The Gospel on Trial

Court is now in session.

The defendant: The American Gospel™.
The charge: Accessory to empire, conspiracy to defraud the public, and repeated attempts to obstruct justice in the name of Jesus.
Presiding: the court of public opinion, the cloud of witnesses, and every decent theologian who still remembers what the Beatitudes are.

Let’s get to it.

Opening Statement

For decades, white evangelicals sold America a gospel of family values, moral character, and personal responsibility.

They told us character counts.
They preached purity.
They held up Jesus like a mirror and said, “Live like this.”

Then Trump showed up.
And suddenly?

• “Grab ‘em by the what?”
  Forgiven.

• Multiple indictments?
  Persecuted saint.

• Bible held upside down for a photo op?
  Warrior for the faith.

Apparently, all it takes to baptize empire is a red hat and a lack of shame.

The Deal with the Devil (And the Devil’s Attorney)

Evangelical leaders didn’t get tricked.
They didn’t get coerced.
They made a deal.

Let me say they real clearly for the court: They. Made. A. Deal.

They swapped their witness for access.
They traded the cross for a campaign.
They turned pulpits into podiums and worship into rally prep.

The result?
Jesus has worse PR than unsweet tea at a southern potluck.

Because when the church ties its fate to empire, it doesn’t just lose the plot –
it sells the author’s name to the highest bidder.

Exhibit A: The Gospel of Power

This is not the gospel of Love.
This is the gospel of white grievance, straight fragility, prosperity theology, and political idolatry.

It preaches that:

• Billionaires are blessed.

• Women should submit.

• Queer people are the problem.

• The poor just need more discipline.

• And God’s favorite language is English, spoken with a Southern accent (and a voter ID).

This gospel didn’t get corrupted under Trump.
It just finally said the quiet part out loud.

Exhibit B: The Real One

Meanwhile, the actual gospel?

• Said “Woe to the rich.” (Luke 6:24)

• Called out religious hypocrisy with table-flipping flair. (Matthew 21:12–13)

• Loved enemies.

• Broke bread with outcasts.

• Called Herod a fox. (Luke 13:32)

• And ended up on a cross because empire doesn’t tolerate prophets who tell the truth.

Jesus didn’t court Caesar – he called him out.
Jesus didn’t protect power – he exposed it.
Jesus didn’t lead with slogans – he led with Love.

And you better believe he wouldn’t have stood next to Trump for a photo op.
He’d have been too busy overturning Trump's tables and healing the people outside his gold-plated hotel.

Cross-Examination

So let’s ask the big question:

What does it profit a church to gain the White House but lose its damn soul?

White evangelicals sold the gospel for a seat at Caesar’s table and now they’re wondering why no one’s taking their moral witness seriously.

Because when your faith depends on tax breaks, court appointments, and culture war talking points – you’re not preaching Jesus.

You’re performing PR for empire.

Closing Argument

This trial isn’t just about Trump.
It’s about a gospel that got used.
Exploited.
Branded and sold back to the people it was meant to liberate.

But here’s the good news (the actual good news):

Love doesn’t stay buried under bad theology.

It rises.
It resists.
It reclaims what empire tried to crucify.

And while that twisted gospel may still have airtime,
it doesn’t have the last word.

Final Benediction (For the Jury and the Saints)

If your gospel votes red and bleeds blue,
blesses billionaires and damns the poor,
fears queerness more than cruelty?

It’s not the gospel.

It’s just empire in drag, holding a Bible it never read.

And if your Jesus looks like Trump with a halo,
you didn’t find salvation?

You found a golden calf with a comb-over.

But, the verdict is in.
The gospel survived.

But their credibility?
Well...

That died right next to their fake version of the truth,
at a rally somewhere between fear and idolatry.