JD Vance Calls Republican Push to Separate Church from Politics “Irrelevant” in New Book

In *Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith*, released Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance argues that Christianity should inform all aspects of public life. He contends that Republicans’ effort to divorce politics from religion “makes the Church irrelevant,” and he critiques both Republicans and Democrats for idolizing market forces or self-discovery, respectively.

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Vance, a recent Catholic convert, frames his book as a response to a perceived cultural shift away from Christian moral guidance. The work addresses immigration, the economy, and family policy, positioning the Church as a potential partner in solving “America’s biggest problems.”

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• JD Vance – author and political figure.

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• The Catholic Church – referenced for its stances on abortion, immigration, and poverty.

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• Conference of Catholic Bishops – issued a 2025 statement on immigration, emphasizing human dignity.

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• Tom Homan – former Border Czar who labeled the Church “wrong” on immigration.

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• Late Pope Francis – cited for prompting “difficult conversations” on immigration.

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• Former Vice President Kamala Harris – criticized for proposing an extended school day.

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• Vanessa Brown Calder – libertarian scholar at the Cato Institute, opposed to paid parental leave.

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Vance highlights the bishops’ 2025 letter, which calls for humane treatment of migrants while recognizing border enforcement. He praises the document as “admirably measured” and urges clergy to engage a nation “set on fire by the immigration issue.” Vance notes the practical tension between lawful deportations and the “heartache” they cause, arguing that policy must balance security with compassion.

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Vance denounces the market’s elevation to an “end in itself,” asserting that the economy should serve “human flourishing.” He critiques Harris’s school-day extension as a misaligned solution for working parents and rebukes Calder’s argument that paid parental leave harms women by raising employer costs, calling it “pure worship at the altar of commerce.”

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• Tom Homan dismissed the Catholic Church’s immigration stance, urging it to “spend time fixing itself.”

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• Vance described the bishops’ statement as “admirably measured” and praised Pope Francis’s approach for forcing necessary dialogue.

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• Vance labeled Harris’s school-day proposal as insufficient for addressing parental time constraints.

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• Vance condemned Calder’s anti-paid-leave position as a distortion of Christian values.

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Republican leaders expressed anger at Vance’s remarks, viewing his call for church involvement as contrary to the principle of separation of church and state. Libertarian circles, represented by Calder, maintain that market-driven policies, including limited parental leave, are essential for economic efficiency.

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• “Republicans are far too willing to worship the market and assume that free commercial transactions inevitably lead to good. Democrats are far too willing to idolize the self and assume that everything done in the name of self-discovery is good,” — JD Vance, *Communion*.

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• “When the Church offers its insights on abortion, I sometimes hear people on the left say, ‘The Church should stay out of politics.’ I hear the same thing when conservatives backbite a Christian pastor for talking about taking care of the poor or treating immigrants with dignity,” — JD Vance.

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• “Immigration is a particularly thorny version of a challenge I encounter every day in my job: how to take an accepted moral principle and apply it in the real world as a Christian leader,” — JD Vance.

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• “The economy is a means—an important one—to enable people to live good lives.” — JD Vance.

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• “Never have I read a purer distillation of our worship at the altar of commerce.” — JD Vance.

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Vance’s book revives debate over the role of faith in policy formation, potentially influencing Republican discourse on immigration, economic regulation, and family support. By framing Christian ethics as a public good, the work challenges prevailing secular approaches and may reshape legislative priorities.

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The book’s release is expected to prompt discussion within GOP leadership, among clergy, and in media outlets. Future congressional hearings on immigration and labor policy may reference Vance’s arguments, while the Catholic Church’s 2025 statement could become a touchstone for faith-based advocacy.

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