Metanoia in an Age of Lies and Coercion

A Pastoral Exhortation

There are moments when silence becomes a form of consent.

We are living in such a moment now.

Across our nation, we are watching the use of state power result in death, followed by official narratives that contradict what many of us can plainly see. We are then told—sometimes explicitly, sometimes implicitly—that the faithful response is to look away, to “trust the authorities,” and to accept violence as the cost of order.

As a Christian, I cannot do that.

Not because I am partisan, but because I am baptized.

The God of Scripture does not bless injustice for the sake of order

The Scriptures are unambiguous: authority exists to serve life, not to dominate it.

“Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees,
and the writers who keep writing oppression.”¹

The prophets do not instruct God’s people to justify power when it lies. They instruct us to expose it.

“Seek justice, rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”²

When we are told that the proper Christian response is simply to “comply,” we should remember that the apostles themselves were arrested, beaten, and threatened by authorities who claimed legitimacy. Their response was not violent rebellion—but it was not obedience either.

“We must obey God rather than men.”³

Christian obedience is never blind.
It is conscientious.

Repentance (metanoia) is not optional in moments like this

Repentance is not merely sorrow for personal sins.
It is a turning of the heart, a re-alignment of our moral vision.

Christ warns us repeatedly about the danger of becoming comfortable with suffering—especially suffering that protects us, benefits us, or reassures us.

“As you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”⁴

If we can watch human beings harmed, silenced, or killed—and immediately move to justification rather than grief—then something in us has grown cold.

That is not strength.
That is spiritual numbness.

And numbness is something the gospel heals only through repentance.

The Church Fathers are relentless on this point

The early teachers of the Church were remarkably consistent: worship without mercy is a lie.

John Chrysostom warned Christians who received the Eucharist faithfully while ignoring the suffering:

“If you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door,
you will not find Him in the chalice.”⁵

Basil the Great refused to spiritualize injustice:

“The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry;
the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of one who is naked.”⁶

These are not political statements.
They are sacramental ones.

They insist that faith is tested precisely where power, wealth, and human suffering intersect.

Christian history shows the Church at her best when she confronts power

One of the clearest examples comes from the fourth century. After the massacre of civilians in Thessalonica, Bishop Ambrose barred Emperor Theodosius from Communion until he repented.

The message was unmistakable: no ruler is above moral accountability.

Augustine later gave the Church language that still echoes with clarity:

“Without justice, what are kingdoms but great robberies?”⁷

The Church did not survive by baptizing empire.
She survived by telling the truth to it.

Christian nationalism is not Christianity

This must be said plainly and without qualification:

Christian nationalism is not Christianity.

It is a distortion of the gospel, a misuse of Scripture, and a corruption of Christian moral theology.

Christianity does not teach that any nation, empire, or state becomes righteous simply by invoking God’s name.

“My kingdom is not of this world.”⁸

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them…
It shall not be so among you.”⁹

From the beginning, Scripture rejects the fusion of faith and coercive power. When Israel demanded a king “like the nations,” God warned that such power would lead to oppression, not holiness.¹⁰ When religious and political authority merged in Jesus’ time, it produced not salvation—but the Cross.

The early Church understood this danger clearly.

Origen wrote that Christians do not advance the kingdom of God through violence, but through prayer and moral witness.¹¹
Tertullian stated bluntly that coercive power is alien to the Christian vocation.¹²

Once Christianity becomes a tool of the state, it ceases to be Christianity and becomes idolatry dressed in religious language.

America is not a Christian nation—and never was

This is not an insult. It is a historical fact.

The United States was intentionally founded as a secular republic, not a Christian state. While many founders were influenced by Christianity, they explicitly rejected the idea of a religious nation.

The Treaty of Tripoli (1797), ratified unanimously by the U.S. Senate, states:

“The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”¹³

James Madison warned that mixing religion and government corrupts both.¹⁴
Thomas Jefferson condemned religious coercion as “sinful and tyrannical.”¹⁵

These were not anti-Christian convictions.
They were anti-theocratic ones.

If this were a Christian nation, it would look radically different

Christian moral theology insists on:

the dignity of every human being as the image of God
mercy toward the vulnerable
restraint in the use of force
truth over expediency
repentance when harm is done

The Church Fathers are unanimous on this.

John Chrysostom warned that societies claiming faith while practicing cruelty stand under judgment.⁵
Basil condemned systems that hoard wealth while others suffer.⁶
Augustine insisted that justice—not dominance—is the measure of a society.⁷

A nation formed by Christian ethics would not normalize:

the killing of the vulnerable
the justification of violence through falsehood
the silencing of conscience in the name of order
the scapegoating of outsiders for political gain

To claim Christianity while rejecting these demands is not faithfulness—it is hypocrisy.

The Cross exposes Christian nationalism as false

Christian nationalism collapses at the foot of the Cross.

Jesus is arrested by the state.
Under color of law.
For the sake of public order.
With religious leaders blessing the process.

This is not incidental.
It is revelatory.

The Cross shows what happens when religion serves power instead of truth.

To follow the Crucified Christ is to stand with those crushed by unjust systems—not to sanctify those systems after the fact.

A call to metanoia

This is a moment for repentance.

Repentance from:

excusing violence when it protects our side
confusing authority with righteousness
choosing silence over truth
calling cruelty “realism”

And repentance toward:

truth
mercy
courage
the humanity of those most easily discarded

“You shall know them by their fruits.”¹⁶

The fruit of Christian nationalism is not love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control.

It is fear.
It is coercion.
It is cruelty justified as righteousness.

The Church must say so—clearly, calmly, and without apology.

A Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
You were arrested under false witness,
judged by those who claimed authority,
and killed in the name of order.

Deliver us from the lie that calls violence peace
and from the fear that calls silence wisdom.

Give us true repentance.
Soften what has grown hard in us.
Sharpen what has grown dull.

Teach us to recognize You
in the wounded,
in the threatened,
and in those our world would rather forget.

Have mercy on the dead,
protect the vulnerable,
convert the powerful,
and begin that work in us.

Amen.

Endnotes & Sources

Isaiah 10:1
Isaiah 1:17
Acts 5:29
Matthew 25:40
John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew
Basil the Great, Homily on Social Justice
Augustine, The City of God, Book IV
John 18:36
Matthew 20:25–26
1 Samuel 8
Origen, Against Celsus
Tertullian, Apology
Treaty of Tripoli (1797), Article 11
James Madison, Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments
Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
Matthew 7:16