‘Are we reading the same book?’ U.S. senator gets schooled on Bible after urging Christians to oppose Trump agenda

Raphael Warnock was a preacher at an Atlanta church before he was elected to the United States Senate.

And he still faces controversies over the money, tens of thousands of dollars, he continues to take from the congregation each year, and the lavish, luxury home, owned by the church, that he occupies.

In fact, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust has asked the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to investigate what “appears” to be his violation of Senate ethics rules by accepting the “lavish” housing scheme and then refusing to report it on his financial disclosures.

Notwithstanding his own behavior, the senator now is insisting that Christians abide by his beliefs about the Bible.

He recently delivered a lengthy diatribe against Republicans, accusing them of being Robin Hood in reverse and taking from kids to give to the wealthy.

“We’re taking away health care from kids and then burdening them with the debt,” Warnock said. “We are engaged in Robin Hood in reverse, this body of stealing from the poor in order to give to the rich. This massive transfer of wealth from the bottom to the top. This is socialism for the rich.”

A report at RedState explained, “The Democrat senator and reverend, then, took a swipe at the opposition, who are of faith, claiming they weren’t reading the same book as he was when he tried to claim Scripture supports the use of the government to aid the poor.”

He continued, “But, if I’m honest, there are days when I have to ask people of my faith tradition as a Christian, ‘Are we reading the same book?’ The book I know says I was hungry, and you fed me. I was sick, I was in prison, and you visited me; I was a stranger, and you welcomed me…. The book that I love says learn to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and the needy.”

He was addressing GOP plans for legislation that would implement some of President Donald Trump’s goals, including cutting social agenda spending by the government, and more.

Warnock: We’re taking away health care from kids and then burdening them with the debt. We are engaged in robinhood in reverse, this body of stealing from the poor in order to give to the rich. This massive transfer of wealth from the bottom to the top. This is socialism for the… pic.twitter.com/yS9VPq7d3d

— Acyn (@Acyn) June 30, 2025

Warnock: If I’m honest, there are days when I have to ask people of my faith tradition as a Christian, are we reading the same book?

The book I know says I was hungry and you fed me. I was sick, I was in prison and you visited me, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…. pic.twitter.com/xqbRnR3WlD

— Acyn (@Acyn) June 30, 2025

The report explained, “When the clip surfaced, it went as well as you can imagine, as one person after another absolutely torched the senator for missing the part about the Bible calling on the church to help people, not the government.”

One on social media said, “The book he reads says to be willing and joyful givers. The book he reads says to give of yourself, not by force. The book he reads says taking care of the poor and the hungry is the job of the church, not the job of the government.”

Said another, “Yes, ‘when I was hungry…’ means we help. It does not mean we take it as a dependent. If someone shows up and is in need, I would bring them in, feed them, let them get some rest, and maybe even help them get on their feet. But no, they cannot ‘move in.’ They have to be working towards self-sustainment. In the case of illegal immigration, well, they came in, invited their friends, wrecked the house, ate all my food, and drove me into poverty while contributing almost nothing. Oh, and they shot my dog!”

Said yet another, “The ‘book’ also says this: ‘If a man doesn’t work, he doesn’t eat.’ 2 Thess 3:10.”

Explained RedState, “The Democratic senator from Georgia is all for allowing illegal aliens to stay in our country after former President Joe Biden’s policies encouraged the invasion of illegals at our southern border, as RedState’s Mike Miller reported. This is the same guy who, in mid-January, voted against the deportation of illegal aliens who commit sexual assault and other violent crimes.”

Regarding Warnock, FACT charged:

Since 2005, Senator Warnock has served as a Senior Pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church and continued to do so in some capacity after his election to the U.S. Senate in 2021. When he was initially elected, Sen. Warnock disclosed that he received a $7,400 monthly housing allowance from his church. The stipend amounted to nearly $90,000 in annual income, which appeared to far exceed his housing costs and was exempt from income taxes.

Then, in October 2022, Ebenezer Baptist Church purchased a “luxury” home in Georgia for $989,000, which was described as a lavish five-bedroom home, with “a plethora of luxury accommodations, including a 100-bottle wine fridge, a Bluetooth-enabled stainless steel cooking range, custom crown molding, and a walk-in closet affixed to a ‘stunning’ European bathroom with a remote-controlled privacy curtain.” Shortly after it was purchased, Sen. Warnock moved into it for free (and also sold the home he previously owned in Georgia and purchased a home in Washington D.C.). Since moving into the luxury home, Sen. Warnock has not included any information about being provided housing on his financial disclosures. In addition to the un-disclosed housing, he has reported receiving an annual income from the church just under the maximum outside earned income limit, for instance $31,815.12 in 2023.

Senate Ethics Rules states the Senate “may discipline a Member for any misconduct, including conduct or activity which does not directly relate to official duties, when such conduct unfavorably reflects on the institution as a whole.” One theme throughout federal law and Senate Ethics rules is that Members may not generally accept anything of value unless an identified exception applies, and if they do accept something it must be disclosed to the public. These laws address both conflicts of interest and corruption of Members of Congress. Sen. Warnock’s acceptance of lavish housing and failure to disclose it implicates federal law and several Senate rules.

FACT chief Kendra Arnold explained, at the time, “There are tax laws and ethics rules which allow for a Senator to accept reasonable lodging or housing, but they are only applicable in a narrow set of circumstances—they are not an open-ended loophole that can be abused. Among other factors, it’s critical that the value of the housing provided be commensurate to the work done—and then the value be disclosed. It’s difficult to fathom any citizen could look at this situation (a U.S. Senator that is a part-time employee of an organization, which pays him a salary and then happens to buy him a million-dollar house to live in for free after he was elected to Congress) and not think something potentially wrong is afoot. Given the combination of the known facts here, the timeline in which they occurred, and the various governing ethics rules, a closer look is clearly warranted.”