Woke Christian Leaders Issue Letter Against Rise of ‘White Christian Nationalism’

A coalition of left-leaning evangelical Christians issued a new open letter against the Trump administration and what they claimed is a rising tide of “white Christian nationalism.”

In recent years, legacy media outlets and Democratic leaders have linked a rise in distinctly Christian conservative political engagement to “Christian nationalism,” denouncing the notion that America is an historically Christian people and country.

The letter, signed by hundreds of Christian leaders, reflected a similar sentiment as it criticized President Donald Trump’s policies during his second term.

“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.

“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.”

“We call on all Christians to join us in greater acts of courage to resist the injustices and anti-democratic danger sweeping across the nation. In moments like this, silence is not neutrality—it is an active choice to permit harm.”https://t.co/QCJz3MAIvO

— James F. McGrath (@ReligionProf) February 24, 2026

The letter, seeking to represent “the breadth of Christian traditions and one part of our nation’s religiously plural society,” asserted that such trends mandated that they speak.

It called Christians to “join us in greater acts of courage to resist the injustices and anti-democratic danger sweeping across the nation.”

“In moments like this, silence is not neutrality — it is an active choice to permit harm,” the letter claimed.

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 even categorically denounced the notion of nationalism, saying that Christians must not “confuse American and Christian identity with whiteness, or mistake allegiance to modern-day Caesars for faithfulness to Christ.”

On Ash Wednesday, I joined a community of Christian leaders who released “A Call to Christians in a Crisis of Faith and Democracy.” During Lent, I’m going to take a break from social media and pray, fast and help the poor (Matthew 6) https://t.co/9ADe6IRrUE

— Peter Heltzel (@PeterHeltzel) February 19, 2026

Among the mainline Christian denominations whose leaders signed the letter were the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Moravians, the Mennonite Church USA, and the United Church of Christ (UCC).

Prominent evangelicals who signed the letter included Kristin Du Mez, a professor of history and gender studies at Calvin University, and Shane Claiborne of Red Letter Christians.

“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.”

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