When I look at what is taking place in America today in the name of Christian faith, my spirit grieves. I am not speaking from a place of hate, but from a deep concern for the witness of the church. Christianity is supposed to point people to Jesus—the One who showed us the heart of God. God is love, and He loves the whole world He created.
To live by faith is not merely to say Christian words, wave Christian symbols, or claim Christian identity. To live by faith is to trust God enough to represent His character in the world. If God is love, then those who claim His name must be known by love—not by fear, cruelty, pride, hatred, or the desire to dominate others.
We Are Ambassadors for Christ
The Bible says, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20). In simple terms, an ambassador represents someone else. A Christian represents Jesus. That means our words, attitudes, actions, and public witness should help people see the love, mercy, truth, and holiness of God.
If our witness makes people see God as hateful, power-hungry, or cruel, then something has gone terribly wrong. That is not the Christ we learned. That is not the gospel Jesus preached. That is a misrepresentation—an imitation of Christianity that may use Christian language but does not carry the spirit of Christ.
Be Not Deceived
Jesus warned, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4). Deception does not always look obvious. Sometimes it comes dressed in religious language. Sometimes it sounds patriotic. Sometimes it claims to be defending God while acting nothing like God.
That is why we must be careful. Not everything called “Christian” is Christlike. Not every movement that uses the name of God reflects the heart of God. When people sow seeds of hate instead of godly love, when they agitate instead of reconcile, when they estrange and alienate instead of restore peaceful relationships, they are working against the ministry of reconciliation God gave to His people.
To reconcile means to help restore peace and right relationship. The opposite is to divide, disharmonize, estrange, agitate, and alienate. Sadly, much of what we see in public religion today does not look like reconciliation. It looks like people using Christianity as a weapon in culture wars.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod
In Mark 8, Jesus warned His disciples to beware of “the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Leaven is like yeast. A little bit works its way through the whole lump of dough. Jesus used that picture to warn us that bad teaching, hypocrisy, pride, and ungodly political influence can quietly spread through people’s hearts and communities.
The Pharisees represented religion without true heart change—rules, appearances, and self-righteousness without the love of God. Herod represented political power, compromise, and worldly ambition. Jesus was warning His followers not to let either form of influence corrupt their faith.
That warning still matters today. When Christianity becomes more about gaining political control than bearing spiritual fruit, we should pause. When the church becomes more passionate about power than compassion, more interested in winning arguments than winning souls, more devoted to party loyalty than Christlike love, something has been leavened.
Culture War Is Not Spiritual Transformation
I have watched the rise of the religious right, especially around the election of former President Donald Trump, and I am appalled by much of what I see. Some may be well intentioned, but well intentioned does not always mean rightly guided. Religious zeal without the heart of Christ can lead people into dangerous alliances, distorted priorities, and even violence. We saw how political idolatry and religious language helped create conditions that led to an insurrection.
This is not the way of Jesus. The kingdom of God will not be established through hatred, intimidation, mockery, or legislation. You cannot legislate spiritual rebirth. You cannot force people into the kingdom. You cannot make America Christian by using the tools of fear, anger, and political domination.
Real Christianity is not about using God to win a culture war. Real Christianity is about surrendering to Christ and being transformed by His Spirit. It is about loving enemies, doing justice, walking humbly, forgiving, serving, telling the truth, and calling people back to God.
A Longing for Christ, Not Just Church Activity
For years, I have felt a deep ache when I look at institutional forms of church. Many people attend Sunday services, sing songs, hear sermons, and go home unchanged. I have often seen very little spiritual transformation in people who faithfully attend church buildings. And much of the spiritual growth I have experienced has happened outside traditional church settings.
Something deep within me longs to know Christ and the power of His resurrection—not just church routine, religious performance, or public displays of faith. I believe many contemporary expressions of church have drifted far from biblical roots. We have become busy with programs, platforms, politics, and personalities, while neglecting the deeper work of becoming like Jesus.
That does not mean every church is wrong or every believer is false. It means we must examine ourselves. We must ask whether our faith is producing the fruit of the Spirit or the works of the flesh. We must ask whether our public witness looks like Jesus or makes a mockery of Christianity.
Return to the Heart of God
God is not asking His people to represent hate. God is not asking us to stir up fear. God is not asking us to build His kingdom through unholy alliances. He is calling us to be ambassadors of reconciliation.
So I say with love and urgency: be not deceived. Test the spirit behind the message. If it produces pride, cruelty, racism, fear, rage, idolatry, or contempt for others, it is not the Spirit of Christ. If it leads us away from love, humility, truth, mercy, repentance, and reconciliation, it is not the way of Jesus.
America does not need a louder religious performance. America needs people who live by faith and represent God well. The world does not need Christians who sow seeds of hate in Jesus’ name. The world needs believers who show the love of the God who loved the whole world enough to send His Son.
May we return to Jesus. May we reject the leaven of hypocrisy and political compromise. May we stop making a mockery of Christianity. And may we live as true ambassadors for Christ, pleading with the world—not through hate, but through holy love: be reconciled to God.
Minister A Francine Green I July 2026