{"id":29438,"date":"2025-10-15T12:15:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T16:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=29438"},"modified":"2025-10-15T12:15:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T16:15:15","slug":"vertical-morality-might-describe-why-maga-christians-seem-so-unchristian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/10\/vertical-morality-might-describe-why-maga-christians-seem-so-unchristian","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Vertical Morality\u2019 Might Describe Why MAGA Christians Seem So Unchristian"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lyonstock \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For many Americans, the gap between Christian teachings and MAGA politics is baffling. How can people profess faith in Jesus \u2015 who preached love, mercy and care for the oppressed \u2015 while supporting policies that punish immigrants, demonize LGBTQ people and glorify cruelty?<\/p>\n

The key to understanding this apparent contradiction might lie in something called \u201cvertical morality.\u201d<\/p>\n

This ethical framework measures righteousness not by goodness to others, but by something more simplistic. Below, Christian advocates and former fundamentalists break down what vertical morality means and how it explains our political landscape today.<\/p>\n

What Is Vertical Morality?<\/h2>\n

\u201cVertical morality teaches that authority, power and a moral code of right and wrong, or acceptable and unacceptable, come from \u2018above\u2019 \u2015 an external superior who designates rules, systems and tenets that must be obeyed by those beneath,\u201d said Tia Levings<\/a>, a former Christian fundamentalist and author of \u201cA Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the context of religion, the superior is God. In politics, it might be an authoritarian dictator. In a cult, it would be the controlling leader. Whatever the circumstances, the idea is that behaviors are only right or wrong based on what the figure in power says.<\/p>\n

\u201cVertical morality in Christianity is the idea that our ethics and behaviors have a duty to please God alone. We get our morals from God and we must obey him, furthering the will of God no matter the cost,\u201d said April Ajoy<\/a>, author of \u201cStar-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding A True Faith<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The term has become popular in the social media sphere in recent years, thanks to viral videos from content creator and activist Rachel Klinger Cain<\/a>. She told HuffPost<\/em> she started using this terminology in her content a few years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cVertical morality is just how I describe what\u2019s called \u2018divine command theory\u2019 in metaethics,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m a teacher, so I\u2019m always looking for ways to make complicated concepts a little more simple. It\u2019s basically the idea that morality comes from authority above, which is what I was taught when I was raised within conservative Christianity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vertical morality stands in contrast to the concept of horizontal morality, another term Klinger Cain has broken down in her videos.<\/p>\n

\u201cHorizontal morality prioritizes the well-being of our neighbors, communities and personal relationships,\u201d Ajoy explained. \u201cWe act in ways that cause the least amount of harm to those around us, regardless of beliefs. Someone with vertical morality may help someone in need because they believe that\u2019s what God wants them to do, versus someone with horizontal morality may help that same person for the benefit of the person that needs help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than unquestioning obedience and superficial optics, this approach focuses on genuine empathy, compassion and love toward others, recognizing the actual effects our actions have on people.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think both are important in the Christian faith, but a lot of people today get hung up on the vertical as a priority and forget about the horizontal altogether,\u201d said Malynda Hale<\/a>, an advocate and executive director of The New Evangelicals, a nonprofit focused on promoting inclusivity, justice and compassion in Christianity.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Ajoy believes that the most Christ-like approach is to hold a position of horizontal authority, because doing so also subscribes to vertical morality.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Matthew 25, Jesus describes people who fed and clothed those in need, who welcomed the stranger, who took care of the sick and visited those in prison,\u201d she noted. \u201cHe then says, \u2018What you did for the least of these, you did for me.\u2019 He equates loving our neighbors (horizontal morality) with loving Christ (vertical morality).\u201d<\/p>\n

How Vertical Morality Shapes Politics And Justice Today<\/h2>\n

The distinction isn\u2019t just theological nitpicking. Experts say it sheds considerable light on contemporary politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvangelicals are taught that all morality comes from God and therefore true goodness can only be spread by obeying God, even if it harms people around us,\u201d Ajoy said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing if pleasing God manifests by following the teachings of Jesus \u2015 loving our neighbors, loving our enemies, promoting peace and taking care of the poor, the widow, the immigrant and standing up for the marginalized. It becomes dangerous when Christians weaponize this vertical morality for power, which is exactly what we\u2019re seeing with the Christian nationalism in the Trump administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the current era, conservative Christian nationalists see anyone on their political team as good and on God\u2019s side, while those who oppose them as evil and satanic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s interesting is that Jesus taught a compassionate, flexible, grace-filled view of what it means to live a life loving God,\u201d Levings noted. \u201cBut today\u2019s conservative Christianity is less influenced by Jesus and more by the Old Testament and Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n

She pointed to theonomy, the belief that Old Testament laws should be applied to modern society, as an influence on Christian nationalist politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt predates Jesus, and it\u2019s disinterested in evidence, science, progress, research, experience or the inclusion of other worldviews,\u201d Levings said. \u201cTheonomy is part of the Reformed theology that\u2019s been growing in the evangelical movement for the past 30 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Summarizing the role of vertical morality in the Old Testament, Klinger Cain highlighted the story of Abraham, who was commended for his willingness to obey God\u2019s command to sacrifice his son Isaac, despite the act\u2019s inherent immorality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat should happen if you have a horizontal moral system is, you should go, \u2018I\u2019m not murdering someone, even if an authority figure has told me to do that,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cBut under vertical morality, that would be a sin because you\u2019re disobeying God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drawing from the most violent and extreme chapters of Biblical history, this approach frames unquestioning obedience as the highest virtue, even when it demands actions that defy compassion or common sense. And what might\u2019ve once been a religious debate has now become a broader cultural conflict thanks to the role of conservative Christians in writing Project 2025 and otherwise shaping public policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem with MAGA Christians is that they promote policies that often go against the teachings of Jesus,\u201d Ajoy said. \u201cThey justify it by promoting a view of God that is vengeful. They demonize all immigrants as criminals, all queer people as predators, all leftists as violent and all Democrats as satanic \u2015 with no evidence to back these claims. And because they believe in a literal hell and a God-ordained calling to make the nation Christian, they justify cruelty in the name of \u2018tough love.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Under a vertical moral system, the worst thing you can do is disobey God\u2019s laws, and this perspective has bled into politics as well. Klinger Cain offered the example of the rather callous response to \u201cAlligator Alcatraz\u201d and the extremely punitive treatment of immigrant detainees from MAGA Christians.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn one side, we\u2019re looking at people who are undocumented, so yes, they\u2019ve broken a rule. But for the most part, there are no victims \u2015 so why is our government being so harsh?\u201d she said. \u201cBut the other side, with this fundamental Christian worldview, sees every broken rule as deserving a super harsh punishment. You don\u2019t have to be a murderer or a rapist to go to hell. Every broken rule leads to hell \u2015 even just taking a bite of an apple cursed all of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

This religious viewpoint desensitizes people, so inhumane immigrant detention feels fine and deserved. Klinger Cain added that, for people with this perspective, the only way to escape the fate of hell is not through good actions but simply by being on the right God-ordained MAGA team.<\/p>\n

\u201cVertical morality has caused white conservative, MAGA-aligned Christianity to completely abandon the core of Christ\u2019s teachings because their focus is on self-interest and perceived moral purity,\u201d Hale said. \u201cTo them, they are Christians and haven\u2019t abandoned the faith at all, but their framework measures righteousness in a way that can excuse behaviors that the general public knows and sees aren\u2019t Christlike at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

This system also demonizes empathy. Some conservative authors have even written books describing empathy as sinful or \u201ctoxic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Abraham had empathized too much with his son and chosen not to kill him, then that empathy would have been a sin,\u201d Klinger Cain said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen this concept play out in Christianity with pastors telling parents not to allow their children to be gay, even if it hurts them. The idea is don\u2019t allow your empathy to support sin in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why Vertical Morality Appeals To People \u2014 And Why It Can Be Dangerous<\/h2>\n

This ease of this straightforward absolutism helps explain why vertical morality appeals to so many people.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s comforting to always know what the answer is and where to find it,\u201d Klinger Cain said. \u201cIt\u2019s probably nice for your nervous system to not worry about whether you\u2019re doing something right or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

In times of cultural change, many people are drawn to simple authoritarian structures due to fear and uncertainty, she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd once you\u2019re primed for authoritarianism in religion, it\u2019s easy to accept it in politics,\u201d Klinger Cain said.<\/p>\n

She believes this is why conservative Christians have had a lot of success galvanizing their political base to get on board quickly with things that might seem morally questionable. On the other side of the aisle, she sees more infighting as people try to use logic and empathy to find solutions and come to differing conclusions.<\/p>\n

\u201cVertical morality feels safe in chaotic times, when \u2018figuring things out\u2019 or \u2018learning from past mistakes\u2019 feels daunting,\u201d Levings said. \u201cIt\u2019s also easier to comply with when the bottom-dwelling citizens feel like they have little power or agency to resist an authoritarian system. Sometimes, compliance is a matter of survival, and agreeing with it is a necessary means of getting along and staying safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hale agreed that vertical morality feels easier and less complicated than actually confronting systemic issues and the complexities of social justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to measure your faith by private devotion or rules that you think are in the bible, rather than by how you show up in the world,\u201d she said. \u201cThe unfortunate part is that it can blind people to injustice and sometimes cause them to justify harmful behavior. When your focus is on individual righteousness rather than collective responsibility, you don\u2019t learn how to show up for others \u2015 you only care about your own journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result, Hale added, you risk fostering a society where people aren\u2019t held accountable for harmful actions and can be cruel and exclusionary, as long as they are \u201cgood Christians.\u201d Rather than social responsibility, it\u2019s all about personal salvation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a quote I heard often growing up in this world that says, \u2018Some Christians are so heavenly-minded that they\u2019re no earthly good.\u2019 And I think that perfectly sums up the risks of holding solely to a vertical morality,\u201d Ajoy said. \u201cOur history is full of instances of Christians causing human suffering because they believed they were obeying God. And God\u2019s will can be manipulated and weaponized for all sorts of harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

She pointed to the role of Christianity as justification for slavery and Ku Klux Klan activity, for example.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing vertical morality weaponized today in the Trump administration,\u201d Ajoy said. \u201cIf they can convince people that they are \u2018of God,\u2019 then it doesn\u2019t matter who they hurt in the process. They say Christian things. They quote scripture. But they are wreaking havoc on the very people Jesus calls us to love and care for. It reminds me of another verse in Matthew 15 that says, \u2018These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Levings emphasized broader risks of vertical morality, noting that it depends on the benevolence of the power on top and is based on an ancient code that cannot be challenged or questioned. Those who try are shamed and cut off from the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cVertical morality can\u2019t take into consideration modern advancements or needs, evidence of failures, new research and information and human progress in civilization,\u201d she explained. \u201cThose with a vertical structure aren\u2019t inclusive or accepting of other worldviews. Diversity can\u2019t exist because it threatens the high contrast right-wrong rigidity found in fundamentalist authoritarianism.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean there\u2019s no place for any sort of regard for a divine moral authority.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that vertical morality can bring genuine spiritual depth and discipline, but it has to work in tandem with horizontal ethics,\u201d Hale said. \u201cWe always say faith without works is dead. Faith without action is incomplete. Personal piety can become performative if it isn\u2019t rooted in love for others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Article written by Caroline Bologna and originally appeared on HuffPost.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many Americans, the gap between Christian teachings and MAGA politics is baffling. How can people profess faith in Jesus \u2015 who preached love, mercy and care for the oppressed \u2015 while supporting policies that punish immigrants, demonize LGBTQ people and glorify cruelty? 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