Washington, D.C. is a spiritual battleground.

The burden began during the election season and has only grown heavier. As I analyzed the nation’s capital through the six domains of SAN, I came to believe that the primary stronghold gripping our nation are not the concerns I mentioned in the modern temple post, but rather Christian nationalism. This stronghold operates through the same spirit that empowered slave masters and animated the KKK, who likewise claimed Christian identity while pursuing dominion over others.

Christian nationalism is a movement that weaponizes Scripture and distorts Christianity. What makes this stronghold particularly dominant and dangerous is that the enemy has corrupted the very spiritual agency meant to dismantle his kingdom. The Church, designed as God’s primary instrument to transform culture through love and truth, has been diverted toward political power. The tools meant to take over enemy territory by drawing people out of the world through holy living and the preaching of Christ’s love have been redirected toward taking over and controlling the government. Where in the Bible does a prophet, an apostle, or Christ Himself instruct the Church to do this? What Jesus sent to heal has been flipped to cause harm.

This is more than a political issue, it is spiritual blindness. Many caught in this stronghold genuinely believe they are fulfilling God’s will. They see their actions as righteous, viewing any opposition as ungodly or even demonic. This is the same deception that blinded the Pharisees. They were zealous for the Law, but in their pursuit of national and religious purity, they missed the Messiah. Likewise, Christian nationalism seeks political dominion in Christ’s name while missing His actual call—to make disciples, serve the marginalized, and preach the gospel, not try to legislate holiness. This is the spirit of Babylon masquerading as the kingdom of God.

Advocating for godly political leaders is not inherently wrong, just as advocating for social justice is not wrong. Christians should encourage all leaders, regardless of party, to legislate against oppression and uphold justice. Social justice matters, but it remains unachievable without God’s transforming power. There is a balance to maintain. However, Christian nationalism has moved far beyond this balance into dangerous territory, merging religious identity with national identity and pursuing political dominance as its primary strategy. This strategy itself is sinful because its underlying objective is not truly about advancing God’s kingdom but about making America “great” again—by reverting to a time of white racial dominance and the subordination of minorities. This is cloaked in Christianity because secular decline is falsely blamed on minorities.

This is idolatry in the Church, the idolatry of power, the idolatry of America, and the idolatry of leaders. There is nothing wrong with loving one’s country, but when the Church equates America with Israel and political influence with God’s authority, it is serving a false god. The deception is subtle because it masquerades as devotion to God. Jesus never called His Church to rule by force.

The root of America’s division is a spiritual crisis. What we are witnessing is an ongoing choice between two trees:

The Tree of Life—God’s wisdom, grace, and truth that lead to eternal life.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—human wisdom, self-righteousness, and autonomy that lead to death.

Christian nationalists and secular liberals are both eating from the wrong tree; they simply pick from different branches. Christian nationalism clings to self-righteousness, legalism, and control—believing that morality can be forced through laws, that America is God’s chosen nation, and that political power is the way to preserve Christianity. Secular liberalism clings to autonomy, relativism, and rebellion, believing that truth is subjective, authority is oppressive, and self-determination is the highest good. But these are not opposites; they are two sides of the same Babylonian coin. Both are built on pride, power, and self-exaltation. One seeks to control through law, the other through ideology. But neither seeks to transform hearts.

What we are witnessing is not about salvation or genuine kingdom advancement but about power, control, and cultural dominance, exercised through different means. In this distorted framework, “liberal” has become a target—a dehumanized other against whom violence can be justified in the name of righteousness. As demographics shift in America, the desperation to maintain control grows, potentially leading to unconstitutional measures to preserve power, regardless of electoral outcomes. But Jesus never sought political power. He rejected it when Satan offered it in the wilderness (Matthew 4:8-10). He told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). The Church is not called to rebuild Babylon under the banner of Christ; it is called to stand apart from Babylon and call people out of it (Revelation 18:4).

The true Christian response is not mobilizing with guns and tactical gear, but humility, prayer, forgiveness and sacrificial service, a return to the Tree of Life. Instead of mega-churches and wealthy Christians funding political campaigns, why not redirect resources toward ministries that serve the poor, widows, orphans, and those struggling with addiction, mental health challenges, and hunger, the very priorities Jesus established. Society is transformed through love and the gospel demonstrated in action, not through political dominance. This is what Isaiah 58 calls us to, to loose the chains of injustice, feed the hungry, and shelters the homeless. The church has enough wealth to do this without the government. The Church must return to this mission, not because social justice is the gospel, but because justice is a fruit of the gospel. We must pray, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” recognizing that many caught in these strongholds believe they are defending righteousness while actually undermining it. The path forward requires the Church to repent, disentangle from worldly power systems, and return to kingdom priorities so that true healing can begin.

More to follow…