by Aswad Walker
When Republicans claim that “Christianity is under attack,” they’re right. But not in the way they think. The loudest attackers of the faith aren’t secular “godless liberals,” “woke” activists, or people of other religions.
The real assault on Christianity is coming from inside the house; from white Christian nationalists who have twisted the gospel into a weapon of power, exclusion, and fear-mongering oppression.
GOP contradiction
For decades, the Republican Party has draped itself in the mantle of Christianity. Politicians end speeches with “God bless America,” frame policies as “biblically based,” and claim moral superiority over their opponents. Yet their actions and rhetoric consistently reject the fundamental teachings of the very faith they claim to defend.
Jesus’s ministry, as laid out in Luke 4:18–19, was as radical and revolutionary as it was clear and compassion-filled: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor… to proclaim release to the captives… to let the oppressed go free.”
Those words aren’t suggestions. They’re Jesus’s mission statement. Yet modern Republican Christianity, steeped in nationalism and obsessed with power, stands in direct opposition to this gospel vision.
Christ kicked to the curb
Even insiders see it. Russell Moore, editor-in-chief of Christianity Today and a former Southern Baptist leader, recalled that pastors had told him they were accused of using “liberal talking points” simply for quoting the Sermon on the Mount. Moore noted that many Christian conservatives now reject their own faith’s central doctrines as too “weak” and “liberal.”
Eric Trump even had the nerve to say, without recognizing his galaxy-sized God-complex, “We are saving Christianity. We are saving God.” Lord, Lord.
The same Jesus who said, “Whatever you did for the least of these… you did for me” (Matthew 25:40) would hardly recognize the faith of those who criminalize poverty, cut food assistance, and treat refugees as threats. It’s hard to equate the “party of God” with policies that separate children from their parents at the border, strip healthcare from those who need it most, and reduce SNAP benefits for struggling families—then punish those who try to feed the hungry.
Still, Republican leaders and their media allies rail against “godless liberals” for supposedly tearing down Christian values. But the moral decay they denounce is actually the log in their own eye. The Bible repeatedly condemns oppression and greed while praising justice and compassion (“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8). Yet the modern Republican agenda reads like a James Bond villain-level checklist.
Flags over faith
Over time, the gospel of Jesus has been replaced by a gospel of nationalism and nostalgia. Crosses were fused with flags, and “faith” became shorthand for cultural dominance rather than spiritual conviction. Republican Christianity now measures holiness not by acts of compassion but by party loyalty and outrage. The Jesus who said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” has been replaced by an AK-47 Jesus who builds walls and blesses war against the poor.
The movie When a Stranger Calls delivers a haunting line that captures our current reality: “The call is coming from inside the house.”
Likewise, the moral and spiritual decay threatening Christianity isn’t coming from secular culture. It’s coming from those within the church who’ve traded compassion for cruelty and mercy for might.
Consequences
The consequences of this hypocrisy are not just political, but spiritual too. When religion becomes a partisan brand instead of a moral compass, it loses credibility with the very people Jesus came to serve. Millions of young folk now associate Christianity not with love and liberation but with the myth of white supremacy. That’s not on atheists or progressives. That’s the legacy of a faith that forgot its founder.
To be clear, this isn’t a condemnation of all conservatives or Christians. I’m sure many strive daily to love their neighbors, feed the hungry, and welcome the stranger. But they’ve been rendered invisible, and their voices drowned out by culture warriors and power brokers who’ve turned faith into a political weapon.
If Republicans truly want to defend Christianity, they should start by practicing it. Protecting Christianity means feeding the hungry, not mocking them. It means lifting up the poor, not cutting their benefits. It means welcoming immigrants, not demonizing them. It means standing for justice, not reveling in injustice.
The Bible makes it plain: God’s heart is with the oppressed, not the oppressor. Until those who claim to speak for Jesus return to this basic truth, their cries of persecution will ring hollow.