that part of history gets quietly erased because it doesn’t serve the left’s narrative.
The real goal of this lecture was never education. It was to prime voters and local influencers to treat traditional Christian Americans as pariahs, and to shame public servants who refuse to bow to the woke worldview. And let’s not ignore the quiet part: this wasn’t some fringe event. It was hosted at a public college, supported by public radio, and backed by organizations that claim to uphold the Constitution and “ethical government.” If that were true, they’d host debates instead of monologues, invite real conservatives instead of caricaturing them, and actually protect free speech rather than weaponize it against dissenters.
So let me offer this as plainly as I can: we are not going to be intimidated. We will not apologize for our faith, our values, or our constitutional convictions. We do not serve government—we serve the people, and the God who gave us our rights. And while they may control the microphones and the platforms, we still have our voices—and we’re going to use them.
Let the record show: the people who preach tolerance most often are the ones who cannot tolerate a worldview that stands firm in truth. That is the real threat to this republic—not Christian patriots, but the ideologues who seek to silence them.
We can no longer remain silent. And our churches can no longer remain neutral. The great movements that birthed this nation—the call for liberty, the defense of conscience, and the resolve to throw off tyranny—began in the pulpits and spread through communities where people had the courage to speak plainly. This nation is worth preserving. Our principles are worth defending. And our God-given rights are worth protecting. That work doesn’t belong to politicians or pundits alone—it belongs to all of us.
Stand up. Speak out. And get involved.
If you’d like to hear it for yourself, you can click here. This video was recorded and shared by Lyle Johnstone.
About David Leavitt
David Leavitt is an Idaho State Representative. Born and raised in the Magic Valley, he served twelve years in the US Army, including three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
