No Kings? America’s Rebelling Against the Real One
The Protest That Misses Its Own Point
Last weekend, an event called the No Kings protest was held nationwide. The protest first began in June of 2025 with the goal of opposing the alleged “kingship” of President Trump, followed by a second wave on October 18. Participants carried signs of all sorts, including slogans against “fascism,” “racism,” and “dictatorship,” alongside signs supporting “Black Lives Matter” and “Trans rights.”
The first question that naturally comes to mind is this: Is Trump trying to become king?
The answer is emphatically, no.
President Trump assumed his first term after securing the 2016 presidential election, followed by a non-consecutive term, making him one of only two presidents to serve two non-consecutive terms, a historical feat, no doubt. This point, however, proves an ironic fact that completely refutes the No Kings protest and all they claim to oppose: no king would ever give up his power so easily once he had acquired it. Trump has no history of demonstrating king-like behavior. One may disagree with his political views or his manner of speaking, but his actions speak far louder than any accusation of “kingship.”
The protestors also frequently march with signs calling for “unity.” Yet that message rings hollow given the events of the past five years, and especially the past four weeks. The tragic murder of Charlie Kirk, a man many young people looked up to as a voice for his generation, underscores just how radical and violent the cultural left has become.
Furthermore, Americans have witnessed firsthand the atrocities committed by Black Lives Matter and Antifa, terrorist groups that spent six months burning and looting dozens of cities across America in 2020. Such acts of violence make far more sense when we consider Paul’s writing in Romans 8:5–8:
“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Living by the Flesh vs. Living by the Spirit
In Galatians 5:19–21, Paul further explains what those fleshly desires look like: “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
As Christians, we understand that all humans fall short of the glory of God, and we recognize that the battle is not political, it’s spiritual (Ephesians 6:12). The revelation is simple: one group appeals to the flesh, while the other seeks to appeal to God. This is not to say that political parties or their members, namely, those on the conservative right, are perfect; they certainly are not. But there are those who live by the flesh consistently, and there are those who strive, however imperfectly, to live according to God’s Word.
We see this contrast clearly in the life of King David, a man who constantly pursued God’s heart, even though he made serious mistakes. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then arranged for her husband’s death in battle to conceal his sin. He also disobeyed God by ordering a census of Israel, though God had forbidden it. Yet even in his greatest failures, David repeatedly turned back to God with sincere repentance and humility, seeking His counsel and His heart.
That is not the kind of heart posture we see modeled by many on the political left, or, for that matter, by some who merely claim conservatism. Why call out the political left? Because they vote. But let’s dig further. Let’s make it personal.
Accountability Begins with the Church
How about those on the right? Those that believe in God’s word as their standard for right and wrong.
James 5:19–20 clearly states, “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” Galatians 6:1–2, 1 Thessalonians 5:14, Matthew 18:15–17, and Hebrews 3:13 all emphasize the duty of calling fellow believers back when they engage in wrongdoing, not in hatred, but in love, and with firmness.
True love for Christ demands that we hold one another accountable, not to shame, but to restore, so that the Church remains holy in a world gone fleshly.
While it’s a hard pill for the No Kings protestors to swallow, America not only needs a king, we already have one; His name is Jesus. Furthermore, He has a kingdom that comes with laws, and our nation’s laws are founded upon His eternal and perfect laws.
The problem isn’t that America has a president trying to be king. The real problem is that too many Christians are rebelling against the King they claim to serve, using the president as a shield for their sin. These are the same voices that demand submission to governing authorities, until the governing authority is someone they despise.