Jesse Bradley to Newsmax: Churches Choosing 'Word' Over 'World'

Senior pastor Jesse Bradley told Newsmax on Sunday that some U.S. churches are drifting from biblical teaching by embracing what he called worldly ideology, urging believers to hold to Scripture and keep their focus on Jesus.

Bradley, senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Seattle, called on the need for faith while reacting on Newsmax's "Sunday Agenda" to a viral moment from a Rochester, New York, United Methodist church in which a clergy member announced a gender transition during a service, as well as other recent controversies involving politically charged Nativity displays.

"When you see a shot from a church, you expect we're going to honor God and honor his word," Bradley said, adding that "the Bible clearly says that God made all of us wonderfully in his image, male and female."

Bradley said the broader divide he sees is spiritual, not merely cultural. "What's happening is that with churches, some are choosing the word and some are choosing the world," he said.

The pastor pointed to scripture to describe what he views as a weakening of biblical authority inside certain congregations and denominations.

"Jesus affirmed that the Bible is the truth, and when you reject the Bible, then churches can have a downfall, even a denomination," he said.

He also referenced passages he said describe spiritual decline.

"The prophet Amos, when he spoke, he said, 'There's a famine in the land, a famine of God's word.' It was a spiritual famine. In the Book of Judges, it says everyone does what's right in their own eyes."

Bradley said his outlook is shaped by his own religious conversion, describing a shift from atheism to faith he said began in college.

"I was an atheist. I went to Dartmouth College, read the Gospel of John, read the Bible for the first time, and it led me to a relationship with God," he said.

"It's based on grace. We need to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, but we also need to walk in truth. And we need to honor God with Scripture."

Discussing controversies involving Nativity displays, Bradley said the conflict reflects deeper spiritual forces.

"There's a spiritual battle right now between good and evil and right and wrong, light and darkness and there's an attack against God, an attack against Jesus," said Bradley.

He added that national turmoil often intensifies when faith is replaced by idols, and he warned that pride can fuel broader moral collapse.

"When you reject God, there's idolatry. When you reject God and there's idolatry, it leads to sexual immorality," he said. "God makes us in his image, and we can't make God in our image, so we need to drop the pride."

He urged humility and repentance, framing it as a return to God rather than a political project.

In closing, Bradley encouraged viewers to stay steady amid political and spiritual tension, emphasizing Christianity's core claims.

"The political and the spiritual are coming together in our land," he said. "And when you see that happening, have your confidence in Jesus.

"Believers should resist fear and remain active in their faith," he said.

"We don't have to run and hide and be in despair, discouraged," said Bradley. "Jesus is our living hope, and he gives us hope every day. That's infinite and indestructible."

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