When Protest Enters the Sanctuary

This week, we wrestle with a story that sparked outrage across political and religious lines: protesters interrupting a church service led by a pastor connected to ICE. What follows isn't a clean answer, but a hard conversation about protest, power, and the uneasy space where faith, law, and morality collide. We talk through Romans 13, Christian nationalism, and the way scripture is often used to demand obedience while excusing harm. Along the way, we examine the idea of "sacred spaces," historical examples of protest in and around churches, and whether legality and morality ever truly line up. This episode holds tension on purpose—between understanding and disagreement, conviction and discomfort—and asks what faith requires when systems of power claim God's authority for themselves.   SHOW NOTES: NPR article on church protests arrests FACE Act Friendly Atheist - The anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota church was a justified rebuke of the pastor's cruelty Pastor Blesses ICE, Asks God to "Break the Teeth" of ICE's opponents