Globalism betrayed us — God's design reveals the righteous solution

America’s postwar generosity rebuilt shattered nations, only to see those nations build economic empires on the ruins of our own industries. What began as Christian charity — opening our markets after World War II with outstretched hands to both friends and former enemies — has been repaid with decades of calculated exploitation.

President Donald Trump’s April 2025 plan to implement “reciprocal tariffs” marks a necessary return to the biblical principles of stewardship, sovereignty, and justice.

Christians must reject the guilt-shaming rhetoric that demands national self-destruction as the price of global participation.

Christians should support these tariffs because they represent a biblical application of proper stewardship and sovereignty rather than mere economic protectionism. These measures align with three foundational scriptural principles: God’s establishment of nations with boundaries, government’s divine mandate to protect citizens, and the biblical command to pursue economic justice.

The tariffs are not simply political policy but God’s design for ordered societies in action.

God established nations with boundaries and purpose

The globalist vision of borderless governance contradicts God’s design. Scripture teaches that nations are His idea, not man’s invention. Acts 17:26 declares that God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.”

Nations, with their distinct boundaries and responsibilities, reflect divine wisdom. When America reasserts control over its economy through reciprocal tariffs, it exercises biblical stewardship by honoring the Lord’s created order rather than surrendering to economic predators who weaponize “free trade” against American families. These tariffs represent a return to God’s intended design for nations — each with responsibility to govern its affairs justly and protect what has been entrusted to its care.

The April 2, 2025, National Emergency declaration to address trade imbalances is not an act of isolation but of proper stewardship.

President Trump’s implementation of a baseline 10% tariff on all imports — with higher rates for countries exploiting trade relationships — represents a restoration of boundaries that scripture affirms as necessary and good.

Government's God-ordained responsibility to protect citizens

Romans 13:1-4 reminds us that government is “God’s servant for your good” and “an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” This divine mandate establishes government’s responsibility to protect its citizens from economic exploitation — not to enrich foreign nations at the expense of its own people but to safeguard what is good within its borders.

The White House’s own data reveals the cost of abandoning this God-ordained duty: between $225 billion and $600 billion lost annually to counterfeit goods, pirated software, and theft of trade secrets.

Meanwhile, American companies pay over $200 billion yearly in value-added taxes to foreign governments while receiving no reciprocal treatment. When President Trump imposes reciprocal tariffs, he fulfills government’s biblical purpose as protector of those under its authority.

When a persistent $1.2 trillion trade deficit hollows out our manufacturing base and displaces American workers, government has not only the right but the duty to act. Tariffs are a tool to restore order and protect American families from economic exploitation. They fulfill government’s God-ordained mandate to “bear the sword” for the sake of good — protecting the vulnerable from predatory trade practices.

Economic sovereignty as biblical justice

Isaiah 1:17 commands God’s people to “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression.” This biblical mandate for justice forms the third pillar of our thesis: Tariffs represent economic righteousness in action.

For decades, unbalanced trade has operated as systematic oppression against American workers. The statistics are sobering: U.S. manufacturing output has fallen from 28.4% of global output in 2001 to just 17.4% in 2023. Since 1997, America has lost approximately 5 million manufacturing jobs, one of the largest losses in our history.

This is not theoretical — it is personal.

Each statistic represents individuals, families, communities, and churches devastated by the outsourcing of American industry. When foreign nations impose 50% tariffs on American apples while their apples enter our markets duty-free, this is not free trade — it is theft masquerading as commerce.

President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs seek to correct this injustice. By implementing the “golden rule” of trade — treat us as we treat you — these measures restore the dignity of honest labor and uphold the biblical principle that “the worker is worthy of his wages” (1 Timothy 5:18).

Rejecting false guilt in service of true compassion

Modern globalism demands that America relinquish its sovereignty under the banner of compassion. But true biblical compassion never requires surrendering the well-being of those entrusted to our care. Jesus taught us to love our neighbors — not to abandon them to economic ruin in service to abstract ideology, namely globalism.

The facts reveal the truth: America has one of the world’s lowest average tariff rates at 3.3%, while our trading partners impose significantly higher rates.

• Brazil: 11.2%
• China: 7.5 %
• The European Union: 5%
• India: 17%
• Vietnam: 9.4%

Moreover, many countries ban certain U.S. products from entering their markets at all but encounter no barriers in sending their own products here; other countries put massive tariffs on certain U.S. products to tip the scales in their favor.

We have been practicing unilateral economic disarmament while others wage economic warfare against us.

Defending American industries is not selfish — it is stewardship. When a nation secures the well-being of its citizens, it becomes better positioned to bless others through genuine charity, aid, and moral leadership. Christians must reject the guilt-shaming rhetoric that demands national self-destruction as the price of global participation.

A biblical path forward: strength through sovereignty

President Trump’s “Reciprocal Tariffs” policy echoes Proverbs 31:8-9: “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” These measures give voice to communities silenced by decades of economic abandonment.

The evidence suggests tariffs work. Studies show that previous tariffs during the first Trump administration strengthened the U.S. economy, led to significant reshoring in manufacturing, and had minimal effects on prices — contrary to the apocalyptic warnings of globalist prophets.

Most importantly, these policies recognize that a strong, sovereign America — one that honors its workers, defends its industries, and respects God’s design for nations — is better positioned to be a beacon of freedom and faith to the world.

Conclusion

In an age when national sovereignty is scorned and biblical wisdom is rejected, Christians must recover the courage to think scripturally about economic stewardship. President Trump’s tariffs are not merely economic policy; they represent a righteous stand against exploitation and a reaffirmation of God’s design for ordered societies.

If we care about justice, if we believe in the protection of families, and if we honor the authority and order that God has established, then we must support efforts that secure America’s economic integrity.

This is the heart of our argument: Tariffs represent proper biblical stewardship, not mere protectionism. They honor God’s establishment of nations with boundaries, they fulfill government’s divine mandate to protect its own citizens, and they execute the biblical command to pursue economic justice.

Proper stewardship requires boundaries. Leadership demands the courage to stand when the world demands submission. The people of God must remain unwavering, committed first to truth, and willing to defend the good of the nation God has entrusted to our care.

The path to true prosperity lies not in surrendering our sovereignty but in exercising it according to biblical principles. That is the heart of these tariffs — not isolation, but righteous independence under God’s sovereignty.

This article is adapted from an essay originally published at Liberty University's Standing for Freedom Center.