Separation of Church and Hate

by John Fugelsang

Christian nationalists have always wielded faith as a tool of control and exclusion, prioritizing power and cultural preference over the words of Jesus. But Christ followers have always resisted these abuses and aligned themselves with the call to justice, mercy, and love.

Christian nationalists have always sought cultural dominance through legislation and suppression of dissent. But the Christ followers have always stood against oppression, embodying Jesus’s teachings of justice and compassion. Authentic Christianity puts the well-being of others first; it defends the persecuted, and serves rather than rules.

I wrote this book because I was tired of fundamentalists distorting the Bible, tired of watching the faith of my parents used as cover for meanness. Everyone reading this probably knows someone who’s a captive of toxic Christianity. For many of us, these aren’t faceless crazed zealots and nationalists; they’re our neighbors, coworkers, old friends, family members. We can’t despise them back. We just can’t.

This struggle against hypocrisy and spiritual thuggery won’t be fought by politicians. It’ll be won by ordinary people, calmly proving that hate is not a Christian value—at their jobs, over the family dinner table, and on social media. If you want to trigger and enrage Christian nationalists, Jesus will show the way. Stand up for the oppressed, welcome the stranger, love your enemy, fight poverty and injustice, resist violence, and choose compassion. Or just ask them which Jesus teachings justify their politics.