Six Ways White Evangelicals Institutionalized Dishonesty

White evangelicalism isn’t about truth or morality but power, control, and deception cloaked in the language of faith.

by Tanner the Humanist

White evangelical institutions have long claimed to stand for truth, morality, and a strong connection to Jesus Christ. They love to preach about honesty, integrity, and the importance of living by biblical principles. However, when you look a little closer, it becomes pretty clear that dishonesty is practically mandatory in these circles.

1. Act of “We’re Just About Jesus”

First off, the idea that white evangelicalism is just about Jesus. We’re told repeatedly that these churches are focused on spreading the gospel, loving thy neighbor, and making the world a better place. What a lovely story, right? But the thing is that white evangelicalism has spent decades in bed with politicians to push for power, control, and, frankly, oppression. Don’t let the shiny image of “spreading love” fool you. Beneath all that, white evangelicals have aligned themselves with some of the most harmful, regressive political ideas imaginable.

They love to pretend that their religious beliefs are separate from their political affiliations, but that’s a load of nonsense. When evangelical leaders support candidates who push harmful policies against women, the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and the poor, they’re not living by Jesus’ teachings — they’re pushing an agenda.

2. “Christian Nation” Falsehood

Then, there’s the falsehood about America being a Christian nation, something big in evangelical circles. They’ll tell you that the United States was founded on Christian principles and that their way of interpreting Christianity should have a special place in public life. It’s a plain and simple fabrication.

The Founding Fathers were not all devout Christians, and many were influenced by Enlightenment principles — things like freedom of thought and religious pluralism. In fact, they deliberately kept religion out of government. But white evangelicals will warp the truth and maintain that this country is somehow a “Christian nation” built by Christians for Christians. And if you try to correct them, well, you’re just not as “godly” as they are.

This is a convenient distortion because it allows white evangelicals to claim a moral high ground while pushing for policies that align with their narrow worldview. It lets them impose their version of Christianity on everyone, whether people agree with it or not. They hide behind this supposed “Christian nation” myth to justify all sorts of things, from banning abortion to opposing gay rights, all while proclaiming they’re just “fighting for the soul of the country.”

3. Deception of the “Persecuted Christian”

Let’s not forget the victim complex that white evangelical groups have built around the idea that they’re somehow being persecuted, which is another fabrication that gets pushed at every opportunity. You’ll hear pastors and leaders assert that Christians are under attack, that their rights are being stripped away, and that society is trying to erase their religion. The reality? They are a huge, powerful voting bloc that controls massive amounts of wealth and influence. They are not oppressed; they’re just not getting everything they want. And that’s not the same thing.

This distortion serves a couple of purposes. First, it keeps them united in a sense of “us vs. them,” which is incredibly useful for rallying support and keeping followers in line. Second, it distracts from the real victimization happening in the world — like the suffering of marginalized groups or Christians who are truly suppression in other countries. Instead of acknowledging the suffering of others, white evangelical organizations have crafted a narrative that makes them the victims, making it harder to call out their hypocrisy and actions.

4. The “Family Values” Ruse

Another big ruse in the evangelical playbook is the obsession with “family values.” They love to talk about how important the family is and how marriage between a man and a woman is the cornerstone of society. And yet, let’s look at the reality: white evangelicalism has been full of sexual scandals, affairs, and outright hypocrisy. Many prominent evangelical leaders have been caught in sex scandals, some of them using their platform to cover up abuse, preach against same-sex marriage while having affairs, or even engage in manipulative behavior within their own families.

To be blunt, the obsession with “family values” in white evangelical institutions is largely a PR move. It’s about keeping up the appearance of morality while ignoring the real-life failures and abuses happening behind closed doors. The whole thing is built on the falsehood that they somehow have a monopoly on the “right” family structure while they silently participate in the destruction of families through their own behavior.

5. The Prosperity Gospel Fraud

Of course, we can’t talk about deception in evangelical institutions without mentioning the Prosperity Gospel, which is the very gospel of wealth and success, built on the idea that if you are faithful enough, God will make you rich. It’s a ridiculous, harmful fiction, but that doesn’t stop pastors from raking in millions of dollars by peddling it to their followers. If you donate enough money to these churches, you’ll be blessed with health, wealth, and all the good things in life. Of course, it never quite works that way for the people who actually need it, but that’s the fun part of this scam — it’s designed to work in favor of the people already in charge.

The prosperity gospel relies on manipulating the poor and desperate, promising them miracles while lining the pockets of the rich, and it works. They figured that as long as they can make people believe that financial success is a sign of God’s favor, they can continue to exploit them for profit.

6. The “Divine Guidance” Scam

Finally, there’s the fabrication about being divinely guided. White evangelicals love to insist that they are following the “will of God” when making decisions about everything from politics to social issues. The truth is, these decisions are rarely about divine guidance; they’re about maintaining a specific, conservative worldview that aligns with their brand of Christianity. They use the Bible as a tool to justify their positions, twisting its words and ignoring its contradictions. They’ll cherry-pick verses to support whatever agenda they have, even if it means completely ignoring the core message of love and acceptance that Jesus actually preached.

This distortion is especially destructive because it manipulates people into thinking they are serving a higher purpose, even when they’re just serving the institution’s interests. It allows these organizations to make damaging decisions under the guise of divine will, all while reaping the rewards.

Before You Go

At the end of the day, white evangelical institutions thrive on hoaxes. From claiming to be all about Jesus while pushing for political authority to pretending that they’re victims of persecution while silencing others, these deceptions serve a single purpose: control. They want to control your beliefs, your behavior, and your wallet. They’ll deceive to keep their power and their influence, and they’ll manipulate anyone they can in the process. It’s time to stop pretending that these institutions are about truth and morality because the truth is that deceitfulness is not just a feature of white evangelicalism — it’s built into its very foundation.