Country Singer John Rich Doesn't Understand the Bible Verse He's Quoting

Country music singer John Rich showed up on Tucker Carlson's podcast in December 2025 and butchered scripture like someone who's never read past a single verse.

"Another misconception that a lot of Christians have is that Jesus wants everybody to get along," Rich announced during the December 1st interview. "He did not say that. Jesus said, I came not to bring peace, but to bring a sword, to divide mother against father, father against son, brother against brother, because when the truth really drops, there is no middle anymore."

Rich blamed churches for refusing to embrace this divisive interpretation. He told viewers getting "keyed up" about his statements to read the Bible themselves without input from preachers or Bible study groups.

The problem is Rich cited Matthew 10:34 while ignoring verses 31 through 37 that provide the context. He told people to read scripture themselves while failing to read the complete passage.

Matthew 10:31-37 states: "Fear ye not, therefore, ye are more valued than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him I will also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword."

Rich stopped there. The scripture continues: "For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."

The passage is about allegiance to Christ creating division within families when some members accept faith and others reject it. Jesus positioned himself as the dividing line between salvation and damnation. The sword metaphor refers to this spiritual division, not a mandate for Christians to reject non-believers or abandon basic decency toward outsiders.

Rich took one verse, assigned it his preferred meaning, and called it biblical truth. The scripture says nothing about refusing to associate with non-Christians or using faith as ammunition against outsiders.

Rich's interpretation falls apart the second you read the Good Samaritan parable. When a lawyer asked Jesus, "who is my neighbor?" in Luke 10, Jesus told a story where a Samaritan helped a wounded Jewish man. Samaritans and Jews hated each other. In the story, a priest and a Levite walked past the dying man. The Samaritan stopped and helped. Jesus asked which one acted like a neighbor, then said, "Go and do likewise." The answer was clear: everyone. Even enemies. Rich either never read this or ignored it.

Jesus commanded believers to love their neighbors without qualification. In Matthew 22:39, Jesus declared: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." No asterisk limiting this love to fellow Christians. No passage tells believers to abandon compassion for those who prioritize family over religion. Rich invented these restrictions.

Rich is a country music singer with no theological training, no seminary degree, and can't read biblical Hebrew or Greek. That's fine. Nobody needs credentials to have faith. But don't get on a podcast with millions of listeners and announce that churches across America have misunderstood scripture while you, having read one verse, figured it out.

Rich told Carlson he's moved from pursuing chart success to "significance" through preaching his faith. He criticized the moral cowardice of churches and invoked Joel Osteen as an example of preachers serving "lukewarm pablum baby food" to congregations. Rich and Carlson positioned themselves as truth-tellers willing to confront what institutional Christianity avoids.

Rich accused churches of refusing to embrace uncomfortable truths while refusing to acknowledge the complete scriptural passage he cited. He condemned others for missing biblical clarity while mangling that clarity. He told viewers to read scripture without intermediaries while functioning as the unreliable interpreter he warned against.

People leave churches because of this duplicity. They run for the hills when theology gets used to serve narrow agendas dressed up as divine instruction. People notice when someone claims biblical authority while showing ignorance of the text they claim to revere.

The loudest voices claiming biblical authority often have the weakest grasp of scripture. Is a country music singer and a conservative podcaster the best source for theology? No. Is this just harmless podcast entertainment? Also no.

@Santitos

@salinasmariasantos

Copyright © 2026 Maria Santos Salinas for FRONTeras.

All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Sharing the original posts or links from FRONTeras on social media is allowed and appreciated.