Trump's Holy War w/ Dr. Andrew Shepherd: 25 March 2026

The ongoing war between the U.S.-Israeli coalition and Iran is a battle between three nations of three different faiths—Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Religious rhetoric and imagery have been deployed on all sides in order to arouse public support, with the Republican administration in the U.S. making some less-than-subtle appeals to its evangelical Christian voter-base. 

However, opinion polls show that the war continues to be unpopular in the United States, and while many evangelicals continue to support Trump, the administration’s attempt to frame the conflict as a holy war has been a cause of confusion and annoyance for other sections of the American public.

To help us understand the complex relationship between war, faith, and American politics, producer Toby spoke to Dr. Andrew Shepherd, senior lecturer in theology at the University of Otago.