No Kings, No False Prophets: When Faith Becomes a Weapon Against Democracy, by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

No Kings, No False Prophets: When Faith Becomes a Weapon Against Democracy

When politicians weaponize Christianity to serve power instead of people, they betray both the Gospel & democracy itself

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by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

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Speaker Mike Johnson loves to present himself as a man of faith—a “biblical” Christian guided by Scripture. Yet his politics tell another story. When he derides movements that call for sharing the nation’s wealth, expanding access to healthcare, or feeding the poor, he is not defending Christianity—he is defying it (Daniels, 2025).

Source: AI generated by A.V.

There is nothing godly about hoarding wealth while others starve. There is nothing sacred about turning away the stranger or criminalizing those who seek refuge. There is nothing righteous about denying medical care to the sick, nor holy about mocking those who call for justice. To persecute the undocumented, to tear families apart on a regular basis as a matter of policy fiat, or to profit from their suffering is to stand in open defiance of the Gospel itself. 

When Johnson dismisses compassion as weakness and solidarity as socialism, he commits something graver than hypocrisy: he blasphemes against the Holy Spirit itself, the Spirit of mercy, love, and liberation that Jesus lived and died for.

Matthew 12:31–32 offers a sobering warning:

“Truly I tell you, all sins and blasphemies will be forgiven for people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven… anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

This teaching is not peripheral—it is one of the Ten Commandments, central to the moral law: Exodus 20:7 declares, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”

I find it intriguing that blasphemy against the Spirit is described as the one sin that cannot be forgiven. This is not because Creator's mercy has limits, but because blaspheming the Spirit closes the heart to mercy itself. It places the soul in treacherous territory, shutting the door to the contrition and humility that make forgiveness—and salvation—possible. To deny the Spirit is to deny the divine presence within ourselves and others; it is to harden the heart so completely that grace can no longer enter.

Christ’s ministry was radical precisely because it centered the poor, the sick, and the forgotten. He fed the hungry, healed the broken, and overturned the tables of those who profited from religion. He never blessed empire or excused greed. When today’s politicians invoke his name to sanctify cruelty, they are not defending Christianity—they are desecrating it, becoming false prophets of a gospel they no longer follow.

I share these words not to wound anyone’s faith or sensibilities, but to name a painful contradiction—one that damages both religion and democracy when left unchallenged. To invoke Christ while advancing cruelty is not a matter of political disagreement. It is a spiritual crisis. 

My intent is not condemnation, but clarity: to call us back to the Gospel’s central truth that love of God is inseparable from love of neighbor, and that compassion, not contempt, is the true measure of faith.

This moment calls for spiritual discernment and moral courage. Faith is not proven by the verses one quotes, but by the lives one lifts. Those who invoke Christ yet scorn not just the poor—but the literal millions of us advocating for greater justice in our policies—have confused discipleship for dominion and the humility of faith for the vanity of power. And in that confusion and vanity lies a danger to both democracy and the soul of the church itself.

For when faith is manipulated to bless authoritarianism, when pulpits echo the language of empire rather than empathy, we lose more than our moral compass—we lose the spiritual foundation of democratic life itself. Democracy, after all, rests on the sacred conviction that every person carries inherent dignity and worth. 

To betray that is not only bad politics. It is a theological catastrophe. The work ahead, then, is both civic and spiritual: to reclaim faith as a force for justice, compassion, and shared humanity, and to remind those in power that true Christianity has no kings and no false prophets—only servants of the common good.

Reference

Daniels, C. M. (2025, Oct. 19). Speaker Johnson doubles down on ‘No Kings’ criticism following demonstrations nationwide: He alleged the protests indicate “a rise of Marxism in the Democratic Party," Politico.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/19/johnson-no-kings-criticism-marxism-00614921?utm_content=user/politico&utm_source=flipboard