Faith in Crisis: U.S. Christianity’s 2025 Echoes of Luther’s Reformation

In 2025, U.S. Christianity faces a crisis of authenticity, marked by a troubling narrative among some Evangelical leaders connected to President Donald J. Trump. These leaders proclaim that Trump’s presidency heralds a spiritual revival, who posit Trump as divinely ordained to “save America.” Prayers like “Lord, make Trump President to save America” echo in certain circles. Yet, Scripture unequivocally ties revival to repentance, not political figures, rendering this narrative unscriptural and perilous.

This crisis echoes the Catholic Church’s turmoil before Martin Luther’s 95 Theses in 1517, when wealth, corruption, and exploitation eroded its moral authority. Today, megachurches, ministerial empires, and the “Ted-Talk Church Era” face similar accusations, while small local churches offer hope, rejecting unscriptural narratives and spectacle. This article examines these dynamics, drawing parallels and contrasts between the 16th century and 2025, and explores the path to authentic revival.

The Trump Revival Myth

A vocal segment of Evangelical leaders asserts that Trump’s second presidency, begun in 2025, is sparking a national spiritual revival. Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, told the Christian Broadcasting Network in April 2025 that Trump is “helping people move closer to God,” citing young people worshiping on campuses. Rep. Mary Miller wrote in the Washington Examiner that Trump’s first 100 days “inspired a spiritual revival.” Lance Wallnau, a New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) leader, calls Trump’s election a “divine mandate” for a “Third Great Awakening.”

The Trump White House Faith Office, led by Paula White-Cain, Trump’s spiritual adviser since 2016, amplifies this narrative. White-Cain insists that Trump is a Christian who understands the concept of repentance. The office promotes policies aligned with Evangelical priorities, framing them as steps toward national renewal. Trump’s survival of a July 2024 assassination attempt, which he called divine intervention to “save our country,” fuels this rhetoric. NAR figures like Wallnau, who led the “Courage Tour” in swing states, view Trump as a prophetic figure, akin to Cyrus in Isaiah 45, battling “demonic” forces—liberals, media, academia—in a spiritual war.

Scripture, however, anchors revival in humility and repentance, not political leadership, political moves, or political parties. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) declares, “If My people… humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will… heal their land.” Acts 3:19 links repentance to “times of refreshing.” Historical revivals, like the Great Awakenings, stemmed from collective repentance, not state power. The Trump revival narrative inverts this, prioritizing political victories over spiritual transformation, bypassing the humility Scripture demands. This echoes false prophets in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, who promised peace without repentance. Jeremiah 6:14 warns of those proclaiming “Peace, peace,” when there is none. The narrative risks idolatry, violating Exodus 20:3’s command to worship God alone, by elevating a man as savior.

The Trump revival myth mirrors the Catholic Church’s pre-Reformation failures. Indulgences promised salvation through payment, like the narrative’s promise of revival through political allegiance, bypassing repentance. The Church’s political entanglements distracted from its mission, as the Trump Faith Office’s policy focus elevates state power over spiritual renewal. The 16th-century laity were disempowered by Latin liturgy; today, congregants are swayed by revival rhetoric, diverting focus from repentance to politics, as social media posts praising Trump’s “divine mandate” show.

Key differences highlight the modern context. The Catholic Church’s monolithic structure made Luther’s critique a direct challenge, while U.S. Christianity’s fragmentation limits the Trump narrative to NAR and select Evangelical circles, rather than a unified doctrine. The printing press unified reform; digital media—X, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, etc.—spreads the Trump myth instantly but fragments discourse, with polarized posts either praising or mocking it. In the 16th century, the laity sought collective reform; today’s congregants “church-shop” or disengage, with 30% identifying as “nones” in 2025, reflecting distrust in institutional religious revival claims.

The Trump revival narrative deepens U.S. Christianity’s crisis, shifting focus from repentance to politics, akin to the spectacle of modern worship trends. Scandals amplify distrust, as social media posts decry greed and abuses of power. By framing Trump as a savior, it risks spiritual shallowness, contradicting Psalm 127:1: “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” Yet, it fuels renewal indirectly. Believers rejecting this narrative flock to small churches emphasizing repentance and Scripture, mirroring 16th-century Protestant congregations. These lack the Reformation’s momentum but offer hope for authentic revival, rooted in 2 Timothy 3:16-17’s call for Scripture-based correction, not political prophecy.

The Catholic Church on the Eve of the Reformation

The myth of the Trump revival represents a facet of a broader crisis within U.S. Christianity, mirroring the turmoil of the Catholic Church before Martin Luther’s 95 Theses in 1517. By the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the Church’s wealth, corruption, and exploitation had diminished its moral authority, paving the way for Luther’s challenge.

The Catholic Church was a spiritual institution wielding immense wealth, yet it was viewed as decadent. The papacy, a monarchical entity controlling the Papal States, engaged in both wars and diplomacy. Popes like Julius II (1503–1513), the “Warrior Pope,” led campaigns, while St. Peter’s Basilica, funded by indulgences, symbolized extravagance. These certificates, which promised reduced time in purgatory, commodified salvation, much like the Evangelical Trump narrative’s political revival claims. The Church’s tax-exempt landholdings strained German economies, as tithes and indulgences enriched Rome. The opulence of papal courts contrasted sharply with congregants’ poverty, fostering resentment similar to social media posts decrying modern megachurch wealth. The Church’s worldly focus parallels the Trump-connected Evangelical push for politically driven revival.

Corruption permeated the hierarchy. Simony saw bishoprics bought for unqualified heirs; Pope Alexander VI (1492–1503) appointed his children to positions, prioritizing family over faith. Pluralism and absenteeism left parishes neglected, with bishops in urban centers and priests often illiterate in Latin. These issues echo modern scandals, where loyalty to leaders outweighs repentance and shields misconduct. The Church resisted reform. The Western Schism (1378–1417) exposed its fragility, and councils like Constance (1414–1418) and Lateran (1512–1517) failed to curb abuses. Reformers like Wycliffe and Hus were condemned, pushing Luther toward radical action, much like modern critics challenge unscriptural revival narratives.

The laity faced financial exploitation through indulgences, tithes, and fees that drained German communities. Spiritually, Latin liturgy and limited access to the Bible marginalized them, similar to how the Trump narrative has shifted from repentance to politics. The disconnect in scholastic theology mirrors modern pep-talk sermons. The yearning for authentic faith within the Devotio Moderna movement parallels today's believers seeking scriptural revival.

The 1517 indulgence controversy, which funded St. Peter’s and Archbishop Albrecht’s debts, sparked Luther’s Theses. Johann Tetzel’s campaign, featuring slogans like “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs,” outraged Luther, who argued that salvation required faith and repentance. The printing press spread his critique, resonating with a laity weary of exploitation, similar to how social media amplifies dissent against false revival claims.

Humanism, led by Erasmus, highlighted discrepancies with Scripture, similar to how critics of the Trump revival narrative cite 2 Chronicles 7:14. Lay piety and German unrest provided fertile ground for Luther, much like believers seeking small churches for authentic faith in 2025.

Modern Christianity in the United States, 2025

The Trump revival myth reflects a deeper crisis in U.S. Christianity, akin to the Catholic Church’s pre-Reformation failures. Megachurches, televangelist empires, and the “Ted-Talk Church Era” are criticized for decadence, corruption, and exploitation, with scandals undermining trust. In contrast, small local churches provide hope by rejecting unscriptural narratives and spectacle.

Megachurches, with sprawling campuses, mirror Renaissance cathedrals. Celebrity Christian leaders create a perception that equates wealth with faith, akin to indulgences. The church growth movement’s spectacle—choreographed worship, TED Talk-style sermons, celebrity ministers, multiple Sunday services—treats congregants as “attendees,” echoing 16th-century disconnection. With 47% of Americans attending services regularly in 2020 (down from 73% in the 1960s), disillusionment parallels pre-Reformation resentment.

Scandals reflect 16th-century corruption. Jerry Falwell Jr.’s resignation and Mark Driscoll’s spiritual abuse underscore unaccountability, similar to simony and nepotism. Megachurch boards protect leaders, akin to papal loyalty. The Southern Baptist Convention’s 2022 abuse cover-up report and the Catholic Church’s 2023 Baltimore scandal highlight the harms of pluralism. Questionable financial practices promote exploitation, reminiscent of indulgences. Abuse scandals weaponize faith to silence victims. Megachurches’ seeker-sensitive models promote shallow faith, echoing the control found in Latin liturgy. Cultural individualism fuels “church shopping” or disengagement, with 30% identifying as “nones” by 2025, paralleling 16th-century spiritual marginalization but with a modern twist of autonomy. Digital platforms amplify critique, unlike the slower spread of the printing press.

The “Ted-Talk Church Era” offers 20–30-minute pep talks designed for TV broadcasts and social media virality. Social media posts mock “sermon snippets” that prioritize soundbites. Multiple Sunday services transform worship into logistics, commodifying faith like indulgences and alienating those seeking depth, echoing 16th-century spiritual neglect.

Small churches, like early Protestant congregations, prioritize Scripture and community. Research shows that 65% of U.S. churches are plateaued, but vibrant small congregations are growing, with lay-led models empowering members. They reject the Evangelical Trump revival narrative and the Ted Talk spectacle, offering a repentance-based faith, but they lack the Reformation’s unified momentum, operating as pockets of resistance.

The Trump revival myth, Ted-Talk Church, and broader failures risk accelerating the rise of the “nones.” Small churches provide hope, rooted in repentance according to 2 Chronicles 7:14. The 16th-century crisis redefined Christendom; today’s crisis may yield a humbler Christianity, if it prioritizes Scripture over politics and spectacle.

Conclusion

U.S. Christianity in 2025, much like the Catholic Church of 1517, faces a crisis of decadence, corruption, and exploitation, exacerbated by the unscriptural Evangelical Trump revival myth, the Ted-Talk Church Era, and various scandals. Luther’s Theses sparked a restructured faith; today, small churches, rooted in repentance, resonate with his call for authenticity. By rejecting false prophets and spectacle, they embody Psalm 127:1: “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” Whether they herald a new reformation or a revival, a true awakening relies on Scripture’s mandate: humility and repentance, not politics, bring revival. 

Let’s get back to the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and preach repentance. Revival came to this earth with the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. Those who embrace humility and repentance, turning to Jesus, experience revival. The only way to save America is through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12 NKJV - “. . . for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”)