I write to you as someone who understands the evangelical world you come from because I grew up in it too. I know the Bible stories, the altar calls, the sincere prayers and the genuine belief that we are called to follow Jesus. That shared background is precisely why I feel compelled to write to you.
You have made your Christian faith central to your public identity. You invoke Jesus in your speeches, you reference Scripture in your decisions, and you present yourself as a man guided by biblical principles. So I must ask you directly: Which Jesus are you following?
Because the Jesus I read about in the Gospels said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). Yet you seem to serve the master of political power with remarkable devotion while claiming allegiance to Christ. You cannot do both. You cannot pledge yourself to an administration that traffics in cruelty and call it Christian witness. You cannot advance policies that harm the vulnerable and claim to follow the Prince of Peace.
The Jesus of Scripture had much to say about the poor, the marginalized, the forgotten. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). He didn’t qualify this. He didn’t say, “Care for the least of these unless it’s politically inconvenient” or “Love your neighbor unless they’re undocumented” or “Welcome the stranger unless it costs you votes.”
Yet under your leadership, we have witnessed policies that treat human beings as dispensable — as problems to be managed rather than people made in the image of God. We have seen budget proposals that gut assistance to families struggling to feed their children. We have watched as health care becomes less accessible to those who most desperately need it. We have seen the stranger not welcomed but turned away, sometimes into danger.
Where is your prophetic voice for these, the least of these? Or have you confused proximity to power with faithfulness to God?
I think often of Matthew 25, the passage about the sheep and the goats. Jesus doesn’t ask about doctrinal correctness or religious rhetoric. He asks: Did you feed the hungry? Give drink to the thirsty? Welcome the stranger? Clothe the naked? Care for the sick? Visit the imprisoned?
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This is the measure. This is what separates the sheep from the goats — not how loudly we proclaim our faith, but how faithfully we live it out in our treatment of the vulnerable.
So I must ask you: If there is indeed a day of reckoning, as you surely believe there is, will you be counted among the sheep or the goats? When you stand before the God you claim to serve, will you be able to say that you used your position of extraordinary power to protect the vulnerable, to lift up the poor, to welcome the stranger? Or will you have to explain why political calculation mattered more than the explicit commands of Jesus?
The evangelical faith we both know teaches that God will not be mocked. You cannot claim the name of Christ while betraying his teachings. You cannot wrap yourself in the language of faith while enacting policies that are the antithesis of the Gospel.
It’s not too late to choose differently. It’s not too late to let your faith actually inform your politics instead of the other way around. It’s not too late to be a voice for the voiceless rather than a servant of power.
Make no mistake: history will judge. More importantly, as you believe, God will judge. I hope and pray you live what you say you believe, turn to God and away from serving a master of chaos, revenge, lust for power and an unquenchable desire for money.
The Rev. Dr. G. Penny Nixon is the co-director of the Peninsula Solidarity Cohort and affiliated with the Plymouth Jazz and Justice Church in Oakland.
Here we have Ms. Nixon attempting to guilt us by cherry-picking examples from the bible (whether true or not) while completely ignoring passages related to law and order. Hey Ms. Nixon, what about the numerous passages related to government/authority law and order? When one attempts to use religion to justify putting the welfare of criminals and terrorists over law abiding citizens, they are using religion to deceive. And what does the bible say about deceit? Isn’t deception a sin associated with the devil? Ultimately, actions have consequences. Let’s hope those consequences are something folks can walk away from.
Ms. Nixon is correct in that history will judge and God will judge. I hope and pray everyone turns to God and away from serving a master of chaos, revenge, lust for power, and an unquenchable desire for money. And of course, a life free from deception. It seems to me that Ms. Nixon is giving us insight into which side she allies with. History and God will judge.
Thank you Rev. Nixon for eloquently calling out the hypocrisy of the "Christians" cynically claiming scripture justifies their greed, corruption and self aggrandizement.
She is nothing but a sanctimonious bible thumper. To compare the responsibilities of the Speaker with guiding a gullible parish is beyond preposterous. Who is she to judge?
Did we really need another column from a sanctimonious so-called religious leader professing left-wing moral superiority? I'm still waiting for the Bible verse where Jesus said to take from others by force (taxes) in order to provide for the needy. Or that countries aren't allowed to have borders and must "welcome" anyone who comes, and give them lots of free stuff, funded by taking taxpayer money from hard working citizens.
Reasonable minds can certainly differ on what our immigration policy should be, or how big our welfare state, or what tax levels are appropriate. But please stop pretending leftist policy is morally superior, or has any basis in Jesus' teachings.
Thank you Rev Nixon. My Unitarian Universalist faith also we also believes in the inherent worth and dignity of all people. As you point out that Jesus said, "“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” We are a nation of diverse beliefs and cultures, but most share the tenet of caring for others. We need more kindness and that includes feeding the hungry and caring for the vulnerable.
Ms. Nixon - Regarding your false statements including "You cannot pledge yourself to an administration that traffics in cruelty and call it Christian witness. You cannot advance policies that harm the vulnerable and claim to follow the Prince of Peace." Tragic statements for a faith leader. If people follow the law, they will be fine. We are so blessed to have the current administration and Mike Johnson to lead. I have heard it said that gratitude, thanksgiving, repentance and revival are what's needed in today's world. Are you i that camp?
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(6) comments
Here we have Ms. Nixon attempting to guilt us by cherry-picking examples from the bible (whether true or not) while completely ignoring passages related to law and order. Hey Ms. Nixon, what about the numerous passages related to government/authority law and order? When one attempts to use religion to justify putting the welfare of criminals and terrorists over law abiding citizens, they are using religion to deceive. And what does the bible say about deceit? Isn’t deception a sin associated with the devil? Ultimately, actions have consequences. Let’s hope those consequences are something folks can walk away from.
Ms. Nixon is correct in that history will judge and God will judge. I hope and pray everyone turns to God and away from serving a master of chaos, revenge, lust for power, and an unquenchable desire for money. And of course, a life free from deception. It seems to me that Ms. Nixon is giving us insight into which side she allies with. History and God will judge.
Thank you Rev. Nixon for eloquently calling out the hypocrisy of the "Christians" cynically claiming scripture justifies their greed, corruption and self aggrandizement.
She is nothing but a sanctimonious bible thumper. To compare the responsibilities of the Speaker with guiding a gullible parish is beyond preposterous. Who is she to judge?
Did we really need another column from a sanctimonious so-called religious leader professing left-wing moral superiority? I'm still waiting for the Bible verse where Jesus said to take from others by force (taxes) in order to provide for the needy. Or that countries aren't allowed to have borders and must "welcome" anyone who comes, and give them lots of free stuff, funded by taking taxpayer money from hard working citizens.
Reasonable minds can certainly differ on what our immigration policy should be, or how big our welfare state, or what tax levels are appropriate. But please stop pretending leftist policy is morally superior, or has any basis in Jesus' teachings.
Thank you Rev Nixon. My Unitarian Universalist faith also we also believes in the inherent worth and dignity of all people. As you point out that Jesus said, "“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” We are a nation of diverse beliefs and cultures, but most share the tenet of caring for others. We need more kindness and that includes feeding the hungry and caring for the vulnerable.
Ms. Nixon - Regarding your false statements including "You cannot pledge yourself to an administration that traffics in cruelty and call it Christian witness. You cannot advance policies that harm the vulnerable and claim to follow the Prince of Peace." Tragic statements for a faith leader. If people follow the law, they will be fine. We are so blessed to have the current administration and Mike Johnson to lead. I have heard it said that gratitude, thanksgiving, repentance and revival are what's needed in today's world. Are you i that camp?
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Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.