As the Obama Presidential Center prepares for its highly anticipated opening in Chicago later this month, Christian commentator and pastor Todd Friel is drawing attention for his sharp criticism of the center’s design, calling it “atheistic,” “anti-Christian,” and even “an intentional slight to God.”

The $850 million presidential center honoring former President Barack Obama includes a museum tower, library space, athletic fields, gardens, playgrounds and community gathering areas spread across 19 acres in Chicago’s Jackson Park neighborhood.

But according to Friel, the center’s striking architectural style communicates far more than artistic preference.

During a recent segment on his program “Wretched,” Friel criticized the building’s appearance, comparing the towering structure to everything from a “Klingon prison” to the “Death Star” from Star Wars.

“It looks like a World War II-era German anti-aircraft tower,” Friel said. “In other words, the thing is downright ugly.”

Still, Friel argued his concerns go beyond aesthetics. The pastor, who also serves at Alpharetta Bible Church in Georgia, said architecture reflects worldview and ideology.

“Buildings preach,” Friel said. “And the Obama Center is a really lousy sermon.”

According to Friel, the design reflects deconstructionist architecture — a style he connected with postmodernism, atheism and Marxist thought. He contrasted that with traditional Greco-Roman and Christian architectural influences, which he said historically emphasized order, beauty and objective truth.

“Traditional architecture affirmed order. Deconstructivism destabilizes it,” Friel explained during the segment.

The Christian broadcaster claimed the presidential center itself serves as a symbolic rejection of traditional values and even of God’s created order.

“He doesn’t speak with his lips. He speaks with architecture,” Friel said of Obama. “And what he is saying is as odious as ever.”

Friel ultimately described the building as a “tangible symbol” of the destructive worldviews he believes have influenced modern American culture.

The center, sometimes mockingly referred to online as the “Obamalisk” for its towering shape and concrete exterior, has already sparked debate across social media and political circles ahead of its grand opening festivities.

Former President Donald Trump has also criticized the project in recent weeks. In one Truth Social post, Trump shared an edited image portraying the museum as a giant trash can while also accusing Illinois officials of helping fund what he called an over-budget presidential library project.

Despite the criticism, the Obama Presidential Center is expected to attract thousands of visitors during its opening celebrations, which will feature live performances, food, art exhibits and family activities.

For many Christians, however, Friel’s comments have sparked a broader conversation about whether architecture, art and public spaces communicate deeper spiritual messages about truth, beauty and humanity’s relationship with God.