Why Evangelicals Are Turning Their Backs on Jesus — And Calling It Faith
They claim to love Him, but when Jesus starts sounding too liberal, they switch to politics instead of the Gospel.
Evangelicals don’t hate Jesus. They love talking about Him. They sing about Him, make movies about Him, plaster His name on bumper stickers, all while they can’t stand what He actually said.
The Jesus of the Bible — the guy who told people to love enemies, help the poor, forgive endlessly, and stop judging others — is too liberal for the Evangelical church’s taste today. He ruins their talking points. He makes their politics look cruel. He sounds like that annoying guy who keeps reminding them that compassion is more important than control. So, instead of following Him, they remade Him.
They built a Jesus who blesses billionaires, waves the American flag, and votes Republican. The real Jesus — the homeless rabbi who said, “Sell what you have and give to the poor”? That guy would be booed his way out of the church any day.
Jesus Was the Original Progressive
Evangelicals love to call liberals “snowflakes.” But look at what Jesus preached — and tell me who sounds softer.
He told people to love their enemies. Not tolerate. Love.
He said the meek, not the mighty, would inherit the earth.
He said you can’t serve both God and money.
He told people to stop throwing stones, to stop judging, and to forgive endlessly.
He sided with outcasts, sex workers, foreigners, and the poor.
You tell an Evangelical that Jesus would rather hang out with immigrants than billionaires, and watch their heads spin. They can’t handle a Savior who doesn’t fit their power fantasies. They need a warrior, not a peacemaker. They want a Jesus who punishes sinners, not one who eats dinner with them.
The problem isn’t that Jesus changed. It’s that Evangelicals have turned into everything He warned about — hypocrites who pray in public and worship power.
When Jesus Sounds Too Soft
Evangelicals have a brand to protect. They sell strength, masculinity, and dominance — not compassion. So when they read Jesus saying things like “turn the other cheek,” it sounds weak. When He tells them to put away their swords, they reach for their guns. When He says, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” they think it’s a translation error.
They don’t want a humble Jesus who rides a donkey. They want a muscular one who rides a tank. They’ve replaced the Sermon on the Mount with a sermon on masculinity. Their faith is no longer about loving others — it’s about proving they’re tougher, louder, and more “righteous” than everyone else.
The result? A religion obsessed with enemies. If they’re not fighting someone — gays, feminists, atheists, liberals — they don’t know what to do with themselves. Jesus told them to love their neighbor. They turned that into: “Only if he votes the same way I do.”
Jesus and the Poor - The Ultimate Red Flag
Jesus’ attitude toward wealth is Evangelical kryptonite. He called greed evil. He said rich people would struggle to enter heaven. He told a rich man to sell everything. Yet Evangelicals worship wealth like it’s divine approval.
They praise prosperity preachers flying in private jets. They call poverty “a lack of faith.” They think Jesus’ message was “pray harder and you’ll get rich.” But Jesus didn’t bless wealth — He cursed it. He didn’t tell people to chase comfort — He told them to give it up.
To an Evangelical millionaire, that’s heresy. The Jesus of the Gospels would’ve been run out of a megachurch. He wouldn’t fit their stage lighting, their production, or their donors. He’d be too “woke.” He’d remind them that all their money and moral superiority mean nothing if they don’t love the people they despise.
The Politics of “Safe” Jesus
Evangelicals found a way to make Jesus fit their politics. They stripped Him of everything dangerous and turned Him into a polite mascot for “family values.” Their version of Jesus never challenges the rich, never questions power, never stands up for outsiders. He just nods along as they rant about abortion and gay marriage.
That’s not faith — that’s marketing. It’s how you keep donations rolling and voters loyal. You can’t preach “love your enemy” when your entire platform depends on keeping everyone angry. You can’t tell people “the first shall be last” when your donors are the first in line.
So they invented a different Jesus — one who blesses America’s wars, defends capitalism, and hates the same people they do. It’s the only way they can follow Him without changing their lives.
When Jesus Wouldn’t Be Allowed in Their Church
If Jesus walked into an Evangelical church today, He wouldn’t make it past the greeters.
He’d be too brown. Too poor. Too political. Too forgiving.
He wouldn’t dress right. He wouldn’t fit the image.
He’d talk about feeding the hungry instead of defending corporations.
He’d tell them to welcome immigrants, not deport them.
He’d talk about forgiving enemies, not bombing them.
They’d call Him a socialist. They’d accuse Him of “preaching woke nonsense.” Fox News would run a segment titled “Is This Jesus Dangerous to Our Kids?” And the same people who claim to love Him would ask security to escort Him out.
They’d say, “That’s not the real Jesus. The real one agrees with me.”
The Fear of Losing Power
The real reason Evangelicals find Jesus too liberal isn’t about theology — it’s about power. His message threatens their hierarchy. It dismantles everything they’ve built.
Jesus didn’t say, “Blessed are the powerful.” He said, “Blessed are the poor.”
He didn’t say, “Rule over others.” He said, “Serve them.”
He didn’t promise thrones. He promised crosses.
Evangelicals built an empire on fear — fear of losing control, fear of change, fear of irrelevance. But Jesus preached the exact opposite: humility, equality, surrender. You can’t run an empire on that. So they keep the name “Jesus,” but not the message. They’ll say “Lord, Lord,” but they’re serving something else entirely.
The Liberal Jesus They’d Rather Forget
It’s funny how Evangelicals love quoting Paul, but rarely quote Jesus. Paul talks about obedience, submission, faith — nice, manageable stuff. Jesus talks about turning the whole system upside down. That’s chaos for them.
Jesus told people to forgive endlessly — not just the ones who deserve it.
He told them to give without expecting anything back.
He treated women as equals.
He rejected nationalism.
He valued mercy over law.
He said outsiders could enter the kingdom before the self-righteous.
That’s not just liberal — it’s revolutionary. It’s everything Evangelical culture is terrified of. They don’t want a Savior who shakes up the world; they want one who keeps it exactly as it is, where they stay in charge.
The Gospel of Fear
For decades, Evangelical leaders have made a fortune preaching fear. Fear of liberals. Fear of gays. Fear of Muslims. Fear of science. Fear of anyone who doesn’t look or think like them. It’s their main product. But Jesus didn’t build His movement on fear — He built it on love and courage.
That’s why they can’t stand Him. Love makes them vulnerable. Compassion makes them question their power. Forgiveness makes them look weak. And weakness doesn’t sell. Fear does.
So they preach a gospel where God hates everything they hate, where Jesus is a warrior, not a peacemaker. It’s safer that way. They can keep their enemies, keep their pride, keep their guns — and still say they’re following Christ.
The Exit of the Disillusioned
Young Evangelicals are catching on. They’re reading what Jesus actually said, and it doesn’t match what they were taught in church. They’re realizing that the guy who told people to feed the hungry and love their enemies would’ve been called “a radical leftist” by their parents.
They’re done pretending that Christianity is about controlling others. They’re tired of pastors who spend more time bashing “wokeness” than helping their own communities. They want a faith that feels like kindness, not cruelty. So they’re walking away — not from Jesus, but from the people who hijacked Him.
Last Thoughts
Long story short, Evangelicals turned on Jesus for the same reason the Pharisees did: He asked too much of them. He demanded compassion over comfort, humility over pride, people over politics. And that’s just too liberal for them.
They didn’t reject Jesus because they stopped believing in Him.
They rejected Him because He believes in everyone else.
And that’s unforgivable in their world.
Your turn: Now drop a comment, follow for more unholy truths, and tell the world what you think.
You should be invited to speak at the DNC.
THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH FOR YOUR POST TANNER. THEY HAVE MISS USED JESUS' NAME AND CORRUPTED HIS TEACHINGS FOR FAR TOO LONG. I'VE ALWAYS WISHED THAT JESUS HIMSELF WROTE THE BIBLE BECAUSE CORRUPT POWER HUNGRY PEOPLE HAVE CHANGED IT TO THEIR OWN WILL OVER THE CENTURIES. I KNOW JESUS BUT I JUST DON'T BELIEVE IN THE MISLEADERS. YOUR WRITTINGS CERTAINLY DO SHOW THAT YOU ARE BLESSED TANNER. MY JESUS ALWAYS WALK BY YOUR SIDE AS HE DOES MINE. BLESS YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS TANNER. 🌏🕊💛✝️🙏