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This will require a new class of Christian leaders in the public square and political arena who hold fast to historic biblical truths but also practice prudent political coalition building and maneuvering.
The return of Donald Trump has given Christians a breather, but our fight against the forces that want to destroy America as we know it and banish believers from the public square is far from over.
The secular progressive stands apart, rejecting faith outright; the woke evangelical infiltrates conservative, Bible-believing communities, spreading unbiblical ideas from within. They act as a Trojan horse, weakening the faithful by either drawing them into compromise or silencing them with confusion.
Their purpose and impact are clear and troubling. David French, once a respected evangelical voice, endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024, supporting a platform that prioritizes abortion and gender ideology over Genesis 1:27: “Male and female He created them.”
Russell Moore, while leading the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), was one of the most outspoken and aggressive Never Trumpers, causing significant division within a denomination that was overwhelmingly ready to vote for Trump over Clinton and Biden before he ultimately left in 2021. Former Republican Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger used their evangelical credentials to justify aligning with Democrats, whose policies undermine religious liberty. Francis Collins, as director of the National Institutes of Health, lent his “faith” as cover for policies that assaulted the unborn in the womb, promoted transgenderism in teenagers, and favored government control over church autonomy during the COVID pandemic.
Backed by Christianity Today and The After Party, these figures have shaped a faith that bends to cultural trends rather than to Scripture. Given how many Christians have been subverted or silenced by these and many other woke evangelicals, it’s obvious that their distorted gospel can do more harm than an outright denial of it.
Understandably, this rejection of biblical principles by leading evangelical actors has prompted a reaction among conservative and pro-Trump evangelicals, but it’s been scattered. Across churches and regions, believers have worked to reclaim their principles, some focusing on doctrinal clarity, others resisting secular overreach in Christ’s name. These efforts are justified, but they’ve split into separate groups, each holding its own ground.
It’s unavoidable that evangelicals feel let down by leaders who value cultural approval over biblical truth. But the division has weakened us, turning potential partners into competitors.
Scripture offers guidance: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). Without a shared purpose, we risk falling prey to internecine strife that hamstrings our ability to capitalize on this unique moment.
An opportunity now presents itself. Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, alongside a White House Faith Office that is aggressively pushing to recover America’s Christian heritage and defend life, family, and marriage, gives conservative evangelicals a chance to regain influence and wield it for the good of everyone in our country, Christian or not.
To make the most of it, protestants and evangelicals need to recover a serious political theology — a framework that ties biblical principles to public action — and cultivate leaders to carry it forward. Vice President J.D. Vance, although a practicing Catholic, offers a model. Raised in tough circumstances in Appalachia and the Rust Belt, he wrote his memoir Hillbilly Elegy to highlight personal responsibility and cultural renewal, ideas that align with evangelical priorities. As President Trump’s No. 2, he combines a focus on economics and civil liberties with a defense of faith and family, avoiding the typical politician’s tendency to chase elite favor.
Vance is also willing to use social media in a way that appeals to the next generation, regularly delivering appropriately timed smackdowns of the inane leftists who troll him. And he has no patience for the hostile mainstream media and happily puts them in their place time and time again with truth and a touch of delightful impudence.
Evangelicals need to learn from Vance’s modes of engagement. Following Christ faithfully does not entail being a pushover. His posture and messaging prove that a statesman can engage in politics without abandoning principles rooted in the Church rather than borrowed from outside. We need more leaders like him, shaped by our own communities, to guide us. Basically, we are going to need a protestant J.D. Vance.
It’s obvious that the woke evangelical influence is waning, but like a cornered animal, they can still be deadly. David French’s columns in The New York Times may appeal to secular readers, but they carry increasingly little weight with those who test ideas against Scripture. Russell Moore’s path since leaving the SBC, leaning into progressive circles, has distanced him from most believers. Evangelicals want and deserve leaders who will refuse to trade biblical authority for social acceptance.
This will require a new class of Christian leaders in the public square and political arena, ones who hold fast to historic biblical truths but also practice prudent political coalition building and maneuvering.
True and lasting leadership goes beyond resistance and dissent; it requires vision and cooperation. We need to stop shooting each other and train our fire, rhetorically speaking, on the common enemy. Unity isn’t just a goal — it’s a way to show Christ to a fractured society. America’s conservative Christian foundation, its commitment to life, liberty, and God’s order, stands at a tipping point. Woke evangelicals have undermined it, but their time is running out.
We can restore what lasts, building a future where our children inherit a nation guided by truth. Conservative, America First evangelicals, anchored in Scripture, hold the key to renewal. It’s time to wake up, assume the center, come together, and lead.
Who knows if we will get such an opportunity again.
This article was updated on March 21, 2025.
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