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​My aim is to “pattern my life and my own fallible human ways after Jesus’s life.”

                                                  - Jimmy Carter

Would that all American Christians would share his aim. A funny thing happened to American Christianity during the last few decades. Many American Christians have come to substitute a Christian morality with a warrior morality, calling the latter "Christian." For the Christian militants, it is Christian to exact revenge over enemies, to build walls that shut people out, and to ridicule others for being weak; and it is un-Christian to forgive others, to build bridges not walls, and to walk humbly with the Lord.

​The militants have wrapped Jesus in an American flag and put a gun in his hands. The humanitarian example of Jimmy Carter, in all his finitude, can help us put away our guns and walk humbly with the Lord, in service to the poor and powerless, the forsaken and forgotten.

- Jay McDaniel
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​Warrior Morality vs. the Way of Jesus

A funny thing happened to American Christianity during the last few decades. It didn't happen to Jimmy Carter and we are rightly inspired by his moral example. He walked in faith, trying to pattern his life after Jesus' life. But many American Christians have come to substitute a Christian morality with a warrior morality, and they call the latter "Christian." For them, it is Christian to exact revenge over enemies, to build walls that shut people out, and to ridicule others for being weak; and it is un-Christian to forgive others, to build bridges not walls, and to walk humbly with the Lord. They have wrapped Jesus in an American flag and put a gun in his hands.



Warrior morality emphasizes honor, strength, courage, and loyalty as primary virtues. It often values glory in battle, personal vengeance, and victory as markers of success and worth. In warrior cultures, moral worth is tied to one's ability to protect the tribe or defeat enemies, and weakness is often scorned. It operates within a framework of reciprocity, where acts of bravery and sacrifice are expected to be rewarded with respect and status.

Christian morality, in contrast, emphasizes love, compassion, humility, and forgiveness as central virtues. It calls for turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), loving one’s enemies (Matthew 5:44), and serving others rather than dominating them (Mark 10:43-45). Moral worth is grounded in intrinsic human dignity as children of God, not in strength or achievement. Christian morality often prioritizes grace and reconciliation over retaliation or revenge.

Key Contrast:

• Warrior morality values power and honor; Christian morality values humility and love.
• Warrior morality seeks justice through retribution; Christian morality seeks justice through forgiveness and restoration.
• Warrior morality glorifies the victor; Christian morality often honors the suffering servant (Isaiah 53).

While warrior morality upholds defending one’s tribe as heroic, Christian morality emphasizes sacrifice for others, even for one’s enemies, as the highest form of love.
It is not clear that this transvaluation of values can be reversed. This is why many Christians avoid calling themselves Christian, and instead refer to themselves as disciples of Jesus. This is not merely a matter of wanting to be understood. It is a matter of truly naming the source of their loyalty. Their aim is to be loyal to Jesus.

This loyalty to Jesus does not bely their patriotism. But it is a patriotism of a different type: a patriotism that is undergirded by a sense of world loyalty, and by a recognition that America is great only to the degree that embodies virtues of compassion, care, respect, and humility. Those who are loyal to Jesus seek leaders who can inspire this kind of goodness: leaders who move beyond kingship and deal-making to moral example.

Three Models of Leadership

Divine Authority and the Kingly Model

Jane is an evangelical Christian who voted for Donald Trump. What she most values in Trump is that he is, in her words, "strong." For her, this strength means a willingness to stand up to critics, assert authority, and take decisive action without hesitation. She admires his boldness and ability to project confidence, seeing these traits as essential in turbulent times. She believes that Trump has been sent by God to help make America great again. She acknowledges that he is not morally perfect, but this does not trouble her. In her view, God can use people with moral flaws to be instruments of divine purposes. She also knows that he is willing to break laws and bypass rules, but that doesn't bother her either. For her, Trump's leadership is, and ought to be, that of the kingly type—someone who rules by divine right, a strength that overrides rules.

Transactional Leadership and the Deal-Maker Model

While Jane views Trump through the lens of divine authority, Jeff offers a contrasting perspective. Jeff also voted for Trump. He rejects the idea that Trump is ordained by God to rule and also the idea that Trump's leadership should be of the kingly type. He sees Trump as a businessman or, as Trump describes himself, a "deal-maker." He believes that the times call for a strong deal-maker like Trump to help navigate economic and political complexities, secure favorable agreements, and protect America's interests in a competitive global landscape.

These two Trump supporters lift up two models of leadership that have a long history in the West and, in some ways, the world: leadership by divine authority and leadership by transaction. The first envisions leadership as grounded in sacred legitimacy, emphasizing moral purpose and divine sanction. The second views leadership as rooted in pragmatic skill, valuing strategic negotiations and calculated outcomes. I suspect that Trump sees himself in both ways—as someone destined, perhaps by God, to rule, yet also as a supremely modern transactional leader.

Leadership by Moral Example: A Third Model

There is a third kind of leader that is missed in these two types: namely the leader who inspires us by moral example - and, to be more specific, the moral values of compassion, empathy, humility, respect for others, and gentleness of spirit. These moral values are different from, and in tension with, the warrior morality. Indeed, from the perspective of these values, the warrior morality is itself immoral and, as noted above, a violation of Jesus' call to love others, to take care of the vulnerable, and to forgive enemies.

This third type of leadership has its practical side: it can get things done and solve problems. And it has its theological side as well: people who are moral examples can rightly sense that they, like all of us, are called to live lives of love. But it avoids the idea that the world is a place of mere transactions, as if life were reducible to negotiations and deal-making, And it avoids the idea that God favors some but not others, assuming instead that God loves all people and, indeed, all creatures.

This third model of leadership is closer to the teachings of Jesus. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus emphasizes virtues such as humility, mercy, peacemaking, and a willingness to suffer for righteousness. He calls his followers to love their enemies, turn the other cheek, and care for the poor and oppressed. These teachings reflect a vision of leadership grounded in relational virtues, service, and compassion rather than coercion or transactional power.

The God of Jesus

A Spirit of Creative Transformation
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In a world marked by conflict, division, and competition, the idea of God as a spirit of creative transformation offers American Christians a profound invitation to reimagine their moral compass, leadership style, and relationships with others. Rooted in the principles of process theology, this vision of God emphasizes relationality, persuasion, and the power of love over coercion. It provides a framework for repentance, renewal, and a hopeful path toward moral example and global partnership.

Repenting of Warrior Morality

Historically, many American Christians have been shaped by a warrior morality—an ethic that prizes strength, conquest, and domination as signs of divine favor. This perspective often frames conflicts in binary terms of good versus evil, leading to justifications for war, aggression, and cultural superiority. While it may be well-intentioned, this approach often undermines the gospel’s call to peacemaking and reconciliation.

Process theology offers an alternative. It envisions God not as a distant ruler commanding armies, but as a gentle and persuasive presence, luring creation toward beauty, harmony, and justice. From this perspective, repentance involves relinquishing the idol of domination and turning toward God’s non-coercive power—a power that transforms through creativity, empathy, and collaboration. This shift allows American Christians to reframe their identity, not as warriors for Christ, but as co-creators of peace and justice.

Leading by Moral Example, Not Domination

The teachings of Jesus emphasize humility, service, and love as the hallmarks of leadership. Yet, American Christianity has often embraced cultural narratives of exceptionalism and dominance, equating power with superiority. In contrast, the spirit of creative transformation calls Christians to lead by moral example rather than force.

God’s work in the world is a process of continual transformation, inviting human beings to participate in the unfolding of love and justice. This participation requires Christians to embody virtues such as compassion, forgiveness, and integrity, offering a vision of leadership that inspires rather than compels. By prioritizing moral example, American Christians can demonstrate the transformative power of faith, appealing to the shared humanity of all people rather than imposing their values through coercion.

Partnership, Not Competition

In a globalized world, competition among nations and cultures often leads to rivalry, exploitation, and alienation. The theology of creative transformation, however, recognizes the interconnectedness of all life. It sees diversity not as a threat, but as a gift to be cherished and nurtured.

God’s relational nature calls Christians to seek partnership, not dominance. Partnership acknowledges the value of mutual learning, respect, and shared responsibility for the planet and its people. This approach reflects the biblical vision of a beloved community, where cooperation replaces conflict and solidarity replaces suspicion.

In practice, this means building bridges with people of other faiths and cultures, working together to address global challenges such as poverty, environmental degradation, and injustice. By embracing partnership, Christians can embody the inclusive love of God, demonstrating that true strength lies in unity, not division.

A Call to Creative Transformation

To repent of warrior morality, lead by moral example, and embrace a partnership mindset is to follow the spirit of creative transformation at work in the world. This vision of God offers American Christians an opportunity to align their lives more closely with the teachings of Jesus and the call to love their neighbors as themselves.

In a time when domination and competition threaten to deepen divisions, the spirit of creative transformation offers a hopeful alternative—a path of humility, cooperation, and peace. It invites Christians to be agents of healing and renewal, co-creators of a world where justice and compassion prevail. Through this transformative vision, American Christians can embody the divine call to be light and salt, shaping a future where leadership is grounded in love and partnership flourishes across nations.