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“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,” the letter claimed.
The authors argue that the problem goes beyond politics alone. According to the signatories, the issue also involves what they see as a distortion of Christianity itself.
“What confronts us is not only an endangered democracy and the rise of tyranny. 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 teachings and fulfill its prophetic calling as a humanitarian, compassionate, and moral compass for society.”
The coalition behind the letter says its message is intended to reflect voices from across multiple Christian traditions. The signers say they felt compelled to speak out because they believe the current moment demands moral clarity from religious leaders.
In their statement, the group urged Christians across the country to take an active role in opposing what they describe as growing threats to democratic institutions.
It called believers to “join us in greater acts of courage to resist the injustices and anti-democratic danger sweeping across the nation.”
The letter further warned that remaining quiet in the face of political and social developments would amount to complicity.
“In moments like this, silence is not neutrality — it is an active choice to permit harm,” the letter claimed.
The authors again invoked Christian teaching as the foundation for their criticism, arguing that followers of Christ have a moral duty to speak out when they believe injustice is taking place.
Again invoking “the teachings of Jesus,” the coalition said that they “refuse to be silent while too many people who call themselves Christians aid, abet, or simply stand by and allow these atrocities.”
“We choose to resist, calling forth the righteous demands of our faith rooted in the teachings of Jesus. Religion should not be used to deify politicians or justify their abuses,” the letter continued.
“When it is, faith ceases to be faithful and becomes a weapon of both heresy and hypocrisy.”
The document also takes direct aim at nationalism itself, warning Christians not to blur the line between patriotic identity and religious devotion.
The letter says believers must not “confuse American and Christian identity with whiteness, or mistake allegiance to modern-day Caesars for faithfulness to Christ.”
Several leaders from mainline Protestant denominations signed the statement, including figures connected to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Moravian Church, the Mennonite Church USA, and the United Church of Christ.
The letter also drew support from well-known progressive evangelical voices such as historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez of Calvin University and activist Shane Claiborne, founder of Red Letter Christians.
The statement closes with a call for unity among Christians who share the group’s concerns, emphasizing solidarity with those they consider most vulnerable in society.
“We serve a God, through our Lord and Liberator Jesus Christ, who equips us with the courage and fortitude to stand for justice and peace,” the letter concluded.
“We will always stand in solidarity with those who are most vulnerable among us.”
The debate over faith, politics, and national identity continues to intensify in the United States, with religious leaders on both sides arguing that their interpretation of Christian values should guide believers navigating an increasingly polarized political landscape.
