Christianity and Empire: A Call to Conversion
In this provocative essay, Mike Wisniewski challenges Christians to examine their relationship with empire, particularly the U.S. government. Drawing on biblical passages and current events, he argues that authentic Christian faith is inherently revolutionary and incompatible with supporting imperial power. A compelling call to “create a new society in the shell of the old.”
“This is the nation that does not listen to the voice of the Lord, its God, or take correction. Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself is banished from their speech” (Jeremiah 7:28).
The Christian faith is revolutionary. Again, the Christian faith is REVOLUTIONARY. Dwell on this for a moment and grasp its significance. Allow it to permeate your entire psyche. As Christians, we are a holy people, a people set apart, different from the masses, a people whose foundation, whose essence, is love, nonviolence, and truth.
Therefore, we are a people who view matters differently, from a spiritual perspective (attentive to the unseen powers—both good and evil). A perspective of nonviolence and what is just, equitable, and serves the common good. A perspective that upholds the dignity and sacredness of human life, and human rights. A perspective that unites us with each other and the rest of YHWH’s “good” creation.
Accordingly, our presence in the world must be distinctive, prophetic, and profound. We are called by name to make a difference, become adherents and exemplars of gospel principles who tirelessly labor to further God’s nonviolent Kin-dom initiated by Jesus Christ, the One we are called to listen to, follow, and emulate. There can be no duplicity.
With more than two billion followers, the Christian faith is the largest religion on the planet. With approximately 210 million followers, Christianity is the largest body of believers in the U.S. This implies that we, individually and collectively as church, the Mystical Body of Christ, possess the power, and mandate, to effectuate authentic change. Set a new agenda. Create a nonviolent alternative reality from the abominable status quo. Standing in nonviolent resistance to and in non-cooperation with immoral and unjust capitalism, and tyrannical and heartless imperialism. Indeed, anything that is contrary to and in opposition with Jesus, and his message. And, as Peter Maurin, Catholic Worker movement co-founder, articulated, “Create a new society in the shell of the old…a society where it easier for people to be good.”
Our faith teaches that we belong to and therefore must love YHWH above all things, worshipping and serving YHWH alone, and being attentive to both, the spiritual (see Ephesians 6:10-12), and mortal aspects of our faith. We aspire to please YHWH at all times. In return, the Spirit opens our eyes and hearts to know the truth, then leads us forward in love with true freedom. We become God’s co-workers.
Scripture makes it unambiguously clear that it is impossible to simultaneously serve two masters—God and empire (see Luke 16:13; Deut. 6:13; Exodus 23:24-25a). We allow one or the other opposing principles to become our fundamental inspiration, our creed. Therefore, as people of faith, we cannot participate in, support, promote, collaborate with, or uphold anything contrary to gospel principles, contrary to YHWH’s purpose; contrary to the love of God, self, neighbor, and enemy. Our thoughts, words, and actions, must always bless and glorify YHWH, who desires loyalty above all else.
To accomplish this, YHWH freely offers us grace, wisdom, and guidance to understand and achieve what is right and just in God’s eyes. To live in the light of gospel truth, not in the darkness of imperial deceitfulness and violence. This means we act as YHWH’s adopted children, and Christ Jesus’ ambassadors, not as empire’s minions and advocates. Therefore, it is to Jesus Christ alone to whom we pledge our allegiance, dedicating our life to the common good, with the poor and victims of injustice paramount.
Understanding this, we have to wonder: How did we get to this scandalous and crazed place where most Christians willingly, and often enthusiastically, support what is contrary to gospel principles? Specifically, supporting and participating in this corrupt, immoral, unjust, and evil system—at all levels, including voting and holding political office, serving in the military, and law enforcement. All of these serve empire’s purposes. Hence, we become captives of empire. Rather, in the Letter of James (1:22, 27b) we are presented with this sound advice: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves…keep oneself unstained by empire.”
The following eight biblical passages emphasize what is fundamental to our life in empire. They will help us understand our obligation and mission. It is important to remember two facts: The world in its present form is passing away (Mt. 24:35; 1 Cor. 7:31), and we are mere pilgrims, sojourners, passing through this temporal life, and not of empire (Phil. 3:20). And, “The wisdom of empire is foolishness in the eyes of God” (1 Corinthians 3:19).
Leviticus 20:23, 26: “Do not conform, therefore, to the customs of the nations…because all these things that they have done have filled me with disgust for them. To me, therefore, you shall be holy; for I, YHWH, am holy.”
Luke 4:5-8: “Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms (empires) of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, ‘Worship YHWH your God, and serve only YHWH.’” — Notice that Jesus does not dispute Satan’s claim of domination over earthly empires. He does, however, exemplify what our response must be—an utter rejection of being allied to, in any way, earthly imperial power.
1 John 5:19-21: “We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is (ALL empires are) under the power of the evil one. We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Children, be on your guard against idols.”
John 17:15-19: “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world (empire) any more than I belong to the world (empire). Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”
John 18:36a: “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom does not belong to this world…’” — Therefore, earthly empires are intrinsically adversarial toward YHWH.
Romans 12:2: “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5: “Indeed, we live as human beings, but we do not wage war according to human standards; for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
Revelation 18:4-5: “Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her (empire), my people, so that you do not take part in her sins, and so that you do not share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.’”
These passages should make it unmistakable: We must cease in our ignorance and obstinacy, and strive to understand God’s will for us who live in empire. We must forsake our reckless support and participation so all of God’s “good” creation may live!
As I write, the Democratic National Convention is at its height with a delirium reminiscent of the 2008 and 2012 DNC when Obama (the savior) was the candidate. Now Harris is being hailed as yet another “savior,” who will “save democracy.” The utter absurdity is bewildering. This is an empire, not a democracy. It is a sham democracy if the word must be used. Foreign policy was not mentioned; genocide was not condemned, nor was a commitment to end weapons shipments to Israel or Ukraine. The Palestinian-American delegation was not allowed to speak, while outside, reporters were being arrested along with protesters. Clearly, censorship is intensifying, and our rights are vanishing as we fall further into neofascism.
“You will know them by their fruit” (Matthew 7:16). The United States is not a normal country with a normal government. It is an arrogant, demented, murderous, criminal enterprise; it is pretentious, profoundly corrupt, hypocritical, and the most tyrannical and violent empire in human history, depending on violence and exploitation at home and abroad. It operates more than 900 offshore military bases. It has been in perpetual war, either directly or by proxy, since WWII, responsible for the massacre of tens of millions (and counting), all created in God’s image and likeness, along with the destruction of much of God’s created order, and other nations’ infrastructures. It is also the greatest purveyor of violence on the planet by providing more than 40 percent of all international arms sales to 103 nations, with Russia a far second at 16 percent. It is also the most surveilled society in human history with a highly secretive government. As such, it cannot afford to have major political parties that stand against these obsessions.
At home, violence permeates nearly every community across the nation, because we reap what we sow! Presidents continue to massacre other human beings because they can get away with it. There is no accountability. And for the most part, they are supported by the masses, who are then complicit and blameworthy. It is true, as we can witness, that imperialist ambition produces disorder and abominable practices. Therefore, Isaiah 29:13 equally applies to us: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Thus, we are yet another fleeting empire facing a certain demise for rejecting and mocking YHWH.
In 1526 C.E., the first Europeans landed in what is now South Carolina and began colonization including the enslavement of Africans. They later inflicted genocide on the native population, imposed the European way of life—including forced religion, denied women’s rights, and imposed child labor. This is a nation founded on theft, violence, injustice, slavery, racism, sexism, and oppression (not Christian principles), that has only worsened with time.
Today, this nation (with NATO), is using Ukraine as cannon fodder in its proxy war with Russia; and is upholding Palestinian genocide in Gaza and the West Bank by Israel with hundreds of billions of dollars worth (more than 50,000 tons thus far) of weapons and munitions—whose intended and primary target are children, women, and the elderly; is occupying and bombing Syria, bombing Yemen, and Iraq, and preparing for and instigating direct war with China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. In all of this, where is love?
Part of the preparation and planning for WWIII is the modernization and expansion of our nuclear arsenal, which began under Obama, increased under both Trump and Biden, and will continue under Harris or Trump. These nuclear weapons (which are illegal under the UN-TPNW), along with other non-nuclear weapons of mass destruction, are the idols worshipped and to which all is sacrificed—the ultimate form of idolatry and blasphemy.
According to the scripture passages above, this lawless nation is under Satan’s control. Indeed, Satan’s prized possession. It rejects the command to do to others as you would have them do to you. It rejects love. Rather, lives by hostility and vengeance, as it worships death. Truth is cast to the ground; justice fractured or crushed; death, destruction, idolatry, and blasphemy unrelenting. It matters not who occupies the White House and Capitol Hill, the result is unchanged—further abuse, tyranny, war, and genocide! This is EMPIRE! Little to nothing changes from regime to regime. It is perpetual war and the persistent quest for U.S. global hegemony—at ALL costs, including nuclear omnicide.
The sole beneficiaries of wars and their infinite preparation are the war profiteers, the diabolical merchants of death—members of the ruling elite. Trillions of dollars in profit for weapons and munitions undermine, denigrate, and decimate human life, the common good, and God’s “good” creation.
Jesus’ words in Luke 19:42-44 are equally applicable to the U.S.: “If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”
Another factor present, as mentioned above, this is NOT a “democracy” by any stretch of the imagination. It is fictitious. We have been duped. What we are led to believe, with mainstream corporate media’s collusion, is yet more imperialist propaganda with which the majority are indoctrinated and acquiesced.
Unmistakably, we live in an oligarchic corporatocracy, which is rapidly falling further into a fascist inverted totalitarian state—regardless of who is President. The ruling elite—the corporations and oligarchs behind them, the Pentagon, CIA, National Security Agency, Homeland Security, and AIPAC—control nearly every aspect of this corrupt, immoral, and evil system. They alone choose the two “candidates” placed before the people, both of whom are disingenuous and the ruling elite’s puppets. As Presidents, they have little power over setting policies. Nothing is acted upon or carried out without the ruling elite’s consent. It is a system of the corporations, for the corporations, and by the corporations. The common good is NOT in the equation. It is the inherent salacious insatiableness of capitalism and persistent lust for power through violence that reigns. And, no so-called “candidate” can or will change this, it is determined imperialist policy.
Yes, some good does result from regime to regime, some more than others. A bone is thrown to keep us complacent. They (rightfully) fear people will rise up if they do not appease us in small ways. Yet, tragically, most people are gullible enough to fall for this charade. They mindlessly support this or that “candidate” or “President” in the (false) hope that he/she will make the necessary changes that will save us, and make life better for all—NOT HAPPENING!
As a reminder, the only sitting President in modern history who dared to ignore and reject the ruling elite’s mandates, choosing a different path—JFK—paid the ultimate price. Subsequently, every president since has acted exactly as instructed. Hence, perpetual war, the rich gain even more wealth and power at the expense of the rest of us, the common good, and the environment.
“You freely engage in crime; your hands dispense violence to the earth” (Psalm 58:3). YHWH does not support or approve of this dystopian empire’s diabolical chaos, regardless of what some may say, nor does YHWH delight in evil. Rather, YHWH initiates, proclaims, and is present in truth, what is moral and just. YHWH hates evil, iniquity despises evildoers, and those who plot wicked schemes. According to Amos 5:10,14-15, we too must hate evil and love good that justice may prevail, and seek good and not evil, that we may live. Yet know that empire loathes anyone who reveals their deceptiveness and declares the truth—ask Julian Assange and others. And as Jesus foretold, we, like him, will be hated and more.
As human beings, we share a commonality with all other living beings. Yet empire rejects such truth, otherwise, we would not be in perpetual war, or experiencing catastrophic climate change, watching the planet burn and submerge in water. We have an obligation to live as responsible human beings, as stewards of all creation, with love. Yet this is not possible under U.S. imperialism, where everything, including people, are a commodity to be exploited, and then discarded. Christians cannot remain subservient to and complicit in empire. It is an absolute rejection of YHWH. “No one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God” (3 John:10b).
If YHWH loves and cherishes ALL humans, why do we support duplicitous politicians, presidents in particular, who willingly slaughters them and desecrates God’s “good” creation? We must rely on God’s grace and common sense to dispel the heretical notion that we can worship God and support and participate in empire. As Psalm 146:3 advises, “Put no trust in rulers, in human beings who cannot save.” And, in Acts 5:29b, “We must obey God rather than humans.”
It is imperative to understand that empire, founded on and steeped in lies, obfuscations, violence, and inherently idolatrous and blasphemous, is an adversary, as YHWH hates those who do evil and love violence, and thus judges and holds them accountable.
For our part, rather than capitulate to decadent capitalist imperialism, we must possess a discerning spirit to understand this reality and reject it outright, including the monumental deeds of darkness, death, and destruction present, and follow the path of gospel discipline. We are called to be the light in the darkness surrounding us, not part of it. Our faith demands that we take a stand for Jesus, for gospel principles, be wise in Christ, and have a spirit of reverence for God, creation, and others, thus going against the grain, regardless of the cost. As the Psalmist proclaims: “Turn away from evil and do good, and you may abide forever; for indeed, YHWH loves justice, and will never forsake the faithful” (Psalm 37:27-28).
What this nation does is not God’s will nor does God bless it. Rather, it is anti-God and anti-life in nearly every aspect. It is a perverted criminal enterprise, so why support it? Moreover, it is utterly impossible to believe you are a peacemaker, an instrument of God’s peace, while simultaneously supporting and participating in an imperialist government dedicated to perpetual war, particularly nuclear war. It is living with cognitive dissonance, an utter contradiction. “Put your sword back…” was Jesus’ last command to the church (Matthew 26:52).
As Christians, we are fellow citizens of God’s empire, not earthly empires. In all we do, we must fulfill YHWH’s purpose, and “stand firm in the Lord” (Phil. 4:16). We must lead a life worthy of our vocation as Jesus’ followers by submitting to the Spirit and being guided by God’s truth. Our faith invites us to become faithful and prudent servants by standing in resistance to and in non-cooperation with empire. Catholic Worker movement co-founder Dorothy Day lived this to her death. Ammon Hennacy, another longtime Catholic Worker, phrased it this way: “When we take any part in government by voting for legislative, judicial, and executive officials we make these people our arm by which we cast a stone (John 8:7b) and deny the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5).”
The gospels teach us not to exclude, yet this is precisely what empire does. The President and Congress inherently create division at nearly all levels, particularly at our Southern border where we should, with compassion and generosity, welcome the stranger, yet refugees and migrants, generally already victims of U.S. imperialism, are frequently denigrated and brutally mistreated. How can we justify voting for and supporting these policies upheld by both “candidates” seeking our support?
The gospels also teach us children in particular are held in high esteem and highly favored, yet, today, they are the primary intentional target of U.S./Israeli imperial violence, and our vote displays our unconditional support for this policy. The torture, starvation, and massacre of children in particular is Jesus’ modern crucifixion. Yet, there will be no change in policy. Harris, like Trump, is a large recipient of AIPAC money and will readily do their bidding.
“We have not received the spirit of empire but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). As a result, we cannot and must not continue to willfully walk in imperial darkness (1 John 1:5-7; Luke 11:35). We must choose to possess and walk in the light of truth found in Jesus, a lamp for our steps and a light for our path; bearing witness to Gospel truth, remembering “we have the mind of Christ.” When we have the Spirit of Truth on our side, Jesus accompanies us (John 14:15-19). We then can do infinitely more than we can imagine.
We need a “revolution of the heart,” as Dorothy Day stated. And as Isaiah proclaimed: “Come now, let us set things right, says YHWH. Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim; redress the wronged, hear the orphans plea, defend the widow” (Isaiah 1:18;16-17). We must, therefore, repent for our part in empire’s evil, and like Jesus in the Temptation story, reject the absurd notion of being allied to and supportive of empire in any way, remembering that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Should we not, then, cry out to YHWH, our hope, our stronghold, for understanding and guidance?
YHWH, you are good and forgiving, full of mercy to all who call to you, have mercy on us and help us change our hearts and minds. Amen.
A shorter version of this essay appeared in the October 2024 Catholic Agitator, the newspaper of the Los Angeles Catholic Worker.
