An Altered Faith and Imported Politics: Why the Philippine Church Must Resist U.S. Christian Nationalism

Dan Andrew Cura

Introduction

The story of the U.S. Evangelical Church’s descent into partisan captivity is no longer just an American issue. It is now spilling into pulpits, prayer groups, and online discussions in the Philippines. Many of the Philippine Evangelical churches, already facing crises of credibility, theological shallowness, and socio-political disengagement, are now borrowing wholesale from the U.S. brand of Evangelicalism, including its most dangerous distortion: Christian Nationalism.

This article is not an indictment of all U.S. Evangelicals. Marami pa rin ang tapat sa ebanghelyo ni Cristo at tumatanggi sa paggamit ng pulpito para sa politika. But the reality is that a good number of U.S. churches have been deeply compromised by decades of political manipulation. What began with Cold War fears of Communism and the rise of the Moral Majority has become a theology equating loyalty to God with loyalty to a party, a candidate, or even a nation.

Tragically, well-meaning Filipino Christians are now importing these distortions without contextualizing them in our sariling kultura. If we do not stop, we risk repeating the same mistakes and losing the very heart of the Gospel.

A Cautionary Tale: The Hijacking of the U.S. Church

The U.S. Evangelical Church did not fall into political entanglement overnight. From Billy Graham’s stadium revivals, na talagang naka-focus sa evangelism, to Jerry Falwell’s politically driven Moral Majority, American Christianity slowly became a tool for partisan mobilization. Political operatives saw the massive crowds in Billy Graham’s crusades and realized pulpits could deliver not only spiritual converts but also political votes. Over time, sermons evolved into campaign speeches, and faith became intertwined with party loyalty.

By the 1980s, Ronald Reagan, who rarely went to church, became the darling of Evangelicals, while Jimmy Carter, a devout born-again Christian, was painted as unfit. By 2016, Donald Trump, whose life stood in stark contrast to Christian values, had won overwhelming support from Evangelicals. Political expediency replaced moral integrity. The U.S. church became a cautionary tale of what happens when politics hijacks faith.

The Rise of Christian Nationalism

At its core, Christian Nationalism asserts that America is a “Christian nation” whose political identity must be defended through laws and power structures. For many of its supporters, the U.S. Constitution was instituted by God and is treated almost as sacred as the Bible. It is less about following Christ and more about wielding power in His name.

The January 6th insurrection, where crosses and “Jesus Saves” banners were waved alongside Confederate flags, showed how deep this distortion runs. The result? American churches are hemorrhaging members, especially young people, who see hypocrisy and manipulation instead of love, justice, and humility. Kaya maraming kabataan ang nag-de-deconstruct, walking away not because they hate Jesus, but because they can’t reconcile Him with what they see in the church.

The Philippine Church and Borrowed Battles

Imported Ideologies Without Context

In the Philippines, pastors, leaders, and lay Christians consume U.S. Evangelical content like YouTube sermons, podcasts, books, conferences, without filtering them through our context. The result? We adopt American church battles as if they were ours. Terms like “woke,” “critical race theory,” or “liberal agenda” dominate conversations in churches that have never even faced those issues locally. Instead of contextual theology, we echo imported ideology.

Christian Nationalism in the Philippine Context

The danger is clear: Filipino Evangelicals are beginning to equate loyalty to candidates with faithfulness to Christ, just as their American counterparts did. Pag Christian yung kandidato, boto kaagad, without even understanding what the candidate is fighting for and if his lifestyle is congruent to scripture. Instead of shaping our politics by Scripture, we let foreign theology dictate our discipleship. Many mistake U.S. Christian Nationalist rhetoric for biblical conviction, and in the process, nawawala tayo sa tunay na laban: corruption, kahirapan, environmental destruction, and injustice against the marginalized.

Here in the Philippines, it’s not a race war, it’s a class war. This is not just a theological error, if you miss it; it is a pastoral disaster. Churches risk splitting along imported partisan lines while ignoring the day-to-day struggles of Filipinos, kung hindi pa nga nangyayari.

The Silent Struggle of Bible-Centered Churches

Schism by Proxy

Even Bible-centered, Gospel-preaching churches in the Philippines are not immune. The fights tearing through U.S. congregations, about Trump, vaccines, race, and sexuality, are now mirrored here. Believers are dividing not over contextual, biblical issues, but over imported culture wars.

Filipinos in the U.S. as a Conduit

Filipino diaspora communities in the U.S. often serve as conduits. Many have embraced U.S. Christian Nationalism and brought it back to their families and churches in the Philippines. Sermons, Facebook posts, and Viber groups spread these ideas, reinforcing them as if they were biblical truth. Sadly, instead of discerning, we simply parrot. Ang resulta? Kalituhan. Confusion. Churches distracted from discipleship, justice, and mission are now fighting over debates na hindi naman atin.

What the Philippine Church Must Do

Recover Contextual Theology

The Gospel was never meant to be imported wholesale. Every church is called to study Scripture honestly and apply it faithfully in its context. Filipino Evangelicals must ask: Ano ang ibig sabihin ng sumunod kay Jesus dito sa Pilipinas, ngayon mismo?
This matters because our challenges are not America’s challenges. In the U.S., debates revolve around race, guns, abortion, sexuality.

Here, our wounds are different:

Poverty: One-fifth of Filipinos live below the poverty line. For many, the prayer for “daily bread” is literal. Preaching must confront injustice and embody Christ’s compassion for the poor (James 2:15–16).Corruption: Graft cripples our healthcare, education, and governance. Micah’s call to “do justice” (Micah 6:8) means confronting dishonesty not as theory but as daily reality.

Inequality: A few families dominate politics and economics while millions struggle. Jesus uplifted the marginalized; so must we.

Exploitation: OFWs separated from families, human trafficking, land grabbing. Christ came to proclaim release for the captives (Luke 4:18).

Environmental crisis: The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone nations in the world. Stewardship here is not optional, it’s survival.

These are not side issues. Dito mismo nakasalalay kung paano natin isasabuhay ang ebanghelyo. To ignore them in favor of imported “culture wars” is to abandon our mission field for someone else’s battlefield.

Uphold Micah 6:8

Micah’s words remain timeless: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). Justice, not partisanship. Kindness, not anger. Humility, not power.

Live the Great Commandment and Commission

Jesus was clear: Love God, love neighbor (Matthew 22:37–39). Make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20). Neither command involves securing political dominance. The Philippine church must resist confusing making disciples with making voters, or dreaming that the entire Philippines will become a "Bible-Centered Christian Nation". Alam natin sa Kasulatan, only God knows the people whom He called out from all nations. God, in Christ, will Triumph in the End. Our job is to proclaim and live the truth in Jesus Name, not to build our own empire.

Exercise Discernment

Filipino Christians must develop critical thinking. Hindi lahat ng sikat sa YouTube ay tama. Not every best-selling religious book is biblical. Not every American debate applies to us. Discernment means testing everything against Scripture and our context, and rejecting ideologies that fracture the body of Christ.

Pastoral Reflections

1. Be vigilant. Paul exhorts us in 2 Timothy 2:15 to rightly handle the Word of Truth. We must study and teach accurately, engaging Philippine realities of corruption, poverty, and injustice, so our preaching is relevant, not parroting foreign battles.
2. Practice introspection. Guard against the temptation to only hear what our “itching ears” want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). Pastoral ministry requires humility, silence, and honesty before God.
3. Be both biblical and Christlike. Scripture without love becomes a weapon. Love without truth becomes weakness. When it's time to speak, be bold. Christ confronted hypocrisy but welcomed sinners. We must do the same. WALK THE TALK. Not just Talk!
4. Beware the enemy’s schemes. The evil one mixes enough lies with truth to divide us. If we are not discerning, we’ll end up destroying each other in Jesus’ name.

Mga kapatid, especially the pastors, mabigat ang ating pananagutan. But if we lead with humility and courage, the Philippine church can resist distortion and embody the true Gospel in our land.

Parting Shots: A Warning and a Hope

The U.S. church is a cautionary tale of faith hijacked by politics, now divided, disillusioned, declining. The Philippine church must learn, not repeat. May sarili na tayong credibility problem; we don’t need to import theirs. We must root ourselves in the timeless Gospel.

If we follow Micah 6:8 and embrace the Great Commandment and Great Commission, the Philippine church can shine as a light in our darkness. We can address poverty, fight corruption, care for creation, and love our neighbors, not because we borrowed a political agenda, but because we followed Christ.

The choice is before us: Will we parrot U.S. Christian Nationalism, or will we live out biblical Christianity in the Philippines?

Sa huli, isa lang ang daan patungo sa buhay, pagkakaisa, at tunay na patotoo kay Cristo.

Only one of these paths leads to life, unity, and true witness.

About the Author:

Dan Andrew Cura was president of the Far East Broadcasting Company, and director of the board of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas. He is currently Administrative Consultant for Good News Clinic and Hospital in Banaue, Ifugao.