In the earliest years of Christianity, theological teachings were often shared through letters. They were personal appeals that spoke directly to the challenges and hopes of new believers and to resolve church disputes. Those epistles were written by apostles and later recognized as inspired writings, which were included in the New Testament canon.
This “open letter” is crafted in that same spirit, but using the voice of Jesus Christ – the Messiah. It is not as a parody or impersonation, but as a way to reintroduce His message to those who have strayed from it.
The essay addresses self-proclaimed Christians whose devotion has shifted toward political figures and partisan agendas, urging them to remember the true heart of the gospel. At the same time, it offers comfort to believers disheartened by the misuse of Christ’s name.
Recast for a modern-day audience, but rooted in the actual Scriptures and teachings recorded in the Bible, this piece aims to illuminate the path of genuine Christian faith – one marked by compassion, humility, and love.
It is not intended to ridicule anyone or impersonate the Lord. Instead, its purpose is to reflect His message in a direct and 21st-century context, calling all who claim Christ’s name to rediscover the heart of the gospel.
My dear children, I speak to you now from a place of deep concern and unwavering love. “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love” (John 15:9). These were my words to the earliest disciples, and I offer them again for your reflection today.
Yet I observe with sorrow how a faction calling itself Christian has turned away from the heart of my teachings. They have replaced the command to love your neighbor (Matthew 22:39) with a fervent devotion to worldly power and an almost idolatrous allegiance to a political figure.
These thoughts serve as both a warning and an invitation. Let us reason together about what it truly means to call me Lord.
A MODERN GOLDEN CALF
You have read in Scripture of the golden calf (Exodus 32), the idol that the Israelites fashioned when they grew impatient for the return of Moses from Mount Sinai. They placed their hope and adoration in an image of their own making rather than in the living God. Today, I see a similar pattern.
My name has been plastered onto banners, T-shirts, and campaign slogans, suggesting that I endorse oppression, bigotry, or ruthless political ambitions. In truth, this is no different from fashioning a false god. Many of you have knelt before a new golden calf — one adorned in political colors and unyielding rhetoric — while you disregard the spirit of my message.
When I said, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21), I was challenging the notion that God’s kingdom is dependent on the rule of an earthly emperor. Indeed, my kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36).
If you find yourselves fusing your political loyalties with your faith in me so tightly that you cannot distinguish the two, you risk giving to Caesar what belongs to God, which is your heart, your worship, and your ultimate hope.
A CULTISH DEVOTION
To those who have marched proudly under the banner of so-called Christian nationalism, proclaiming that your political leader alone can secure salvation for the nation, I must be blunt: You are drifting from my path.
Such movements feed on fear, anger, and supremacy. They refuse to love the strangers among you (Leviticus 19:34) and instead preach distrust and even hatred of the foreigner, the refugee, or the one who simply disagrees with you politically.
This is not my way, for I clearly taught, “I was a stranger and you invited me in” (Matthew 25:35), highlighting that kindness toward the most vulnerable is equivalent to kindness toward me.
In the fervor of your rallies, in the chanting of slogans that exalt a human figure as if he were a messiah, ask yourself: Are these the actions of those who follow the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)?
Have you truly reflected on my words that those who live by the sword will die by it (Matthew 26:52)? When you wave flags and shout that a politician will restore the nation, might you be placing your faith in the military power of “chariots and horses” rather than in the Lord your God (Psalm 20:7)?
OPPRESSION AND PRIDE
You demand that your compatriots bow to your ideological stance, sometimes justifying acts of violence or encouraging hostility toward entire groups of people. You shame the poor for their plight or champion a system that benefits the wealthy and privileged at the expense of the marginalized.
Remember my parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-46. The dividing line between the righteous and the condemned was not doctrinal purity or political affiliation, but whether each person cared for the hungry, the sick, the stranger, and the prisoner.
There is a certain arrogance in the assumption that a mere human leader, or any movement, can claim exclusive ownership of the gospel. I warned against the hypocrisy of religious leaders who put heavy burdens on people but would not lift a finger to help (Matthew 23:4).
I also recognized that calling upon my name while ignoring my commandments is futile: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).
WEAPONIZING MY NAME
I grieve most deeply when I see my teachings twisted into a cudgel used to strike those who do not conform. Have you not heard me say, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34)?
Some who claim to follow me instead wage war against fellow humans in my name. They push the narrative that I have sanctioned prejudices against people of certain races, orientations, or religious backgrounds.
My rebuke of the Pharisees, who prided themselves on strict religious observance but lacked compassion, reverberates through history: “You give a tenth of your spices … but you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23).
Similarly, to those who chant “Lord, Lord” while denying justice and kindness, I say this, You are far from my heart.
BEATING HEARTS NOT BATTERING RAMS
The Christian Nationalist mantra that claims sole possession of truth and portrays others as enemies shows a tragic misunderstanding of my gospel. The earliest believers, whom I left with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), transformed the world not through coercion but through love, service, humility, and prayer.
Consider how I, your Lord, entered Jerusalem on a donkey, not astride a warhorse. I did not condemn those who questioned me but graciously invited them to examine their hearts (John 20:27).
When I washed my disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17), I gave an example of servanthood that defies the logic of raw power.
Yet some of you have picked up the sword of political force, or even actual weapons, believing that might makes right. You take the words of Scripture about spiritual warfare and apply them to battles against flesh and blood, something I never endorsed (Ephesians 6:12).
You label others “enemies” when my directive was to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). The impetus has turned from transforming hearts to enforcing an ideology, and thus you have turned my message into a battering ram rather than a beacon of hope.
A WORD TO THE DISILLUSIONED
To those among my followers who are watching this unfold with despair, who see me invoked in political rallies that foster division and hatred, who wonder how this could be connected to my name, I see your distress.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). You mourn for the reputation of my church, now entangled with movements that elevate one nation or one political faction over the universal love I preached.
Many of you feel your faith slipping through your fingers as you witness preachers spouting venom in my name. Remember that I foresaw times when false prophets would arise, even among those claiming to be my followers (Matthew 24:24).
Not everyone who carries my banner is truly with me. “By their fruit you will recognize them,” I said (Matthew 7:16). If the fruit is hatred, manipulation, and the thirst for control, that should alert you to the true nature of these leaders.
Do not lose heart over the failures of those who misuse my name. Keep your eyes fixed on what I actually taught — feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, turn the other cheek, walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). These are the signs of a life aligned with my teaching.
ON GUARDING AGAINST EXTREMES
It is understandable that many feel tempted to abandon religion entirely when they see it used as a cloak for bigotry or idolatry. But I implore you to separate my word from the hypocrisy of those who claim me but know nothing of my heart.
My apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). This remains relevant. Respond to the chaos, not with apathy, but with compassion, dialogue, and a commitment to truth.
And for those who have tasted the bitterness of being judged unfairly — who have been ridiculed or oppressed by people bearing crosses and quoting Scripture out of context — remember my own experience.
I, too, was persecuted, and my earliest followers were often treated with scorn. You share in the same suffering that shaped the early church. Let it draw you closer to the authentic gospel, which is neither about consolidating earthly power nor about forming mobs to silence dissent, but about sacrificial love.
A PLEA FOR TRUE REPENTANCE
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17). These were among my first recorded words of public ministry, and they echo still. Repentance is not merely a word for personal sins of anger, lust, or pride. It also calls for the transformation of collective and systemic wrongdoing.
If you have promoted fear or hatred under the guise of faith, there is still time to turn around. I did not come to condemn the world but to save it (John 3:17).
In John 8:11, I offered forgiveness to a woman caught in sin, urging her to “go now and leave your life of sin.” To those entangled in the cult-like devotion to worldly power, or in the unholy blending of nationalism with my message, I say this, You can leave behind this idolatry.
You can discard the political shrine you have built and kneel instead before the living God. When you recognize your error, do not sink into despair but humbly seek reconciliation with the Spirit of truth.
RESTORING HOPE FOR THE CHURCH
Finally, I address every seeker, struggler, and believer who yearns for the purity and power of the gospel untainted by the idols of this age. Take heart. Though factions have risen that distort my words, they will not extinguish the light I brought into the world.
Remember my promise, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). The storms of division may rage, and false prophets may shout loudly, but the quiet, persistent testimony of those who love sacrificially will endure.
Look to the examples of my saints throughout the centuries — men and women who lived simply, loved generously, and practiced justice. Their legacies remind you that humble obedience and faithful service stand in stark contrast to the noise of misguided zealots.
My Spirit still moves, prompting you to feed the homeless, shelter the refugee, comfort the grieving, and heal the wounds of prejudice. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
REVIVING THE LIGHT OF RENEWAL
This is a solemn hour in the history of my people, as loyalty to me has become corrupted by blind allegiance to a political narrative. Yet in every crisis, there is an opportunity for renewal. The church, if it repents of its flirtation with power and turns back to my teachings, can become a city on a hill once again (Matthew 5:14) — a beacon of love, mercy, and truth.
Do not let the failures of some believers extinguish your hope. Rather, let them awaken you to the need for discernment, humility, and prayer.
My beloved children, I do not write this to shame you but to guide you. “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32). May you embrace the truth of my words rather than the seductive lure of political tribalism.
May you rediscover the radical call to love God and neighbor above all else. This is the narrow path I asked you to walk, and though it is often beset by trials, it remains the way that leads to life (Matthew 7:14).
If your faith has wavered under the weight of witnessing religious hypocrisy, remember that I am near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). There is hope yet for all who honestly seek me.
Let us rise together, cultivate true fellowship, and restore what has been tarnished by the ambitions of a worldly cult. My yoke is easy, my burden is light (Matthew 11:30), and I stand ready to guide you into the fullness of the Kingdom of God.
© Photo
Mark Schiefelbein (AP) and ForgetSelfies (via Shutterstock)
