Christian Nationalism is on the rise, and its influence can be seen in policies affecting schools and immigration enforcement. Rabbi David Segal, policy counsel with BJC (Baptist Joint Committee), will share form his experience working on these issues at the state and federal level.

Christians Against Christian Nationalism is a grassroots campaign to combat Christian nationalism in local, state and national contexts. Launched in 2019, this effort is not in response to any one event or statement; rather, it’s a sustained campaign built to resist Christian nationalism and the threat it poses to our faith and country.

We first approached this project as an interfaith partnership. After talking with and listening to our partners of different religious backgrounds and those of no religious background, we realized that this was work that we, as Christians, need to do first. Over the years the campaign has evolved and expanded — from a statement of principles to the emergence of local groups working in their own communities. 

Make no mistake, you do not have to identify as a Christian or be a signer of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism statement to be part of efforts combating Christian nationalism. We invite you to join our email list and see if there is a local group near you. 

You can learn more about the genesis of the campaign in this article and this podcast.

Rabbi David Segal is BJC’s policy counsel, implementing legislative and policy reform strategies, conducting legal analysis on relevant litigation matters, and collaborating with BJC’s Christians Against Christian Nationalism movement on grasstops mobilization.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in Classics and Jewish Studies at Princeton University, Segal worked as a legislative assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) in Washington, D.C. His portfolio included civil rights, criminal justice reform, and interfaith dialogue. 

Segal attended rabbinical seminary at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, studying in Jerusalem and New York City. After his 2010 ordination, he served a congregation in Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado with his wife and co-clergy, Cantor Rollin Simmons. In 2017, Segal moved back to his hometown of Houston, Texas, to found RAC-TX as its lead organizer, overseeing statewide social justice campaigns through several sessions of the Texas Legislature.  

While working as a community organizer, Segal felt called to law school on his path toward working at the intersection of faith and public life. He enrolled at the University of Houston Law Center, where he graduated magna cum laude in 2024 and was a member of the Houston Law Review. Segal then spent one year as a clerk for the Honorable Yvonne Y. Ho, Magistrate Judge, Southern District of Texas-Houston Division.

Segal and his wife, Rollin Simmons, have two children and live in Houston.