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. 

Pope Leo and Moral Leadership

Artwork: R. Stephenson

Pope Leo XIV responded this week to the joint U.S. and Israel attack on Iran and the growing violence in the Middle East with a call to all parties involved “to assume the moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence.”

Political leaders often use moral language to justify their actions. Much of MAGA rhetoric frames conflicts like this one in terms of good and evil. Language like that makes the conflict sound simple: good people confronting bad ones. It encourages people to unite around a perceived enemy, and violence is justified.

The Christian tradition points us in a different direction. Christians are called to unite not around fear of enemies but around justice, peace, and concern for the lives of others. Pope Leo’s appeal reflects that tradition. He calls all parties—including those who believe they are right—to take responsibility for stopping the violence.

Many of the world’s problems are made worse by the self-righteousness that characterizes much of MAGA thinking. Peace and justice are more likely when we approach crises with humility and with our shared humanity in mind.

This certainly is true of the problem of poverty as well. When people in poverty are seen as sisters and brothers, not as failures to be judged, we can together achieve dramatic progress.

There is reason for hope even in difficult times like these. Christian leaders around the world are reminding people of our moral responsibilities. From pulpits and in public statements, they are calling Christians to stand for peace, justice, and concern for people who are suffering. When faith communities speak with that kind of moral clarity, they can help move our politics in a better direction.

Watch Pope Leo’s address in the video below.

I write more about these themes—faith, moral leadership, and the work of ending poverty—in my forthcoming book Poverty Abolitionists. You can preorder it here.

Abigail Spanberger’s Brief and Genial Response to SOTU

Even if you persevered through the longest State of the Union address in history, you may have missed Governor Spanberger’s reply.  She asked us to reflect on three questions:

Is the President working to make life more affordable for you and your family? Most Americans have been hit by high costs, partly because of the President’s tariffs (which have increased costs by $1700 for the average family) and additional health care costs caused by the “Big, Beautiful Bill.” 

Is the President working to keep America safe both at home and abroad?  Governor Spanberger served for years as a law-enforcement and then an undercover agent for the CIA. The violence of ICE agents doesn’t make us feel safer. The President’s cozy relationship with dictators and last year’s rapid-fire decimation of the U.S. international aid program “have endangered our nation’s long and storied history as a force for good,” Spanberger said in her response.

Is the President working for you?  He is clearly enriching himself, his family, and friends. 

Spanberger’s speech is 17 smiling minutes. I recommend it: