It rips at my soul: the brothers and sisters in Christ, preaching love, forgiveness, and righteousness, then turning around and championing a man who embodies the antithesis of those very values. Even when someone finally concedes that the man’s character, behavior, and communication aren’t healthy or trustworthy, they still think that man will bring in conservative values… and somehow help Jesus out with America.

Biden’s dismal performance was a gut punch, especially considering the shocked whispers from Missoula’s liberal circles before I even saw it. Meanwhile, Trump? Classic Trump. His character oozed from every word, a living testament to “Out of the mouth the heart speaks” and “you will know them by their fruit.” And let’s not forget, “Though they have ears, they do not hear.” I’m shocked Biden’s performance was so abysmal that Trump’s blatant lies and nonsensical ego vomiting have almost been ignored – we all are just that used to it, even you Republicans.

But hey, at least the hypocrisy in the Evangelical obsession with politics is finally boiling over. Maybe this is the wake-up call they needed, like the intervention held for me in my church office some 6 years ago.

Jesus is Not American Politics

Here’s the brutal truth: “If we’re going to slay these political dragons, we need to start acting human ourselves.” Repay evil with kindness, be agents of peace, fight for the love Jesus embodied and commanded. Fight for what matters, “the weightier matters of the law”, not by demonizing your neighbors and clinging to a fabricated persecution complex. Jesus wasn’t a victim – get off your cross and start carrying it. Been there, done that, folks. Scripture is overflowing with condemnation for this kind of behavior. Frankly, it’s childish, a lot of 1 Corinthians without the agape. Our sacred texts call it toxic, a fire that consumes everything in its path. Can we just take a collective breath, quiet the noise, and maybe refocus on Jesus, not our preferred brand of still-born “faith?”

Because let’s be honest, you and Jesus probably will not see eye-to-eye anyway. Every denomination peddles its own Jesus, its own interpretation of the New Testament (looking at you, Campbell, Wesley, Luther, Smith, Warren, Groeschel, and all others). Will the real [Jesus] please stand up?

And yet, I remember that time sitting in a pastor’s office, the one railing against secular music and casual sex, KJV only, while rocking a life-size Trump cutout and a MAGA shrine in his church office. Evangelicals are Americans first, then Jesus…plus whatever doctrinal spin you need to swallow to be allowed into the fold. So much cognitive dissonance boggles the mind. But hey, I was in my first rehab then, with a long, uphill climb ahead – who was I to say anything…then?

Let’s reclaim our faith with logic and scripture, as Martin Luther demanded. We need to be Bereans, that discerning Jewish community in a Greco-Roman city, and be willing to question our assumptions. Are we truly living out the message of Jesus, the message of love, and the transformative power of the cross? Is our Gospel bearing the fruit and results Jesus and the New Testament talked about or is the American church so focused on political results that it’s become double-minded and built on shifting sands? Humility is key – the questions were rhetorical. Our nation is a speck in the grand narrative of God’s story. There are a lot more people on this earth than in your self-centered nation.

A Missing Doctrine For Your Theology

Systematic theology can wait. Let’s focus on this core truth: Scripture is adamant that God isn’t partial to any one nation – he is for all nations. Consider these verses, not just the words, but the context that breathes life into them:

1. Abraham – Blessed to Bless Every Nation: (The foundational narrative of Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3 presents a promise: “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” This blessing, however, is not an end in itself, but rather a conduit for God’s favor to reach all nations. This passage establishes a core principle of humility and service, challenging any interpretation that suggests exclusivity or national superiority.
2. Joshua meets the Angel of the Lord before Jericho: The encounter between Joshua and the Angel of the Lord in Joshua 5:13-14 underscores God’s ultimate sovereignty. When Joshua sees the angel with his drawn sword, he asks, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” (v. 13). The Angel responds, “No, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come” (v. 14). This clarifies that the divine allegiance is not to any one nation, but to the fulfillment of God’s purposes. The angel’s response serves as a caution against nationalistic pride, reminding believers that earthly victories are ultimately part of a grander, divinely orchestrated plan.
3. Gideon and the ephod: The book of Judges offers a cautionary tale in the story of Gideon (Judges 8:27). Despite being chosen by God, Gideon’s act of creating an ephod leads the nation of Israel into idolatry. This episode highlights the dangers of pride and misplaced devotion, even among divinely appointed leaders. It serves as a warning against conflating identity with religious faith.
4. Paul and “citizenship in heaven”: (Philippians 3:20 NIV) This passage emphasizes that Christians’ primary allegiance is to the kingdom of heaven, not to any earthly nation, calling for a focus beyond national pride. He claims there is no Greek or Jew, male or female, slave or free. He claims a different Kingdom that is bigger than Caesar’s, not a replacement for Caesars. We are too caught up in Caesar’s kingdom.
5. Jesus and the kingdom “not of this world”: Jesus’ message throughout the Gospels, but particularly evident in John 18:36x where he declares his kingdom “is not of this world,” reinforces the distinction between earthly power structures and the divine realm. Consider the Apostles’ confusion between the “Kingdom of Israel” and the “Kingdom of God” (Acts 1). Even Jesus’ call to make disciples of “all nations” demands we lay down our nationalistic egos, just as Romans would have had to. When we tie our faith to a nation, we are the wrong characters in Jesus’ Gospel.

The American Gospel: A House of Cards

The sight of American flags displayed prominently next to, or even above, the cross, is a potent symbol. Why on the same level or above? Where are the other flags? Would a first-century church have Rome’s Golden Eagle above their crosses? It’s a visual metaphor for a strain of Evangelicalism today, where fervent nationalism seems to be woven into the very fabric of faith.

Civic pride is a noble thing. Being good neighbors, and working together to do more are deep, good things. We all live here and making it work well for all is a valuable calling. We can celebrate the ideals upon which this nation was founded, the pursuit of liberty and justice for all. But there’s a critical line. When patriotism morphs into a distorted form of Christian exceptionalism, when the message of Jesus becomes inextricably intertwined with national identity, it’s time for a serious reevaluation. Could centuries of accumulated misinterpretations have obscured the true message of scripture? Have we, in our zeal, built a house of cards on a foundation of misunderstandings?

Let’s face the uncomfortable reality: within the vast Christian landscape, every denomination possesses its own unique theological flavor. Evangelical interpretations are just one brushstroke on a vast canvas. What if a denomination does not understand Jesus? What if the Holy Spirit, that divine force believed to guide believers, isn’t quite what we’ve been conditioned to believe? What if our long-held assumptions about scripture, the bedrock of our faith, are riddled with blind spots? What if we were the people Jesus would come to today? I’m not convinced we wouldn’t kill him.

Consider the “fruit” of this Americanized gospel. Has it yielded a bountiful harvest of peace, love, and justice? History and the news, unfortunately, offer a different narrative.

A Church Intervention

For years, I stood behind the pulpit, dispensing what I believed to be the truth. Now, on the other side of sobriety and deeply immersed in the worlds of study that helped me get here, the sanitized, picture-perfect world of ministry I once inhabited feels like a mirage. From Moscow, Idaho to the Bible Belt – the undercurrents are often the same. Fear, insecurity, group thinking, and pervasive hypocrisy fester beneath the surface. Leadership in the church, a position once imbued with a sense of righteousness and goodness? It’s twisted into a knot and pastors know it.

My ego, my insecurities, my personal life – all became entangled in a desperate pursuit of status and influence. The fallout? Devastating. My relationships with my children are fractured, and there are countless others I owe apologies to – people who poured their hearts and resources into the church plant I led. It all went spectacularly wrong.

Hey, American Church, have you looked at the results of all your actions? Have you seen your part in it all yet? It’s a lot to swallow, I get it.

Today, I’ve finally confronted the darkness within, now painstakingly rebuilding my life. This is an authentic faith that pulled me from the abyss of addiction and despair. It’s the faith that compels me to strive towards the person I know I have the potential to be. It cuts through my ego with precision and malice. There’s no room for excuses or blaming all the other sinners. It forces me to see my sin and will not let me forget the weightier matters I’ve been called to. This is my race to run, a gaze fixed on just Jesus, the architect and perfecter of my faith.

Fruits of The American Gospel

But your gospel? I’m not saying you don’t love Jesus – I am saying you might have the wrong one. There’s a dissonance, a discordant note that cannot be ignored. It’s skewed, and ripe for manipulation and exploitation. Perhaps it feels comfortable, a familiar battle cry that resonates within your echo chambers. But if it incites anger and shuts down genuine dialogue, if it echoes the same primal sins that have plagued humanity since Cain and Abel, then it’s demonstrably not the Gospel Jesus preached.

It’s precisely this distorted gospel that’s hemorrhaging members from churches across the nation. It’s the reason a new generation, the “Exvangelicals” and “Deconstructionists” you readily dismiss, are walking away. They’re the fruit of a poisonous tree, a movement born from disillusionment and a desperate yearning for authenticity. They are a living testament to the corrosive effects of a gospel that has lost its way. Instead of a city on a hill, people are fleeing from you.

An Invitation

We stand at a crossroads. Will we cling to the tattered remnants of a nationalistic, self-serving gospel, or will we embark on a courageous quest to reclaim the true message of Jesus? A message that transcends earthly borders, that celebrates the inherent dignity of every human being, regardless of nationality or creed. A message that compels us to love our neighbors, not demonize them. A message of radical love, transformative forgiveness, and unwavering hope.

Perhaps it’s time to revisit the life (not necessarily his works) of Martin Luther, that fiery reformer who dared to challenge the status quo. Perhaps we look again to those who have gone before us, who were willing to be heretics in order to live their faith truly. Perhaps it’s time to become Bereans once more, those discerning Jews of the New Testament who didn’t blindly accept religious pronouncements, but instead searched the scriptures diligently (Acts 17:11).

The future of American Evangelicalism hinges on this critical choice. Will it continue down the path of division and discord, or will we choose a different path? A path illuminated by the radical love and transformative message of Jesus? The choice is theirs.

Perhaps this is an invitation. An invitation to a conversation, a respectful dialogue absent of judgment or condescension. An invitation to wrestle with scripture together, to grapple with the complexities of faith in a modern world. An invitation to rediscover the Jesus who preached love for the ostracized, the marginalized, and the outsider – a message with the power to heal our fractured world. An invitation to face your own bullshit.