“No Kings” is a Biblical Theme

Millions of Americans will again gather tomorrow in “No Kings” demonstrations.  

Resistance to kings and emperors has roots in the Bible. 

It was Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who resisted God’s call through Moses to let the Hebrew slaves go free. 

When the people of Israel later decided they wanted a king to govern them and strengthen their defense against foreign aggression, the prophet Samuel warned them that a king would take their sons to be soldiers, make them pay heavy taxes, and take their lands and labor to maintain his officers and make himself wealthy.

The books of Kings and Chronicles report the history of the kings of Israel and Judah. With a few exceptions, it’s a report of disobedience to the law of Moses, oppression of the people, and fratricidal struggles among royalty. The main message of the prophets was criticism of idolatry and injustice among the people and their kings. The historical and prophetic books of the Bible both say that these internal failures led to the conquest of the two parts of Israel by the empires of Assyria and Babylon.

Prophets then rose up among Jewish exiles in Babylon—Jeremiah, a second Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The book of Daniel reports visions of the rise and fall of kings. Daniel and the book of Esther tell stories of faithful Jews under the emperors of Babylon.

Cyrus of Persia is the only emperor who is praised in the Bible. His policies toward conquered people were relatively liberal, and he allowed Jewish exiles to return to Judah and rebuild Jerusalem.

The New Testament takes place during the Roman Empire. The Romans used local authorities to impose heavy taxes on the peoples they conquered. The religious authorities in Jerusalem collected Roman taxes in Judah. They urged Pontius Pilate, the Roman prelate in Jerusalem, to execute Jesus, because Jesus’ main message was that God’s kingdom is coming into the world—a kingdom of love and justice, very different from the kingdoms that earthly kings and emperors impose. 

The High Priest and Sanhedrin said to Pilate, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor.” That convinced Pilate to order crucifixion, a form of punishment reserved for people who stood up against Roman authority.

Many of the early Christians suffered persecution, partly because they refused to worship Caesar or other Roman gods. The last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, ends with a vision of the final fall of empires and kings and the coming of a new Jerusalem, when God makes his home among us.

President Trump has seized more power than any prior U.S. president. He has used it to enrich and glorify himself, to serve the interests of wealthy people, bully other nations, and make life harder for people in need.

It’s an old story. The Bible teaches us to pray for all those in authority and stand up against their abuses.

David Beckmann is the author of Poverty Abolitionists: Faith, Activism, and Hope for Difficult Times, available May 28, 2026. Pre-order your copy at your favorite bookseller.

Eugene Cho and Rick Steves talk about ending hunger

screenshot as Rick Steves holds up my forthcoming book: Poverty Abolitionists

Rick Steves and Eugene Cho discussed the fight against hunger on Rick's March 23 edition of Monday Night Travel. The entire 90-minute program is worth watching. I especially appreciated Eugene's report on the $19 billion in annual funding that Congress recently restored to  international aid.  I also enjoyed Rick's commentary on clips from his travels in Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Iran.

My favorite clip, of course, was what they said about Poverty Abolitionists.

Recent Christian Pushback Against MAGA

How Americans experience God shapes their attitude toward poverty (Graphic R. Stephenson)

Many churches and church-supported organizations routinely take progressive positions on social issues and advocate with Congress on behalf of poor and vulnerable people. But during the second Trump administration, congressional Republicans have been submissive to the President, and faith-based advocacy has had limited impact. 

The nation’s slide toward authoritarianism, the violence of mass deportation, and now the attack on Iran have stirred Christian leaders to be outspokenly critical of MAGA, especially its hard-heartedness toward vulnerable people.

At the beginning of Lent, some 400 Christian leaders released A Call to Christians in a Crisis of Faith and Democracy. Its critique of MAGA is severe: “We are facing a cruel and oppressive government; citizens and immigrants being demonized, disappeared, and even killed; the erosion of hard-won rights and freedoms; and a calculated effort to reverse America’s growing racial and ethnic diversity—all of which are pushing us toward authoritarian and imperial rule.” 

Some white Evangelicals were among the original signers, and 7,500 people across the country have now signed the document, committing themselves to action.

Pope Leo XIV has made a series of critical remarks about the second Trump administration since it began—about its treatment of migrants, attacks on Venezuelan vessels, the exclusion of Europe from negotiations for peace in Ukraine, and President Trump’s “Board of Peace.” 

Catholic bishops in this country have recently begun to follow Pope Leo’s lead. In November, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops made a strong statement about immigration policy. Since then, a number of cardinals and bishops have presided at masses that focused on God’s care for immigrants. One of these masses was in an immigrant detention center.  

In January, Archbishop Paul J. Coakley, president of the USCCB, invited each bishop and priest to organize a holy hour of prayer about “the current climate of fear and polarization, which thrives when human dignity is disregarded.” Also in January, three cardinals issued a critique of our nation’s militaristic foreign policy. 

When the US and Israel attacked Iran, the World Council of Churches and the leadership of a handful of Protestant denominations in the US spoke out immediately against the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

Pope Leo appealed to both sides to “stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss.” Weapons, he said, only sow “destruction, pain, and death.”   

These recent statements from Christian teachers will meet with considerable opposition among the membership of their churches. More than half of white Christians, including many mainline Protestants and Catholics, voted for Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, and again in 2024. In general, Christians are less likely to be progressive on poverty issues than Jews, Muslims, or religiously unaffiliated people.  

The Bible, especially the New Testament, teaches that God is more forgiving than judgmental. But studies from Baylor University have shown that about half of the Americans who believe in God think that God is more judgmental than forgiving, and that people who believe that God is judgmental tend to oppose policies that provide opportunity to people in need. 

President Trump’s approval rating continues to drop. 65 percent of Americans say that “ICE has gone too far.” 78 percent of Americans now think there is a serious threat to democracy. Most Americans oppose the US strikes against Iran. 

Many Christians stepping up activism along the lines that Christian leaders are now encouraging. And just maybe, the hard-heartedness of MAGA will nudge some Christians who have supported  Donald Trump toward religious and political views that are more aligned with the message and example of Jesus.