Make America Great Again… But What Made It Evil?! | E. Dewey Smith | Podcast Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Make America Great Again… But What Made It Evil?!

The House of Hope Atlanta • May 28, 2026 • 17 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

Before attempting to make a nation great again, leaders and believers must first acknowledge and confront the foundational evils and historical sins that corrupted it. Tracing church history from Emperor Constantine's political use of Christianity to the medieval selling of indulgences, Dr. E. Dewey Smith highlights how religion has often been leveraged for empire rather than truth. Believers are urged to move beyond merely using the name of Jesus and begin demonstrating the truth-facing, compassionate nature of Jesus by facing systemic racism and supporting historical reconciliation.

Themes

Faith and GovernmentAddressing Historical Sin and Systemic EvilTruth, Repentance, and ReconciliationChurch History and the Corruption of Religion for EmpireDemonstrating the Nature of Jesus

Key Points

1.
Before a nation can focus on being made "great again," it must first acknowledge and confront the systemic evil and original sins that corrupted it.
2.
Throughout church history, political rulers—starting as early as Emperor Constantine—frequently weaponized institutional religion for political expediency and empire control rather than genuine faith.
3.
Control over scripture, such as restricting translations strictly to Latin, was used historically by religious authorities to manipulate the populace and maintain structural power.
4.
The late medieval commodification of faith through the selling of indulgences sparked Martin Luther's 95 Theses and birthed the Protestant Reformation.
5.
True healing, national redemption, and spiritual progress require honest admission and facing of historical atrocities like slavery rather than attempting to whitewash history.
6.
Many Christians readily communicate the name of Jesus, yet fail to demonstrate the justice, truth, and loving nature of Jesus through their actions and civic positions.
7.
Lasting spiritual transformation and unity require confronting original sins like racism and recognizing that every human being is precious in God's sight.

Sermon Moments

“Before you can make America great again, won't you talk about what made it evil in the first place?”

“Constantine signing the Edict of Milan was not because he loved the Catholic Church or loved Jesus; it really was for the purpose of empire and control.”

“The Catholic Church commodified the gospel by selling indulgences, charging people money for priests to pray for specific sins.”

“You can't fix what you can't face.”

“Many of us communicate the name Jesus, but don't demonstrate the nature of Jesus.”

“America needs a baptism to remove the stench of systemic racism and the aroma of white nationalistic ideology.”

“James Baldwin once said, "While it is true that everything that is faced can't be fixed, it is also true that nothing can be fixed until it is faced."”

“Red, yellow, black, and white, we're all precious in God's sight.”

This Week

Reflect on personal and cultural blind spots regarding historical injustices and systemic sins.

Commit to learning accurate, unvarnished history rather than accepting whitewashed narratives.

Examine whether your civic and political engagements reflect the compassionate nature of Jesus rather than just political allegiance.

Engage in honest, courageous conversations about race, systemic inequality, and historical harm within your church and community.

Resist the temptation to leverage faith or Christian language for political control, self-interest, or nationalistic pride.

Pray regularly for genuine national repentance, truth, and biblical justice across communities.

Affirm and protect the inherent dignity and God-given value of all human beings regardless of background or skin tone.

Remember This

Nothing can be fixed spiritually or socially until it is honestly faced in truth and repentance.

A Challenge for You

Let's follow the example of Pope Leo and realize red, yellow, black, and white, we're all precious in God's sight.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.