If you’re watching American politics right now and feeling uneasy, you’re not alone.

For many, the rise of Donald Trump—and more specifically, the movement surrounding him—represents a dangerous shift in the political and moral fabric of the country. The concerns are not just about policy but about the authoritarian tone, the open embrace of Christian nationalism, and the increasingly aggressive push to merge church and state.

The fear isn’t just theoretical. When a political movement becomes obsessed with power, when it begins dismantling democratic norms, and when it starts using religious language to justify control, history tells us to pay attention.

And so, many resist. They march, they vote, they speak out. They sound the alarm, warning that democracy itself is in danger.

But while advocacy, resistance, and political engagement all have their place, Adventists have been given a unique prophetic insight that calls us to look deeper.

Because the real story here isn’t just Trump. The real danger isn’t just a leader or a party. It’s something far more foundational.

And if we don’t understand it, we won’t know what to do about it.

Prophecy Doesn’t Warn About Individuals—It Warns About Systems

For decades, Adventists have been accused of paranoia when we talk about America’s role in prophecy. But in contrast to most Christian eschatologies that focus on a singular, tyrannical Antichrist, Ellen White’s warnings point to something much more insidious—the rise of religious populism.

She never tells us to fear one man or one administration. She never warns of a dictator imposing religious laws from the top down. Instead, she describes a popular movement, a time when the masses—ordinary people—will demand religious laws to restore order to society.

In The Great Controversy, she writes:

"The people will demand a law enforcing Sunday observance." (GC, 592)

A broader way of saying this is, “The people will demand that government legistate morality.”

The threat is not a single figure, but a desperate population willing to trade religious freedom for a sense of control.

This is the part we must understand.

The final crisis does not come because a lone strongman seizes power. It comes because the people, fearful of chaos, demand religious solutions from their leaders.

And that is what we are seeing today.

The Rise of Christian Nationalism

In the last decade, we have watched a growing segment of conservative Christianity abandon its commitment to religious liberty in favor of religious dominance.

Project 2025, a sweeping plan to reshape the U.S. government into an engine for conservative Christian power, is no longer a fringe idea. Evangelicals who once warned about government overreach are now actively working to take over the government for themselves.

This is not speculation. It is openly available in policy documents and mainstream reporting, including Project 2025’s own website.

This is exactly what Adventism has warned about. Not secular globalists imposing godlessness, but religious conservatives demanding Christian rule.

And how is it justified? Populism.

The justification for these sweeping religious policies is always the same:"This is what the people want."

And this is where Adventists must wake up.

So What Is Our Responsibility as Adventists?

Most of us will never influence Trump himself. He is too far removed, too powerful, and too surrounded by people who reinforce his worldview. But the good news is, Trump isn’t the real story.

If Adventism is right—if the real danger is not the individual, but the movement—then our focus should not just be on political leaders, but on the people who are enabling them.

And if populism is the catalyst for religious tyranny, then the antidote is clear: we must flood the population with the truth about God’s character of love.

At its core, this crisis is not political. It is theological.

Evangelicals are not just voting for strongman politicians. They are acting out their picture of God.

A God who is coercive.
A God who rules by force.
A God who merges church and state.

And that means we have work to do.

Work we should have already been doing.

Work we have exchanged for our petty debates, toxic traditionalism, venomous perfectionism, and cultish legalism.

Work which, in my estimation, will not be done by many of our established congregations—many of which seem perfectly content with the enforcement of religious dogma.

Work which will only be done one way: A new generation of church plants, a new wave of Adventist creatives, and a decolonized prophetic identity.

Here are 5 steps I believe can get us moving:

Step 1: Decolonize Our Prophetic Identity

Adventism was never meant to be a fear-based movement, obsessed with conspiracy theories. Our calling was never about stockpiling knowledge for an in-group while the world falls apart outside our walls.

We were raised up for protest. Not the kind that seeks political dominance, but the kind that stands against the very thing so much of Christianity has historically embraced—the merging of church and state, the weaponization of religion, and the imperial instinct to control others in God's name.

From the beginning, Adventism’s prophetic lens was anti-imperial. It warned against religious institutions that align themselves with political power to enforce their version of righteousness. It rejected the idea that the kingdom of God could be established through force, coercion, or legislation.

And yet, over time, parts of our movement have absorbed the very impulses we were meant to resist. We have, in some places, become what we were supposed to protest.

Instead of challenging systems of oppression, we have sometimes mirrored them. (I talk about that HERE)
Instead of exposing empire, we have feared the wrong enemy—imagining that the final crisis will come from secularism, when our own prophetic vision says it will come from religious populism.

Ellen White was clear that Adventism’s role was to speak truth to power. She described a world where Protestants, in their pursuit of control, would trample liberty in the name of morality. She saw a day when Christianity, instead of being the voice of the oppressed, would become the oppressor. And she warned us not to be part of it.

"The church that unites with the world and seeks the support of the state is by that very act separating herself from God." (The Great Controversy, 607)

Yet today, many Adventists are joining hands with the very religious forces pushing for state-controlled Christianity. Instead of resisting Christian nationalism, some are defending it. Instead of warning about religious tyranny, some are celebrating it because, hey, at least those “evil secular globalists” are getting spanked now, right?

This is a type of colonized Adventism—an Adventism that has lost its way, forgetting that our prophetic witness was always meant to oppose empire, not endorse it.

We must decolonize our prophetic identity.

This means recovering our role as a movement of protest—not protest for power, but protest against power used in the name of God.

It means breaking free from the nationalist, control-driven impulses that have taken root in parts of our church and instead embracing the radical, countercultural faith of Jesus.

It means standing not with the religious majority demanding power, but with the ones who will be harmed by their rule. (Including and especially, non-Christians.)

If we fail to do this, we risk becoming just another church lost to history—absorbed into the very system we were meant to expose.

But if we get this right—if we return to the core of our prophetic identity—then we can step into the future as the movement we were meant to be.

One that defends the rights of conscience.
One that doesn’t cling to empire but testifies to a kingdom not of this world.
One that doesn’t silence the oppressed but stands with them in holy defiance.

It’s time to decolonize our prophetic identity and reclaim that mission.

Step 2: Anchor Our Message in a Healing Picture of God

If people are acting out their distorted view of God, then our response isn’t to fight them politically. Our response is to heal their view of God.

We must resist imperial God frameworks and revive the radical message that:

• God is a servant, not a dictator.

• God heals through love, not dominance.

• God’s kingdom is not of this world.

Because what our culture desperately needs today is a revelation of God’s character of love.

Step 3: Flood Our Cities With This Message

Populism claims to be the will of the people, but in reality, it only represents the will of certain people—an idealized, segmented class that excludes the marginalized. It thrives by drawing a line between the “true people” and those deemed outsiders, leaving many unheard and unrepresented.

Too often, our prophetic seminars mirror this dynamic, pushing doom-and-gloom conspiracies that divide rather than heal. Instead, we need:

🔹 A prophetic voice that speaks for all who are hurting, not just a select group.
🔹 A movement that liberates from imperial God constructs, rather than replacing them with another exclusionary vision.
🔹 A church that calls everyone—not just an idealized few—back to compassion, love, and hospitality.

Step 4: Creatives, Lead the Way

Don’t wait for the denomination to catch up.

If you have a vision—start something.
If you have a gift—use it.
If you have a platform—speak up.

The world needs our voice.

Yes, some in the church are asleep. Yes, others are happily backing the push for Christian supremacy.

But don’t waste time cursing the darkness. Light your candle instead.

Step 5: Plant Churches, Disciple New Believers, Create Spaces of Belonging

There are some truly amazing Adventist churches out there—churches that are alive with mission, deeply connected to their communities, and committed to reflecting the radical love of Jesus. If you’re part of one of those churches, you know how powerful it can be.

But let’s be honest. They are the exception, not the rule.

The reality is that the majority of our churches are toxic, lifeless, fundamentalist, and deeply resistant to innovation. They are stuck in cycles of legalism, irrelevant traditions, and an obsession with institutional self-preservation. They fear change, reject new ideas, and cling to outdated structures that no longer speak to the world as it is today.

Healthy local churches stuck in bad systems but with otherwise good leaders and a healthy culture can certainly be empowered to become the best versions of themselves.

But toxic, unhealthy churches? We cannot wait for them to change.

If the past few decades have taught us anything, it’s that revitalizing toxic churches is often a losing battle. These congregations do not want to grow. They do not want to reach secular people. They do not want to adapt. They would rather die than give up their power and control.

So instead of waiting, we need to build something new.

• New/ renewed churches that prioritize mission over maintenance.

• New/ renewed communities that are designed for today’s world, not yesterday’s.

• New/ renewed movements that exist not to preserve an institution but to embody the kingdom of God.

Because at the end of the day, we are running out of time.

We are watching a generation slip through our fingers while we debate whether guitars belong in the sanctuary. We are watching Christian nationalism rise while our churches argue about women’s ordination. We are watching secular people walk away from faith entirely because they’ve only ever encountered a version of Christianity that looks nothing like Jesus.

And here’s the thing—we know how to reach them.

We know that Jesus resonates with people longing for meaning, justice, and hope.
We know that the Adventist message is deeply relevant when framed through a healing lens.
We know that there is a hunger for spiritual community that doesn’t demand conformity, but invites people into transformation.

We just have to create/ recreate spaces where that kind of faith can thrive.

Conclusion

I’m not saying ignore government action. By all means, vote, advocate, and resist injustice through policy. This is especially important now that the masses have already voted and the administration is already in place. Real time decisions are being made that won’t be fixed by giving Bible studies to your neighbors. They require tangible, civil action to reverse.

But don’t forget:

The real catalyst isn’t a dictator. It’s the people.

And while we may not prevent church-empire from emerging from its lair, we can flood the population with the goodness of God’s heart so that we might, to some degree, stay the tide of evil.

Perhaps this is why Ellen White said, “The last message of mercy to be given to the world is a revelation of His character of love.” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 415)

Adventism, this is our moment!