Disclaimer: It is not our role to determine whether or not somebody is a Christian. We just use our discernment based on the evidence we have found on the internet to come to a likely or best-guess answer. Our answers do not actually determine who is or is not a Christian and it is ultimately between the person and God. Not us.
Stephen Kevin Bannon who came into the limelight with the meteoric rise of former American President, Donald Trump, is an ex-investment banker, and media executive and came into the political foyer with his appointment by former President Trump as the White House’s chief strategist.
Steve Bannon grew up in a working-class family in Norfolk, Virginia, and is of German and Irish descent. He graduated from Benedictine College Preparatory, a private catholic military high school in Richmond, attended Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies, and has a degree in Urban Planning. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School.
Bannon joined the US Navy in 1976 and served for over 10 years before joining Goldman Sachs as an investment banker, where he worked for barely three years. Steve Bannon gained popularity after he was appointed as the White House’s chief strategist and senior counselor to the President. He has also shown prowess in television production, directing, writing, and acting and has played roles in films and documentaries like; Titus (1999), The Indian Runner (1991), Tradition Never Graduates: A Season Inside Notre Dame Football (2007), Battle for America (2010), and Clinton Cash (2016) among others.
Steve Bannon has been in the news for many controversies, including issues of religion. He rarely talks about his religious beliefs but has taken potshots a few times at the church, which led the audience into believing he has some affiliations with Christianity. In light of this, we’ll be analyzing certain comments, actions, and statements to determine the status of Steve Bannon as a Christian.
Is Steve Bannon Religious?
There are speculations that Steve Bannon is a Christian and he has also shown some affiliations with the religion. But, does this mean the politician is religious? Before going further, let’s take a quick look at what it means to be religious.
Religion is a set of organized beliefs and practices usually shared by a community or group and a religious person inwardly and outwardly adheres to these beliefs and practices. Religion is sometimes used to reference public and private worship and the beliefs in a God or gods. In today’s society, religion is commonly associated with salvation and is sometimes associated with revelation from a divine being. The Holy Bible in the book of James tried to give meaning to religion and what it means to be religious.
The Bible verse sees a religious person as someone who is not only observant of the external duties of his faith but also able to control his tongue and show love to those in need. James 1:26-27 says:
“If anyone thinks himself to be religious (piously observant of the external duties of his faith) and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person’s religious service is worthless (futile, barren). External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.”
Reacting to Bannon’s public criticism of the Catholic church’s response to Ex-president Trump’s plan to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program after 4 years of existence, Charlie Rose, Joshua Green, and other top personalities had something to say on the politician’s opposition of the church’s view.
The DACA program was implemented by the previous administration to secure those who migrated into the United States as young immigrants. Catholic church leaders in the US condemned the action and considered it as “reprehensible” but Bannon didn’t agree with the church’s view. What struck audiences’ attention is the fact that Steve Bannon who is a Catholic Christian did not support the church and even came out to publicly criticize them.
Following this scenario, Charlie Rose in an interview on CBS 60 Minutes with Bannon described him as a “good Christian.”
He said, “I remind you, a good Catholic, that Cardinal Dolan is opposed to what’s happened with DACA. Cardinal Dolan.”
Bannon who disapproved of the church’s view said:
“The Catholic Church has been terrible about this.
The bishops have been terrible about this. By the way, you know why? You know why? Because unable to really– to– to– to come to grips with the problems in the Church, they need illegal aliens, they need illegal aliens to fill the churches. That’s– it’s obvious on the face of it. That’s what– the entire Catholic Bishops condemn him. They have– they have an economic interest. They have an economic interest in unlimited immigration, unlimited illegal immigration. And as much as–As much as I respect Cardinal Dolan and the Bishops on doctrine, this is not doctrine. This is not doctrine at all. I totally respect the Pope and I totally respect the Catholic Bishops and cardinals on doctrine. This is not about doctrine. This is about the sovereignty of a nation. And in that regard, they’re just another guy with an opinion.”
This act passed a strong message to the audience about Steve Bannon’s religious orientation.
Does Steve Bannon believe in God?
Steve Bannon was born into a Christian home, went to a Catholic school while growing up, and mentioned that he is practicing Catholicism. The Catholic church is the largest Christian denomination with approximately 1.3 billion baptized members globally. The Catholic church, which is headed by a pope, has its headquarters in Vatican City and is considered one of the oldest and largest international religious institutions.
The core beliefs of Catholics are contained in the Nicene Creed, and some part of the creed says:
“I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made………..”
Catholics believe in one God who is; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Steve Bannon has identified himself as a “practicing Catholic” which means that he upholds some catholic beliefs and maybe believes in God.
In a 2017 report by NCR, in one of his interviews after evacuating the White House, Bannon said:
“What is the purpose of whatever I’m doing with this wealth? What is the purpose of what I’m doing with the ability that God has given us, that divine providence has given us to actually be a creator of jobs and a creator of wealth? I think it really behooves all of us to really take a hard look and make sure that we are reinvesting that back into positive things.”
Is Steve Bannon a Christian?
There are several reports that Steve Bannon was born into an Irish Christian home in Virginia. Even though he doesn’t speak so much about religion publicly, he has revealed that he’s “a practicing Catholic.”
Steve’s marriage to his second wife, Mary Louise Piccard hit the rock because of claims that Bannon refused his ex-wife’s request for their kids to attend “The Archer School for Girls” because he felt the school occupied too many Jewish kids and to him, Jewish kids were not well trained. Piccard alleged that Steve had made anti-Semitic statements about her choice. If these allegations were true, it means that Bannon did not want his kids to imbibe other religious beliefs because it could taint their Christian roots.
In a 2015 interview with Bloomberg News, Bannon made some comments about his religion. He said, “I come from a blue-collar Irish Catholic, pro-kennedy, pro-union family of Democrats.” He added that he flirted with other religions while serving in the military but has now returned to the Catholic faith.
Bannon has shown support for the Catholic church and in a few instances, he has criticized some church decisions that do not sit right with him. In 2012, Bannon established a permanent bureau for Breitbart News in Rome, the headquarters of the Catholic Church, and appointed Thomas Williams, a Catholic priest to lead the media house’s coverage from Rome. Williams was saddled with the responsibility of publishing news about the affairs of the Catholic Church.
At other times, his views, actions, and statements have gone against the religion and he has been considered heretical.
Is Steve Bannon Baptized?
Steve Bannon was born and raised in a Catholic Christian home, and as a norm, the Catholic Church conducts baptism for babies. Bannon must have been baptized into Catholicism since childhood.
What did Steve Bannon say about Jesus?
Bannon has made no particular reference to Jesus in his speeches or public comments. We’ve not found any direct statement he made about Jesus, but his religion believes in Jesus Christ, and so does he.
Final Thoughts
Many have described Steve Bannon’s Christianity as mysterious because of the contradictory actions he has taken that do not reflect Christianity. He has gotten married and divorced thrice which is against Christian principles, and has criticized the Catholic church and the pope for supporting immigrant rights. In 2020, he called for the beheading of Anthony Fauci, the American Government’s top infectious disease expert, and Christopher Wray, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The video clips were deleted from many social media platforms and he was banned on Twitter for promoting violence. Many have questioned Steve Bannon Christian beliefs for these opposing acts, but it’s not in our position to judge the controversial political strategist. Bannon has claimed he is a Christian.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!