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The unthinkable has become a possibility in the United States of America. We have reached a point where religious freedom isn’t just being attacked; religion itself is, especially the historically dominant religion of the nation: Christianity.
Shocking footage from Cities Church in Minneapolis this morning (an SBC church) where an anti-ICE mob stormed the service and disrupted their worship, alleging one of the church’s lead pastors is an ICE agent. pic.twitter.com/hS2FhzrFc4
— Center for Baptist Leadership (@BaptistLeaders) January 18, 2026
On Sunday, a group of radical leftist protesters stormed Cities Church in Minneapolis in the name of fighting against the enforcement of immigration law. These anti-ICE “protesters” entered a protected private place of worship and harassed the pastor because they believe he is the acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) St. Paul field office.
Apparently, if the left suspects someone of helping to enforce federal immigration law, they believe they are immune to the legal consequences of trespassing, harassment, and serious First Amendment violations, namely: the right to freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and freedom of speech.
Don Lemon and other leftists storming a church during its services to "make people who support ICE feel uncomfortable" is an act of domestic terrorism. pic.twitter.com/gi4G9p0Koy
— Mike Engleman🇺🇲 (@RealHickory) January 19, 2026
This is becoming all too common. On the same day that Cities Church was stormed, I attended service with my family in our area, and we were disrupted. My husband has been called to the Catholic faith. He is currently going through Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) classes.
I was raised Catholic, so I am proud to support him and share this heritage with our children. What I didn’t expect was that a deranged homeless man would break in through the side door, shove the priests, and disrupt the service. Thankfully, he was removed, but he obviously displayed signs of mental illness and scared hundreds of churchgoers.
Although the circumstances are different, I can’t help but compare the two situations, and sadly, these incidents were not the most contentious in recent times. Just a few months ago, four people were killed, and 8 were injured during church services in Michigan, via the Catholic Standard. A month before that, a psychotic shooter killed students at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, per the Diocese of Scranton.
These incidents are all connected. The values of our culture have been ripped apart. Mental illness is on the rise as familial support has dwindled. Masses of maniacs now have no respect for religion or places of worship. We are facing an era where it may be necessary for religious institutions to hire armed security to simply protect Americans’ right to prayer.
The culture my grandmother heralded is gone. The churches that my mother loved are no longer the same. Within my lifetime alone, I have witnessed public schools hire police for protection and even create police stations on school grounds. I have seen libraries, airports, and other public spaces implement serious security measures, as the American values that lead people toward a purposeful life have been mocked and thrown away by mainstream institutions, movements, and industries.
The American family has been under attack for decades. Our freedoms have been slowly eroded. Religion has taken a beating, but now it is an open target. During the interrupted service I attended on Sunday, one woman cried out, “We’re sitting ducks!”
It seems insane to have reached this point, but religious houses cannot be compromised. Those of us who believe in self-reliance and do not wish for the government to solve all our problems must take control of the situation, and that may mean we need to secure our churches ourselves. Whether that means hiring armed security or volunteering to patrol church perimeters during services to protect the congregation, we still have options.
The shock and sadness that come with asking the question say everything about the state of American civility, but the question still must be asked: Is it time to protect houses of worship with armed security?
My heart wants to say no, but these incidents tell my soul the age-old truth: Religious freedom is a delicate inherent human right that must be protected with every muscle in our bodies.
