MAGA evangelical politics betray the gospel of Jesus. Their betrayal is not the tortured love and confusion of Judas, the denial of Peter, or the honest doubt of Thomas. It’s more diabolical.
Rodney Kennedy
MAGA evangelicals hide the demolition of faith and freedom under the cloak of what they call the gospel. They hide contempt, derision, and arrogance behind the smiling faces of the “happy, happy, happy” faces of Jesus people. I contend Jesus may not be happy with his “happy, happy, happy” people.
Theologically, this is a betrayal of the Baptist tradition, once determined to know that there is no foundation other than Jesus Christ. Baptist theologian James McClendon taught that in a world without foundations, all we have is the church. MAGA evangelicals have decided this is a deficiency. They attempt to fill this deficiency with secular political power.
Ecclesiastically, it is a betrayal of the Baptist tradition of the separation of church and state. A book begs to be written tracing the Baptist desertion of the First Amendment, perhaps the most unique contribution Baptists made to faith and nation.
Biblically, it is a betrayal of the gospel and faith of Christianity. MAGA evangelicals activate my biblical imagination. I see Eve waving forbidden fruit in Adam’s face, a construction crew at the base of the Tower of Babel, an ancient king shouting, “I will ascend to the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13 – 14).
I see James and John scrambling for the seats of power in the kingdom of Jesus. I see MAGA piling the gifts of Satan into a gold-gilded bag in the wilderness.
If you think I’m drinking the wine of hyperbole, consider Christian Nationalism, Seven Mountains Dominionism, and the independent network of charismatic Pentecostal prophets and apostles gathered around President Trump in the Oval Office for laying on of hands and prayer. See Paula White, Lance Wallnau, Franklin Graham, and Robert Jeffress praising Trump to the heavens.
I have read another vision from the genius of Fyodor Dostoyevsky in his picture of the Grand Inquisitor. The old, powerful church leader represents MAGA in all its diabolical glory. The Grand Inquisitor tells Jesus, “Had you accepted the ‘loaves,’ you would have answered the universal and everlasting anguish of man … There is no more ceaseless or tormenting care for man, as long as he remains free, than to find someone to bow down to as soon as possible.” With an eerie MAGA note, the Inquisitor continues: “We corrected your deed and based it on miracle, mystery, and authority. And mankind rejoiced that they were once more led like sheep.”
MAGA has accepted Trump’s gold gilding as a substitute for Caesar’s purple and now attempts to establish a universal kingdom based on authoritarian control of every aspect of life. MAGA is just another version of Rome.
Perhaps MAGA evangelicals are oblivious to how Jesus responded to the devil’s temptations. In Luke’s account of Jesus’ temptation in the desert the devil says, “To you I will give their glory and all their authority, if you will worship me.” Luke then adds words missing in Matthew’s account: “For it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please” (Luke 4:6–7). The politics of this world are said to emanate from Satan. I argue MAGA evangelicals are bowing before Satan to receive the gift of political power.
Jesus refused the devil’s bag of goodies. Stanley Hauerwas notes, “He did so because Jesus knows that God’s kingdom cannot be forced into existence using the means of the devil.” I contend MAGA evangelicals now believe God’s kingdom can be forced upon the nation using the means of the devil.
I trace the shift in evangelical thinking about Jesus to December 19, 2021, when Donald Trump Jr. dropped the bombshell that “turning the other check has gotten us nothing.” The ensuing politics of secular power set a course toward evangelical rejection of the clear teachings of Jesus.
As President Donald Trump sits at a desk in the White House Rose Garden to sign an executive order creating a “religious liberty commission,” conservative Christians gather around him to sing “Amazing Grace” on May 1, 2025 (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)
“Jesus” — the name above all names — is still on evangelical lips. “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” fills the multiplex centers where thousands gather on Sunday morning. MAGA evangelicals have changed their minds about the role of Jesus in daily life — money, sex, politics.
The result has been a severing of Jesus from his own gospel, destroying truth, decency, ethics, national unity, racial progress, and compassion and empathy.
MAGA fills the air with a toxic masculinity, a destructive spirit of vengeance, an embrace of anarchy and chaos, an angry God bent on the destruction of all evangelical enemies, and an arrogant assertion of absolute rightness. Evangelical faith now articulates itself as an irrational movement — a movement opposed to science, history, culture, human rights, the environment, and immigrants.
MAGA evangelicals are but the newest disciples of an ancient heresy known as Gnosticism. As Gillian Rose reminds us, Gnosticism is the default spiritual condition, a condition almost unavoidable among MAGA evangelicals. No group works harder to spiritualize the church on Sunday than MAGA evangelicals.
To say Paul was obsessed with the flesh is not hyperbole. “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13). Paul goes on like this about the flesh more than 50 times in his letters.
Presuming Christianity is “spiritual,” politics can be extracted from theology and free evangelicals to do as they please. The result is that the dreadfully inhibited, rules-bound evangelicals have become a bunch of out-of-control adolescents — testosterone-addled males. From the Theobros incredulous move to stop women from voting to the antics of Secretary of State Pete Hegseth, toxic masculinity has morphed into an unending parade of male bravado, bragging, and boasting.
“The fleshly” is now defined among MAGA evangelicals as gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people, illegal immigrants, the liberal elites (universities and the media), and progressive Christians.
Christianity always is tempted by political power. Mark’s account of one such plot depicts James and John, saying to Jesus “Appoint us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory” (Mark 10:35 – 37). This represents a brazen attempt at securing political power by James and John — to whom Jesus gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17). They must have always secretly wanted the power. After all, this pair said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:54). MAGA evangelicals are like James and John trying to horn in on Christ’s power.
Once MAGA equated “Jesus is my Savior” and “Trump is my president” as co-equals, it was only a matter of time before Trump rose above even the name of Jesus and the name that is above every name relegated to Sunday morning repetition. The “happy, happy, happy” people of Sunday haven’t realized Jesus is not happy with them. They have mistaken the glow of gold gilding floating out of the White House for the dazzling presence of the transfigured Jesus.
When people claiming to follow Jesus, deny him, betray him, and reject him, there is only one gospel response: Repent! Believe the Gospel! Feed my sheep! MAGA, it’s your turn.
Rodney Kennedy has his M.Div. from New Orleans Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in Rhetoric from Louisiana State University. The pastor of 7 Southern Baptist churches over the course of 20 years, he pastored the First Baptist Church of Dayton, Ohio — which is an American Baptist Church — for 13 years. He is currently professor of homiletics at Palmer Theological Seminary, and interim pastor of Emmanuel Friedens Federated Church, Schenectady, New York. His eighth book, Dancing with Metaphors in the Pulpit, is out now from Cascade Books.
