I have heard the protest on Sunday at St. Paul’s Church in Minnesota described as “necessary” and protected by the First Amendment. In reality, it was neither.
At its deepest level, the question is simple:
Do people retain the right to worship without intimidation, coercion, or political harassment?
If the answer becomes, “Only if we approve of your job, opinions, or associations,” then freedom of religion is no longer a right. It becomes conditional.
Once that door is opened:
- A police officer who attends church becomes fair game.
- A soldier becomes fair game.
- A business owner becomes fair game.
- A school administrator becomes fair game.
- A political volunteer becomes fair game.
Eventually, the logic eats everything. If activists can decide who is allowed to worship in peace, then no one actually has religious freedom.
There is ample video of this protest. In one clip, Don Lemon criticizes the pastor for not standing up and leading a prayer. The pastor later explained that the protesters did not want dialogue or prayer. They came to disrupt, provoke, and then blame the church for the chaos they created. Congregants were not invited into conversation — they were confronted and harassed.
This mirrors the larger issue that sparked the protest. Local authorities refuse to turn illegal immigrants over to ICE at the jail, where lawful removal could occur. Instead, they release them into the community and then protest when federal authorities attempt to enforce immigration law.
These individuals have already broken the law by entering the country illegally, and in many cases are accused or convicted of serious crimes. Shielding them from lawful removal puts ordinary citizens at risk of assault, robbery, rape, and even murder. That is not rhetoric — there is real-world evidence that this happens.
It is not rational for local citizens to demand that violent offenders be released into their neighborhoods. What we are watching is political theater, not compassion — a strategy designed to destabilize public order and normalize lawlessness.
And now that same political impulse has crossed into the church.
Churches must remain places of worship, prayer, repentance, and gospel proclamation — not political battlegrounds. Once intimidation replaces persuasion, we have already lost something essential.
If you value religious liberty, lawful order, and the right to worship without harassment, do not stay silent. Speak clearly. Support churches that refuse intimidation. Defend the principle that freedom of religion is not conditional.
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