It's a heavy claim, and completely justified. Adam James teaches in his church every week that wives don't have authority over their own bodies, husbands do, that mothers belong at home, that past sexual abuse isn't a good reason to refuse marital sex, and his Christian Nationalist movement would like to end women's voting rights. He's running for Washington State Representative, and he wants to legislate this.
Adam James · Candidate, WA State Rep · 12th Legislative District
Teaches husbands have authority over wives' bodies, appearance, and refusal — including after past abuse.
Calls economic policy that doesn't enable single-earner households "ungodly." Government should not stand in the way.
Dismisses #MeToo as a partisan smear. Refuses to engage on LGBTQIA+ rights. His broader movement openly debates whether women should vote.
Adam James doesn't whisper this view in private. He preaches it from a pulpit to his entire congregation. The teaching reaches the most intimate space of a marriage and tells women what they can and cannot say no to. Every quote below is verbatim, with a link to the moment in the original video.
"For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. This is actually very very helpful and instructive for us. So many women are like, 'Don't touch me.' Well, what do you mean don't touch me? That's for the husband."
From Adam's sermon series on marital sexuality. He invokes 1 Corinthians 7:4 (which the text frames as mutual) and applies it almost entirely one-directionally to women refusing intimacy. Voters in a state where bodily autonomy is a live legal issue should know how he frames the question.
Watch at 25:29 →"The husband has some jurisdiction over his wife's body and its appearance. This gets into areas like even hairstyle and clothing… The attitude that says, 'Oh my goodness, that's so sexist and controlling.' No, it's actually good. The wife should aim to please her husband and be attractive to him."
Adam directly anticipates the objection that this is sexist and controlling — and dismisses it. The teaching that men have a say over what their wives wear and how they style their hair is presented as God's design.
Watch at 27:04 →"If you've experienced abuse in the past, that should not be a permanent hurdle for you in being able to move forward with your husband or wife in marriage, in physical relations."
Adam lists past sexual abuse in a series of "illegitimate reasons for withholding sex" alongside tiredness, work stress, insecurity, and resentment. The framing places a religious obligation on survivors to resume sexual activity. Trauma-informed counselors and clinicians do not use this language. A state representative who teaches it from the pulpit will be voting on domestic-violence policy and family-court reform.
Watch at 45:05 →"If you're depriving your spouse of normal marital relations, Paul would call you to repent. That is sin."
Adam's sermon enumerates "illegitimate reasons" a woman might decline marital intimacy: too tired, distracted, insecure, doesn't enjoy it, doesn't feel appreciated, resentful. Each is framed as a spiritual failure requiring repentance. In a marriage where one partner has the financial, social, or theological upper hand, "withholding is sin" is the doctrine that has surfaced in many evangelical abuse cases.
Watch at 37:11 →"You have a prior and more important responsibility to your husband. You're a wife first. Don't replace your husband with your child."
Adam ranks a woman's obligations explicitly: husband first, children second. The teaching is paired with practical instructions to relocate young children out of the parents' bedroom so as not to limit access to marital intimacy.
Watch at 42:14 →Adam James's view of women's economic life is direct: married mothers should be home with the children, husbands should provide, and government policy that doesn't enable that arrangement is not just wrong — it's ungodly. For a candidate running to write the laws of Washington State, this is a stated position on tax policy, childcare policy, parental leave, and labor policy.
"Warring against the family's ability to be a family and have kids and for a mom to stay home and work — it's impossible — and that's ungodly of a government to put things in place that war against the family's ability to thrive… and the mother to fulfill her god-given dream and role and heart toward the home and in the family and the husband to provide."
Mothers' "god-given role" is at home. Husbands provide. A government that makes a single-earner household harder is "ungodly." For a state legislator, this is not a private religious view — it's a stated framework for policy decisions about taxes, housing, childcare subsidies, and family leave.
Watch at 47:35 →"He held up all four of my books on the video screen, says, 'We've started Stronger Men and we're using your books, the books biblical manhood series, in Romania.'"
Adam has authored a four-book series codifying his views on gender roles. The series is being used by an affiliated men's organization ("Stronger Men Nation") connected to Grace City Church. For voters who want to know exactly what he teaches about men and women, his published books are the most direct source — and they exist.
Watch at 53:30 →How a candidate treats women's voices in public predicts how he'll treat women's interests in office. Adam James has been on the record at a public campaign event in Cashmere on June 3, 2026, reported in detail by local journalist Dominick Bonny.
"The #MeToo movement became essentially not just believe all women, but believe all Democrat women. 'Believe all women' is entirely sexist."
Adam reframes a movement that surfaced widespread sexual misconduct as a partisan smear, then claims that crediting women's accounts of assault is itself bigotry. Voters considering whether he will take women's complaints seriously as a state representative — including in policy areas like sexual-harassment law, Title IX enforcement, and family court — have his answer on tape.
Dominick Bonny's reporting →Question: "Your organization's stance toward the queer community…"
Adam James: "I'm not sure what you mean by that."
Questioner: "Oh, I think you are."
Adam refused to engage on his church's anti-LGBTQIA+ activity at a public campaign event. Members of his church have already replaced Wenatchee's Pride flags with "family-themed" banners, an action local reporting documents as rooted in animus. The non-answer is itself the answer.
Dominick Bonny's reporting →[Direct Adam James quote on women's voting to be inserted here once source is confirmed.]
This entry is a placeholder. The broader Christian-patriarchy movement Adam James is publicly aligned with — figures like Doug Wilson and the Moscow, Idaho network — has openly debated whether women should vote. Until a direct Adam James source is confirmed, this entry is held back from the public site. We will not publish a claim attributed to Adam personally that we cannot link to a video, recording, or text he authored.
Pending verificationAdam James is challenging Rep. Mike Steele, a fifth-term Republican incumbent and lifelong NCW local. Both candidates are Republicans. Only one is on tape teaching that wives don't own their own bodies.