It is common knowledge that evangelicals in the United States are staunch supporters of the MAGA movement. It’s not a stretch to suggest, had it not been for the evangelical vote, Donald Trump would not have been elected president even once.
As a lifelong Pentecostal, I have understood their lean toward that movement based on stands for pro-life, religious freedom and support for Isreal. The MAGA Tsar has been eloquent in painting a picture that seems to satisfy their religious perspective.
However, as a born-again Christian, I have been puzzled by the fact that they so easily seem to dismiss the many non-Christian characteristics that pervade this movement.
Eugene Akins
They say “America First,” but first they seem to be rewriting what “America” is. The Constitution in many cases seems an after-thought. The First Amendment applies depending upon whose speaking, what press corps you belong to and who is assembling.
Many civil rights heroes gave their lives with the hope this country would finally live out the claims that “all men are created equal.” But if current congressional redistricting trends continue, to some extent they will have died in vain.
U.S. border security is described by officials as the most secure in history, while inside the border, citizens are being detained, brutalized and killed by ICE agents.
We have the espionage capability to extract Nicolas Maduro, but we can’t extract “illegal alien criminals” without accosting law-abiding U.S. citizens. While our president exhibits hesitance in supporting Russia’s dictatorial attack on Ukraine, we barge into Venezuela and threaten a “take-over” of Greenland.
In 2021, I released a book — Black Lives, White Lies: The Need for White Christians to Fight Racism in America. In it I suggested white Christians are not involved enough in the racism issues that still exist in this country. The book was inspired by the death of George Floyd and the lack of condemnation by white religious leadership. A key point was that slavery in America likely would not have been abolished had it not been for the involvement of white Christian abolitionists.
Fast-forward to 2026, and it seems there is no improvement. I hoped things would change, and instead things are worse. Asians have become targets, and antisemitism is at record levels. Muslims regained prominence on the hit list, and now Hispanics are afraid to walk the streets.
“Why are the white evangelicals who voted for this president based on one set of Christian principles avoiding the condemnation deserved when another set is violated?”
For the first time in my life, Black folks don’t seem to be Racial Enemy No. 1.
It is encouraging to see White America in general has stepped to the front and shown their disdain for the activity of ICE agents all over the country. But where are the white Christians? I’m sure there are some sprinkled in the protests, but why is white Christian leadership missing from this picture?
Why are the white evangelicals who voted for this president based on one set of Christian principles avoiding the condemnation deserved when another set is violated? Why are they absent from newscasts and podcasts decrying the treatment of innocent Americans at the hands of ICE? Are they only Christian when it’s convenient? Is their service to God limited to when it benefits them? Or is there a deeper concern? Is there something missing?
Perhaps a search needs to be conducted. Not a search for gang members or murderers. Not a search for ways to compete with Putin and Xi Jinping. But a search for a true Christian heart that seems to be missing from my evangelical brothers and sisters.
Am I my brother’s keeper? Is faith without works dead? Should I be compassionate to others? Am I called as someone who loves and supposedly serves God to bear the burdens of others?
Yes, yes, yes and yes!
There is a need for some serious introspection or maybe for a heart transplant. In 1 Corinthians 10:24, Paul says, “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” Maybe it’s time to learn that evangelical is not only a noun, but also a verb.
Eugene G. Akins III is a retired podiatrist practicing in upstate New York the past 25 years. He is a lifetime member and now a minister of the Church of God in Christ. He is the recent author of two books: Caught by the Collar and Black Lives White Lies: The Need for White Christians to Fight Racism in America.