{"id":32993,"date":"2026-09-29T11:49:39","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T15:49:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=32993"},"modified":"2026-09-29T11:49:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T15:49:39","slug":"senate-candidate-adam-hamiltons-sermon-on-beef-climate-change-sparks-new-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/09\/senate-candidate-adam-hamiltons-sermon-on-beef-climate-change-sparks-new-controversy","title":{"rendered":"Senate Candidate Adam Hamilton\u2019s Sermon on Beef, Climate Change Sparks New Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Church of the Resurrection \/ YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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 \u201crepentance\u201d over their environmental impact and suggested changing their diets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n

Hamilton, the longtime founding pastor of Church of the Resurrection in the Kansas City area, delivered the January 2020 sermon<\/a>, \u201cWhat Would Jesus Say About Climate Change?\u201d He framed environmental stewardship as a Christian responsibility and urged his congregation to consider how everyday choices affect the planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what repentance means \u2014 I saw things differently, it changed my heart, and it changed my behavior,\u201d Hamilton said during the sermon. He acknowledged his own wastefulness and encouraged Christians to recognize that even seemingly small choices can affect future generations.<\/p>\n

Hamilton also addressed food production, including cattle.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Later, Hamilton encouraged listeners to reduce their use of fossil fuels and consider \u201cchanging your diet\u201d so the food they consume requires less production that creates methane and carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n

The comments have become an issue in Hamilton\u2019s 2026 Senate campaign against Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall. Marshall and Republican groups have accused Hamilton of telling Kansans to \u201crepent for eating beef,\u201d a charge in one of the nation\u2019s leading cattle-producing states. Marshall repeated the criticism during the candidates\u2019 September debate at the Kansas State Fair.<\/p>\n

However, independent reporting has noted that the characterization combines different portions of Hamilton\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The distinction hasn\u2019t stopped the sermon from becoming part of the Senate race.<\/p>\n

Marshall has argued that Hamilton\u2019s environmental views are out of step with Kansas farmers and ranchers. Hamilton\u2019s campaign has pushed back, accusing Marshall of failing cattle producers on issues including tariffs, imports and fuel costs.<\/p>\n

At the Kansas State Fair debate, Hamilton turned the language of repentance back on his opponent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe senator needs to repent for not standing up for the beef industry,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cYour job is to speak up for the people of Kansas.\u201d<\/p>\n

The controversy also shows how Hamilton\u2019s decades in the pulpit are following him onto the campaign trail. The first-time political candidate has led one of the nation\u2019s largest United Methodist congregations and has preached extensively on social, theological and cultural issues.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 and shaping the political battle over what his Christian teachings could reveal about how he would govern.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 \u201crepentance\u201d 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,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":32999,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nSenate Candidate Adam Hamilton\u2019s Sermon on Beef, Climate Change Sparks New Controversy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Senate candidate Adam Hamilton faces scrutiny over a 2020 sermon calling Christians to repent over environmental impact and cut emissions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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