A six-year-old sermon from prominent United Methodist pastor and Kansas Democratic Senate nominee Adam Hamilton is drawing renewed attention. In it, he called Christians to “repentance” over their environmental impact and suggested changing their diets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Hamilton, the longtime founding pastor of Church of the Resurrection in the Kansas City area, delivered the January 2020 sermon, “What Would Jesus Say About Climate Change?” He framed environmental stewardship as a Christian responsibility and urged his congregation to consider how everyday choices affect the planet.

“That’s what repentance means — I saw things differently, it changed my heart, and it changed my behavior,” Hamilton said during the sermon. He acknowledged his own wastefulness and encouraged Christians to recognize that even seemingly small choices can affect future generations.

Hamilton also addressed food production, including cattle.

“Some of the things that we grow, because we like to eat them, like cattle, end up producing more carbon dioxide than other crops that we could grow, other forms of food that we could have,” he said.

Later, Hamilton encouraged listeners to reduce their use of fossil fuels and consider “changing your diet” so the food they consume requires less production that creates methane and carbon dioxide.

The comments have become an issue in Hamilton’s 2026 Senate campaign against Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall. Marshall and Republican groups have accused Hamilton of telling Kansans to “repent for eating beef,” a charge in one of the nation’s leading cattle-producing states. Marshall repeated the criticism during the candidates’ September debate at the Kansas State Fair.

However, independent reporting has noted that the characterization combines different portions of Hamilton’s sermon. Hamilton called for repentance over failing to properly care for creation. He separately suggested dietary changes as one way people could reduce their carbon footprints.

The distinction hasn’t stopped the sermon from becoming part of the Senate race.

Marshall has argued that Hamilton’s environmental views are out of step with Kansas farmers and ranchers. Hamilton’s campaign has pushed back, accusing Marshall of failing cattle producers on issues including tariffs, imports and fuel costs.

At the Kansas State Fair debate, Hamilton turned the language of repentance back on his opponent.

“The senator needs to repent for not standing up for the beef industry,” Hamilton said. “Your job is to speak up for the people of Kansas.”

The controversy also shows how Hamilton’s decades in the pulpit are following him onto the campaign trail. The first-time political candidate has led one of the nation’s largest United Methodist congregations and has preached extensively on social, theological and cultural issues.

Now, as Hamilton seeks a Senate seat in a state that has not elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century, those sermons are reaching a very different audience — and shaping the political battle over what his Christian teachings could reveal about how he would govern.