The radical Left once again crossed a major line on Sunday when anti-ICE protesters stormed Cities Church, a Southern Baptist Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The protesters shouted anti-ICE rhetoric, obscenities, and anti-white racist remarks, calling congregants “white supremacists” and “privileged pigs.”
“I don’t know what kind of person can do something this disordered and evil, but I keep thinking Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” said a member of Cities Church.
Faith leaders have condemned the actions of these clearly professionally organized instigators. “No cause — political or otherwise — justifies the desecration of a sacred space or the intimidation and trauma inflicted on families gathered peacefully in the house of God,” Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, said in a statement. “What occurred was not protest; it was lawless harassment.”
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon confirmed that the Department of Justice is investigating the incident for possible violations of the federal FACE Act that protects speech at both abortion clinics and places of worship. “This will not be repeated,” said Dhillon.
Perhaps the DOJ will act swiftly and decisively to protect the constitutional rights of the members of Cities Church and of Christians across the country. But that would be a massive deviation from the federal government’s recent treatment of members of the nation’s majority religious affiliation. Considering Attorney General Pam Bondi’s less-than-inspiring tenure thus far, Christians would be wise to assume help is, in fact, not coming from the state and take personal responsibility for the security of their churches.
If a few dozen disgruntled, likely unemployed professional street communists were able to take over a church service and terrorize children sitting in the pews, then someone with even more nefarious intentions would certainly be able to do far worse.
There have been several mass casualty events in churches and other places of worship in recent years. Nine worshippers were killed in a racially motivated church shooting in Charleston in 2015. Two years later, 26 were killed in a shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX. In 2018, 11 were killed in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. And last year, two children were killed at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, and four were killed at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
A recent study published in Christianity Today found that 81% of Protestant pastors have some form of security protocol in place, and 56% say they have an intentional plan for an active shooter situation. Fifty-four percent say armed congregants are a part of the church’s security plan. Only 20% of churches hire armed private security teams, and only 5% say they have a uniformed police officer on site during services.
“Churches are not immune to violence, disputes, domestic disagreements, vandalism and burglary,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “While loving one another is a core Christian teaching, churchgoers still sin, and non-churchgoers are invited and welcomed. So real security risks exist whether a congregation wants to acknowledge them or not.”
The Black Lives Matter-linked Minnesota protesters, and their friends in the press, such as former CNN “journalist” Don Lemon, who filmed them, and perhaps aided or instigated the protesters, are unlikely to back down, barring unprecedented action from the DOJ. They are emboldened because leftist lawbreakers have been running the streets since 2020’s infamous “summer of love.” This is a group of arrogant, entitled communists with too much free time and a history completely devoid of accountability.
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Assuming the likely scenario that the Left will not change course anytime soon, it is incumbent upon men of God in every church in America to step up and prevent what is happening in the failed state of Minnesota from making its way to your local church. Talk to your pastor or priest about the church’s safety protocols, and if there are none in place, your overworked and underpaid church staff would likely be thrilled that you are willing to take up the initiative yourself. They will know we are Christians by our love, and they will know our churches are kept safe by our men and our guns.
Brady Leonard (@bradyleonard) is a musician, political strategist, and host of The No Gimmicks Podcast.
