On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, CNBC reported on an Easter email containing the Gospel message sent by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. According to the article, some self-proclaimed “Christians” were deeply offended by Rollins’ email.
Rollins email read: “Happy Easter — He is Risen indeed. From the foot of the Cross on Good Friday to the stone rolled away from the now empty tomb, sin has been destroyed. Jesus has been raised from the dead. And God has granted each of us victory and new life. And where there is life — risen life — there is hope.”
Attached to the email was an image of the empty tomb with the words “Christ is Risen” written above the image.
CNBC spoke with a staffer who claims to be a Christian but says the email “alienated” them and is “offensive.”
Other self-proclaimed Christians commented on Reddit that the email is “blasphemous,” “contrasting with Jesus’s message,” and “disgraceful.”
In response to CNBC’s inquiry, a USDA spokesperson stated: ““The Secretary is within her rights to send a message to employees and the public on the Easter holiday. Just like Secretaries of Agriculture and Presidents have in the past.”
The media’s coverage of these paradoxical responses to Rollins’ email showcases the extreme level of Biblical ignorance among self-proclaimed Christians in America, especially those in the political arena.
Nothing in Rollins’ email contradicts Christian theology. It is, in fact, a simple proclamation of the Good News. Jesus Christ is risen. He died on a cross, rose from the grave, and sin and death have been vanquished. All who believe in His name will receive new hearts and eternal life. This is the Christian’s hope and joy.
In Matthew 15:16, Jesus says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
Nowhere does the Bible say to keep the Good News to yourself lest you offend your coworker.
In Matthew 10:11-12, Jesus tells his disciples, ““Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
The prophets in the Old Testament were reviled by many because they openly proclaimed the Word of the Lord. Nowhere does the Bible condemn a person for speaking the Word of God.
In fact, Jesus encourages Christians to share our faith openly and proudly. In the same sermon in Matthew 5, Jesus says, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
The Psalms are riddled with encouragement to proclaim God’s goodness. Psalm 5:11 says, “But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them shout for joy forever. May You shelter them, and may those who love Your name boast about You.”
Psalm 9:12: “I will rejoice and boast about You; I will sing about Your name, Most High.”
Psalm 34:2: “I will boast in the Lord; the humble will hear and be glad.”
In Jeremiah 9:12, God tells His people to boast in His character: “But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me— that I am Yahweh, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the Lord’s declaration.”
A boast cannot be quiet. It would no longer fit the definition of “boast.”
A Christian cannot be offended by the proclaiming of the Gospel. That is like trying to stamp out a fire while hoping that same fire will warm you in the night. If the Christian hope is real, then it must be shared, so others may share in the hope we have.
As Peter proclaims: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
