From the accepted bigotry of Charlie Kirk to the viral exposé of churches that refused to help a mother get formula for her baby, it’s clear that American Christianity is failing the teachings of Jesus Christ. Historically, Christians in this country have practiced their faith in direct opposition to Christ’s message. Jesus taught love, equality, and justice for the oppressed—but that has never been the standard of the American church.

Even in 2025, Sunday mornings remain the most segregated hours in America. To put it plainly, Christianity in this nation has never truly been about Christ—it has always been about power. From slavery and Jim Crow to today’s battles over healthcare and education, faith in America has too often been wielded as a weapon rather than lived as a gospel of love.

The rise of diverse megachurches has not changed this reality. Many offer a comfortable, commercialized version of the faith that avoids the radical demands Christ made of his followers. This diluted Christianity continues to dominate U.S. religious politics, culture, and power structures. Born in the South, this perverted theology justified slavery, enforced Jim Crow, and tolerated the extrajudicial violence that drove the Great Migration of Black families north and west.

The hypocrisy is staggering. Politicians who claim to be “pro-life” push laws restricting women’s bodily autonomy while voting to let SNAP benefits for children and seniors expire. They cut healthcare subsidies for the poor, demand prayer in public schools, and fight for Ten Commandments displays—yet oppose free breakfast and lunch programs for hungry kids. Their actions betray the very gospel they profess.

Like every faith, Christianity has always faced those who corrupt it for power. But in America—where Christianity is the dominant religion—it shapes the moral tone of our entire civil society. Most elected officials, including U.S. presidents, claim to be Christian. Some even employ “spiritual advisers” who grant them moral cover, excusing corruption and cruelty in exchange for proximity to power.

It’s little wonder that churches are emptying. The steady rise of the “unchurched”—those who have left institutional Christianity out of disillusionment—reflects the exhaustion of believers tired of hypocrisy. Jesus warned his followers to beware of hypocrites: those who perform righteousness for show rather than live it sincerely. Yet hypocrisy now defines much of American Christianity.

It looks like having “Christian” in your Facebook bio while calling ICE on your neighbor. It looks like refusing a mother desperate for formula for her infant. It looks like defending cruelty and calling it conviction.

If American Christianity is ever to redeem itself, it must start by naming its hypocrisy and casting it out. The church must turn the tables, demand justice, and speak truth to power—just as Christ did. Only then can America reflect the radical love of Jesus, and only then can anyone truthfully call themselves a Christian.