A viral clip recently made the rounds in conservative circles where a self-described anti-MAGA preacher declared that you cannot be both a Christian and a supporter of the MAGA movement, leaning heavily on Matthew 25 to argue for expansive government welfare and a looser border policy as the only Christian response. The video framed policy arguments as moral absolutes and suggested that true Christians must favor open-handed federal solutions above all else, a talking point that has become popular on the cultural left.
That argument sounds noble until you look a little deeper and realize it’s the same political sermon dressed up in scripture. Faithful Americans know that calling for open borders and unlimited handouts is a policy choice, not a theological axiom, and too many on the left turn Jesus into a partisan cudgel while ignoring centuries of teaching about personal responsibility and ordered government. Polling and public statements from other church leaders show that most evangelicals want a balanced approach—compassion, yes, but also secure borders and respect for the rule of law, not the fantasy of unlimited migration.
Nobody can credibly deny Jesus’ call to care for the vulnerable, but hypocrisy is the problem when those same preachers demand federal programs without asking how to preserve dignity, encourage work, or protect the communities that employ and support those in need. The Bible also contains hard truths about work and responsibility, and conservatives will remind pastors who traffic in slogans that scripture contains more than one imperative; charity without structure becomes dependence, and good intentions without accountability become ruinous. Responsible compassion builds bridges, not welfare states that reward idleness.
What’s particularly striking is the partisan flip-flop: some on the left insist that failing to back their policy wishlist condemns a voter’s soul, while a different set of clerics on the right warn that the cultural and civic costs of open borders would devastate our institutions. This isn’t theology — it’s politics dressing as piety, and people of faith deserve better than being told to check their brains at the sanctuary doors. Voices from across the country’s pulpits urge pastors to speak to both mercy and order, not to turn scripture into a one-note political chant.
Conservative Christians aren’t heartless; we argue for a moral America that protects its citizens, upholds the rule of law, and reforms welfare so it helps people climb, not sink further into dependence. The true Christian posture ought to be charity that restores opportunity, not a political catechism that demands allegiance to a policy program as the only proof of faith. Pastors who traffic in tribal political sermons are doing their flocks a disservice, and those who call that out aren’t denying compassion — they’re defending common sense stewardship.
Hardworking Americans want leaders who balance mercy with order, who defend national sovereignty while helping the truly desperate, and who never use the pulpit to bully half the country into a political camp. If a preacher wants to lecture patriots that they can’t be both Christian and MAGA, he should expect to be challenged — not because conservatives lack compassion, but because we won’t surrender our borders, our work ethic, or the right of our communities to set the terms of social support. Churches should be building character and community, not serving as satellite offices for partisan policy shops.
