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At the beginning of this year, a Christian church was invaded by leftist protesters on the Lord’s Day. Cities Church, a young evangelical congregation in St. Paul, Minn., was gathered for worship, just as the church gathers every Sunday, committed to biblical worship and the power of the gospel. But that Sunday was not just like any other Lord’s Day, for as the congregation was worshiping, leftist activists invaded the church building, interrupting worship and shouting their political messages—centered in a protest against the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Twin Cities.
As the protesters shouted down the service, it became clear that the congregation was targeted because one of its elder/pastors is the acting field director for ICE in the region. One of the protesters declared that the pastor is “a wolf in sheep’s clothing, masquerading as a pastor.”
Former CNN host Don Lemon was there with microphone and full video coverage. Lemon defended the invasion of the church and acknowledged the trauma that the invasion brought to congregants, especially the young, but went on to say, “That’s what protesting is about.”
Christians need to recognize that this latest activist tactic is unprecedented in modern American history. Just think seriously about what happened, and imagine it happening in your church.
“But,” you say, “we don’t have an acting field director of ICE in our congregation. There is no current culture war in the streets of our community. We are safe.”
If you think that, you are wrong—sadly wrong and dangerously wrong. What happened in the Twin Cities may not be happening in your community, but there is no reason to believe that it will not happen right where you live and worship.
A critical boundary has been crossed. The left has long prized its agenda of “transgression,” and now it has graduated to church invasion. No one was physically hurt, and the congregation will continue its work and witness, but make no mistake: At moments like this, Christians have to understand that nothing has happened and, at the same time, that something seismic has happened.
In the long span of Christian history, this is not the equivalent of martyrdom. What that Minnesota congregation experienced was not suffering unto death. Christians have endured long centuries of Roman persecution and bloody persecutions since, including persecuted Christians in dangerous places even today. At times, the faithful church has been forced underground and truly persecuted. What happened in St. Paul is not martyrdom.
And yet the great danger for American evangelicals is that we will minimize among ourselves the reality of what happened. A signal has been sent. The left is now willing—and as some comments indicate, even eager—to invade and intimidate Christian congregations that violate their progressivist agenda. In an increasingly secular America, with cultural tensions running high, a church service is no longer off-limits to political disturbance or demonstration. This time it was over immigration policy, but next time it could be over abortion or LGBTQ issues or just about anything else.
Church historians have long noted the transformation of liberal Protestantism into social activism. This just represents a continued trajectory. That activism has taken a dark turn.
The protesters meant to intimidate this faithful congregation. There is no denying that this was a central aim of the invasion. It sent a signal to all who have eyes to see. Look to a federal law-enforcement agent as an elder, and you had better look out for an invading mob. Your congregation gathered for biblical worship is not sacrosanct. Your congregational leadership is now a matter for public scrutiny.
Fearmongering is not a faithful option, but denial is not an honest strategy. It is very distressing to see that some figures on the left have already declared that the action of the protesters was justified and understandable. In other words, look for more such actions. You have been warned.
Again, let’s take stock of what happened. An evangelical church, gathered for Christian worship, was subjected to a protest that entered its space, shouted down its pastors, traumatized children, and demanded a change in church leadership. Don’t allow yourself to think that it doesn’t matter to you and your church.
As we think about what happened in Minnesota, we should ponder a question: “Is my church worth invading?”
Cities Church is known for its commitment to the gospel, biblical authority, and the faith “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Perhaps we need to stop and ponder what would have happened if some other church had been targeted and invaded. To put it bluntly, liberal churches are not going to be invaded, because they pose no threat to the progressive left. Seeker-sensitive churches pose no danger. Pragmatic and entertainment-driven churches are not threatening to the cultural progressives.
We are living in a new and threatening secular age. The gospel has enemies. Just keep that in mind as you ponder where we now stand in this society. And reflect on these questions as well: Is your congregation worth invading? Would the invaders find a gospel people gathered for scriptural worship? Every age is known by its questions. This must surely be one of the pressing questions of our secularizing age.