In this panel discussion with John Adenitire, Marietta van der Tol and Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences hears the case for non-political and economic framings of the populist surge. In particular we consider it as a religious backlash. The Eurasian traditionalism of Vladimir Putin, the Christian-Democracy of Orbán, the Judeo-Christianity of Trump, the prosperity Pentecostalism of Bolsonaro, the populist Catholicism of Salvini and the Hindu-nationalism of Modi, and Islamo-Kemalism of Erdoğan are all examples that seem to prove the point. Leading the discussion is Steinmetz-Jenkins’ account that what has been eroding for the past few decades is not simply democratic or liberal values per se but rather a growing suspicion of secularism and the secular elites who propagate it.