Part 1: Franklin Graham Chose MAGA Over Jesus

 

Mar 30, 2026

 80% of white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump in 2024. In this first installment of The Bible vs MAGA series, I'm asking a question that no one in evangelical leadership wants to answer: What happens when you hold MAGA values up against the words of Jesus — specifically the Beatitudes? I'm a former evangelical pastor and church planter. I spent twenty years in ministry. And I'm here to tell you: what Franklin Graham is selling is not Christianity. It is Christian nationalism dressed in the language of the gospel. In Part 1, we begin at the beginning — with the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes are Jesus's most concentrated ethical teaching. And they stand in direct contradiction to nearly every policy position and public posture of the MAGA movement and its religious defenders. But here's what I want you to hear: Franklin Graham made his choice. We don't have to make the same one. This series is for former evangelicals, anti-Trump Christians, Catholics, and anyone trying to make sense of how evangelical Trump support became the defining feature of American Christianity. If you've ever sat across the table from a MAGA family member and didn't know what to say — this series will give you the words. If you'd like to support this work through a channel membership, here's the link!    / @culturefaithandpolitics   My books are available on Amazon: "A Christian Case Against Donald Trump" (2024): https://a.co/d/iVSTqny "MAGA Seduction: Resisting the Debasement of the Christian Conscience" (2020): https://a.co/d/1KNX3uQ