Liberal Christian leaders condemn 'cruel and oppressive' US gov't; warn of 'white Christian nationalism'

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, February 26, 2026

Hundreds of Christians, including some left-leaning Evangelical leaders and scholars, have signed their names to an open letter calling on American Christians to "speak out" against what they described as an increasingly tyrannical government under President Donald Trump.

"We are facing a cruel and oppressive government," began the letter, which is titled "A Call to Christians in a Crisis of Faith and Democracy" and was first published on Ash Wednesday.

Alleging that "citizens and immigrants being demonized, disappeared, and even killed" as "hard-won rights and freedoms" are eroding amid "a calculated effort to reverse America's growing racial and ethnic diversity," the letter warned the U.S. is being pushed "toward authoritarian and imperial rule."

The letter also condemned "white Christian nationalism" as a heresy that is corrupting the church.

"What confronts us is not only an endangered democracy and the rise of tyranny," it read. "It is also a Christian faith corrupted by the heretical ideology of white Christian nationalism, and a church that has often failed to equip its members to model Jesus's [sic] teachings and fulfill its prophetic calling as a humanitarian, compassionate, and moral compass for society."

"Therefore, as Christians in the United States, representing the breadth of Christian traditions and one part of our nation's religiously plural society, we are compelled to speak out more boldly at this time."

The letter's main theological appeals included noting God's sovereignty over all nations and rulers; highlighting Jesus Christ as the definitive Word of God, whose teachings emphasized caring for the poor and oppressed; the Holy Spirit calling for justice and truth; and mandates such as Micah 6:8 and Joshua 24:15.

Describing Matthew 25:31-46 as Jesus' "final test of discipleship," the letter claimed the passage makes clear "that the measure of our faith is revealed in how we treat those who are hungry, thirsty, sick, strangers, or imprisoned."

Matthew 25 has repeatedly emerged as a point of debate among Christians regarding the role of the civil authorities, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., recently dismissed the claim that the chapter applies to federal law enforcement as they attempt to enforce immigration law.

"You're supposed to take care of the sojourner and the neighbor, treat them as yourself, welcome them in, yes," Johnson told a reporter on Feb. 3. "But that is an admonition to individuals, not to the civil authorities."

Q: Pope Leo cited Matthew 25:35 to critique Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda. How would you respond to Pope Leo in scripture?

MIKE JOHNSON: Sovereign borders are biblical and right and just. It's not because we hate the people on the outside. It's because we love the… pic.twitter.com/eS4A5dtXRt

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 3, 2026

The letter drew signatures from representatives of Christian denominations, including the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Moravians, the Mennonite Church USA, the United Church of Christ (UCC) and others.

The Rev. Jim Wallis, whose Georgetown Center for Faith and Justice in Washington, D.C., played a key role in organizing the effort, told USA Today that Christians face a moment that is "a defining test of Christian discipleship and civic responsibility."

"Democratic freedoms are being taken away and the gospel is being distorted. The vulnerable people Jesus told us to stand with and defend are being targeted and assaulted," he said.

Matthew Taylor, visiting scholar at the Georgetown University Center of Faith and Justice, founded by Wallis, recently featured in a promotional for CNN's upcoming documentary "The Rise of Christian Nationalism," during which he claimed the memorial for the late Charlie Kirk last fall "radicalized" many American Christians into believing they increasingly face hostility in their own country.

Kristin Kobes Du Mez, a professor of history and gender studies at Calvin University who featured in the late Rob Reiner's 2024 documentary about Christian nationalism, told USA Today that she found the statement was "a way for ordinary Christians to step up.”

During her appearance in Reiner's film, "God & Country," Du Mez lamented that a "more muscular Jesus" and "warrior Christ" has emerged among Evangelicals in recent years, which she claimed has laid the groundwork for Christian nationalists to believe political violence is acceptable.

"I think it's important to offer a statement that clarifies the political and theological stakes and that people can put their name behind," she told the outlet.

Among the signatories was left-leaning Evangelical author and activist Shane Claiborne, who appeared in a video promoting the letter and recently appeared to defend the anti-ICE protest at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, last month, while likening it to Jesus Christ cleansing the temple.

"Jesus literally staged a protest IN THE TEMPLE. Flipped some tables… and drove out the folks pretending to be holy," Claiborne wrote in an X post on Jan. 21, a day before federal agents arrested three of the activists involved with the protest. "It seems pretty clear that one of the most offensive things to God is when people use religion to cover up their greed and bigotry. Rebuke it. In the name of Jesus."