MAGA vs. Jesus: Round 1 - Why “America First” Has Always Been Anti-Jesus
MAGA says: “America first.” Jesus says: “The first shall be last, and the last shall be first” (Matthew 20:16, NRSV).
Most Americans know that Christian nationalism is both sinful and anti-American. Nationalism demands unquestioning loyalty to a country or leader. Christian nationalism twists faith to justify that devotion—whether through attempts to legislate the Ten Commandments into schools or by fusing patriotism with worship.
Today, the MAGA movement has become virtually synonymous with this dangerous ideology.
If you’ve ever felt uneasy seeing a cross and an American flag displayed side by side, this series is for you. In my viral MAGA vs. Jesus videos, I’ve shown how MAGA values are deeply unchristian. As I often put it: “The teachings of MAGA are incompatible with the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be unpacking those contradictions, starting here with “America First.”
The History of “America First”
“America First” isn’t new. Woodrow Wilson used it to argue for non-intervention in World War I. The Ku Klux Klan quickly picked it up as a slogan during a surge of racism and xenophobia. By the late 1930s, entire “America First” chapters pushed U.S. isolationism—a movement so troubling that Dr. Seuss lampooned it in his political cartoons.
This slogan has always carried with it a shadow of racism, fear, and idolatry of nation over neighbor.
Jesus vs. Empire
It is striking that so many American Christians see no conflict in worshiping the God revealed in Jesus and pledging allegiance to Donald Trump.
But remember: Jesus was executed by the Roman Empire precisely because he proclaimed loyalty to the Reign of God over and against imperial power. His life and ministry revealed God’s dream for the world: a dream where peace was born through justice, where the last were lifted up, and where oppressive systems were overturned. That vision is what got him killed.
The idea that Jesus would be comfortable with idol worship of a president—especially one who embodies so much of what Jesus stood against—is completely absurd. Instead, Jesus consistently flipped the script:
Those with much would have less.
Those with little would be lifted up.
The powerless would gain power, while the powerful would be brought low.
A Convicting Message
This message should be especially convicting for Trump, his enablers, and for anyone clinging to the myth of American exceptionalism.
Trump has already had his reward. But the God we know through Jesus longs for something else:
not tax breaks for the wealthy, but relief for the poor,
not privatized healthcare, but healthcare that is accessible and free,
not “America First,” but a community where the last shall be first.
The Gospel, Not Nationalism
Jesus wouldn’t wear a “Rome First” T-shirt any more than his followers should wear an “America First” one. His loyalty was never to empire, but to God’s dream for the world. And that dream is still calling us today.
If this resonated with you, subscribe to this newsletter and share it with a friend. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be taking more MAGA slogans head-on to show why they’re incompatible with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Behind the paywall below, you’ll find a series on clobber passages used against LGBTQ+ people. Read the free preview!
Read More Below!
False Claim: God Made Marriage for Men and Women
Misinterpreted Text: Genesis 2:24
“Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
The Bible is often used to clobber LGBTQ+ people by folks who rarely engage scripture deeply. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be unpacking these so-called “clobber texts” for subscribers, offering context that shows how little these claims actually have to do with the teachings of Jesus.
This week’s false claim: that the Bible defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
What Counts as “Biblical Marriage”?
When someone insists they believe in “biblical marriage,” I always ask: Are you sure?
