“He’s an actual heretic,” said Josh Howerton, senior pastor of Lakepointe Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. “A Biblically defined false teacher and heretic.” Politicians have long twisted Scripture to fit their narratives, Howerton noted. What sets Talarico apart, he said, is that “his whole platform is using the Bible to convince Christians to support godless things.” Howerton warned that what progressive so-called Christians like Talarico do is “hollow out your religion and wear it like a skinsuit.” Joseph Backholm, senior fellow for Biblical Worldview and Strategic Engagement at the Family Research Council and Government Affairs Advisor for NC Values Coalition, put the dynamic in sharper focus. Pointing to a speech in which the crowd cheered after Talarico quoted Scripture, Backholm observed: “Christianity is not offensive because of the God we worship. Christianity is offensive because of the gods we refuse to worship.”

It's becoming very clear that these really were the most important and consequential midterm elections of our lifetime. By large margins, Democrats now control the House, Senate, and a majority of governorships nationwide. It's a political earthquake. Why were the midterms so consequential? Let's take a closer look at some of Tuesday's winners and who exactly Democrats will be sending to the U.S. Congress in January to enact laws and determine the direction of our country.

In January, worshippers at Cities Church in Minnesota were shocked to see a mob of angry activists storming the sanctuary, shouting obscenities and terrifying young children as they protested. Across Europe, anti-Christian attacks have also been steadily rising—vandalism, desecration, physical violence, and arson. Britain has supplied its own version of opposition: men and women arrested for silently praying outside abortion clinics, Christian speech silenced online, and even a lawmaker, Finnish Parliament Member Päivi Räsänen, temporarily barred from flying through London Heathrow because of her Biblical convictions.