The “Pro-Life” Trojan Horse

Greek mythology offers a timeless warning about cunning and deception: the Trojan Horse. This myth has transcended its ancient origins, becoming a metaphor in modern fields like marketing, cybersecurity, and military strategy. Could it also serve as a cautionary tale for the Christian church today? Are we, like the people of Troy, asleep while an invading force infiltrates our faith? If you or someone you know believes that the United States is uniquely exceptional and set apart by God, then the answer may be yes. It’s time to examine our spiritual house and return it to the Lord, for our walls have been breached.

In 1979, Jerry Falwell Sr. founded the Moral Majority, a group that mobilized conservative Christians around issues like abortion and school prayer. Advocating for pro-life policies and traditional family values, the movement leveraged the fear of Declinism—the belief that the “good old days” are behind us and the world is in decline—to rally its audience against perceived moral decay. Partnering with the Republican Party, the Moral Majority integrated these ideas into the party’s platform. This alliance solidified during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, as evangelical Christians became a key voter bloc for the GOP. Over time, the Republican Party’s emphasis on Christian conservatism made it the political home for many Christians prioritizing moral and social issues.

Before 1979, Christians were politically diverse, with many evangelical southern Democrats supporting agricultural communities. However, the Moral Majority’s efforts shifted the landscape, leading most Christians in the United States to identify as “Conservative Christians.” This identification tied them to the Republican Party, with abortion emerging as their primary issue.

Abortion is undeniably a significant issue, and I do not intend to diminish the belief that life is a precious gift from the Creator. Scripture teaches us in Psalms that God forms us in the womb, in Exodus that we are not to murder, and throughout the Bible that we have a duty to protect the weak. Who among us is weaker than an unborn child? If this issue weighs heavily on your soul, I urge you to vote your conscience at the polling booth.

This piece does not aim to hinder Christianity’s growth within political parties but to expose the tumor infiltrating the church under the guise of ‘pro-life’ politics. As mentioned earlier, abortion is the primary issue Christians consider when voting. Thanks to the Moral Majority, many believe the Republican Party champions this cause—and perhaps it does. However, as thinking Christians, each one of us must ask: have we allowed party politics to become intertwined with our faith?

Some readers may expect criticism of President Donald Trump, and while there is material to address, the issues within the GOP predate his tenure. The core of the “pro-life” movement is the sanctity of life. Yet, the party that has promised to end abortion—a promise unfulfilled for over 40 years despite holding majorities at pivotal times with the political power to act—this party has also wantonly contributed to the loss of innocent lives worldwide. Wars, strategic strikes, and naval blockades have claimed countless lives in places like Panama, the Gulf, Somalia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. These actions were often justified as part of a righteous cause.

President George W. Bush once declared in a State of the Union address regarding the Iraq War, “The liberty we prize is not America’s gift to the world; it is God’s gift to humanity.” I, too, fell for the Trojan Horse. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, I defended these wars, believing they were aligned with my Christian faith. Many in the church still hold that the United States has a moral responsibility to spread democracy and freedom, regardless of the cost. Yet Jesus taught us to love and pray for our enemies.

The scales fell from my eyes in 2016 when the Republican Party chose Donald Trump as its candidate. Here was a man who openly admitted to adultery, inappropriate behavior toward women, and mistreatment of the poor and downtrodden. While I am not naive enough to believe these flaws are unique to him, his unrepentant openness was a bridge too far. I expected two outcomes: that conservatives would leave the party and that Christian leaders would denounce him. Neither happened.

Instead, the Trojan Horse was firmly in place. The church failed, and continues to fail to recognize that the Republican Party exerts more influence on it than vice versa. Consider this: when reports of President Trump’s extramarital affair with a porn star surfaced, prominent Christian leaders defended him. Just years earlier, these same leaders had condemned President Bill Clinton for similar behavior. Many Christians dismissed Trump’s remarks as “locker room talk,” while others argued that none of it mattered because his party is the “pro-life” party.

While both the Republican and Democratic parties have their flaws, this piece is not about choosing one side or the other, or any side at all. It is a call to open our eyes and recognize where worldly influences have corrupted our faith. Let us be wiser than the people of Troy and reject the Trojan Horses offered by party politics. We need to move into an era where we influence culture and politics instead of the trap we have found ourselves in.