US Churches Where Right-Wing Extremism Thrives and Christians Are Told to Shut Up
A disturbing trend in the United States is the growing influence of right-wing extremist churches, where members are being told that they must be silent about teachings that involve racism, sexism, and xenophobia. Instead, these groups seek protection under the guise of "religious freedom" from criticism.
One example of this phenomenon can be seen at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, a church with ties to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and far-right Christian leaders who promote hateful ideologies. On January 18, anti-racism activists disrupted a service at the church because one of its pastors acts as an ICE field director. The protesters denounced the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good at the hands of an ICE agent and other ICE offenses, including detaining and beating non-white people.
However, instead of protecting those who are genuinely concerned about the impact of their teachings on others, these churches are using the "religious freedom" rhetoric to silence critics. This narrative allows them to avoid confronting the harm caused by their ideology and instead seeks to shield themselves from scrutiny.
The pastor leading the service at Cities Church claimed that the protesters had intimidated the congregation and were creating a scene marked by intimidation and threat. However, anyone who watches the video can see that no one is being accosted or threatened. The pastor's escalation in rhetoric was likely intentional, as he described the protest as merely "interrupting" at first.
The issue here goes beyond just the church and its leadership; it highlights a broader trend of right-wing extremism spreading across the United States. Cities Church has a reputation for being not just conservative but extremist, with leaders who teach male headship and female submission to such an extreme degree that women shouldn't even occupy management positions where men might have to answer to them.
The church's views on empathy are also far-right and misogynistic. Joe Rigney, one of the church's founders, has become a MAGA media darling because he promotes the idea that empathy is a sin. He believes that feminism is a "cancer" that allows women to move beyond their traditional roles as life-givers and nurturers.
Former Christian nationalist Tim Whitaker notes that Jesus would have been right with those protesters. He argues that freedom of religion does not protect churches from criticism, especially when those teachings impact the lives of other people.
The anti-empathy and bigoted views taught in these churches are directly affecting people outside of them. ICE recruitment is aimed at men who want to feel powerful by committing social acts of violence, while women are being forced into obedience through patriarchal ideologies that align with these extremist church groups.
As Jill Filipovic wrote, "ICE recruitment is aimed at men who want to feel powerful, who want to bond with other men by committing social acts of violence." The Trumpian right is also obsessed with forcing all women into obedience. These messages connect directly with the teachings of places like Cities Church, who use the phrase "God commands it" to justify the desire of small men to dominate women and vulnerable people of color.
One of the protesters who was arrested for disrupting the service at Cities Church is herself an ordained minister. Nekima Levy Armstrong pointed out in an interview that her faith and status as a minister put further lie to the idea that the church was targeted for being Christian, rather than being rooted in faith-based action against bigoted and immoral teachings.
The backlash over this protest reveals how much Parnell and the rest of the Trumpian coalition will do anything to avoid genuine discourse with people who haven't been already bullied into submission. Instead, they redefine "religious freedom" not to mean the right to worship but to be shielded from criticism — a freedom that is only enjoyed by right-wing Christians.
These are people so brittle that rather than attempting to persuade outsiders that Jesus would condone what ICE is doing, they demand that the government arrest people for telling them a truth that they don't want to hear. Unfortunately, this histrionic language about "religious freedom" has cowed many centrists and even liberals into thinking the protesters who interrupted a single church service are in the wrong.
Instead, they should be applauded as following the tradition of Jesus himself confronting the money-changers in the temple. Religious freedom means the right to worship as you see fit; it also allows everyone else the right to question what churches are teaching — especially when those teachings impact people and communities outside the church doors. In an era where Christian churches are condoning outright evil actions such as ICE's deadly rampage through Minnesota, it's more important than ever to not allow this dishonest definition of "religious freedom" browbeat the rest of us into silence over spiritual oppression.
As long as right-wing extremism like Cities Church continues to thrive in the United States, it's essential that we speak out against its teachings and protect those who are being harmed by them. We must challenge these churches' claims of "religious freedom" and promote a more nuanced understanding of what it means to be a person of faith in America today.
A disturbing trend in the United States is the growing influence of right-wing extremist churches, where members are being told that they must be silent about teachings that involve racism, sexism, and xenophobia. Instead, these groups seek protection under the guise of "religious freedom" from criticism.
One example of this phenomenon can be seen at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, a church with ties to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and far-right Christian leaders who promote hateful ideologies. On January 18, anti-racism activists disrupted a service at the church because one of its pastors acts as an ICE field director. The protesters denounced the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good at the hands of an ICE agent and other ICE offenses, including detaining and beating non-white people.
However, instead of protecting those who are genuinely concerned about the impact of their teachings on others, these churches are using the "religious freedom" rhetoric to silence critics. This narrative allows them to avoid confronting the harm caused by their ideology and instead seeks to shield themselves from scrutiny.
The pastor leading the service at Cities Church claimed that the protesters had intimidated the congregation and were creating a scene marked by intimidation and threat. However, anyone who watches the video can see that no one is being accosted or threatened. The pastor's escalation in rhetoric was likely intentional, as he described the protest as merely "interrupting" at first.
The issue here goes beyond just the church and its leadership; it highlights a broader trend of right-wing extremism spreading across the United States. Cities Church has a reputation for being not just conservative but extremist, with leaders who teach male headship and female submission to such an extreme degree that women shouldn't even occupy management positions where men might have to answer to them.
The church's views on empathy are also far-right and misogynistic. Joe Rigney, one of the church's founders, has become a MAGA media darling because he promotes the idea that empathy is a sin. He believes that feminism is a "cancer" that allows women to move beyond their traditional roles as life-givers and nurturers.
Former Christian nationalist Tim Whitaker notes that Jesus would have been right with those protesters. He argues that freedom of religion does not protect churches from criticism, especially when those teachings impact the lives of other people.
The anti-empathy and bigoted views taught in these churches are directly affecting people outside of them. ICE recruitment is aimed at men who want to feel powerful by committing social acts of violence, while women are being forced into obedience through patriarchal ideologies that align with these extremist church groups.
As Jill Filipovic wrote, "ICE recruitment is aimed at men who want to feel powerful, who want to bond with other men by committing social acts of violence." The Trumpian right is also obsessed with forcing all women into obedience. These messages connect directly with the teachings of places like Cities Church, who use the phrase "God commands it" to justify the desire of small men to dominate women and vulnerable people of color.
One of the protesters who was arrested for disrupting the service at Cities Church is herself an ordained minister. Nekima Levy Armstrong pointed out in an interview that her faith and status as a minister put further lie to the idea that the church was targeted for being Christian, rather than being rooted in faith-based action against bigoted and immoral teachings.
The backlash over this protest reveals how much Parnell and the rest of the Trumpian coalition will do anything to avoid genuine discourse with people who haven't been already bullied into submission. Instead, they redefine "religious freedom" not to mean the right to worship but to be shielded from criticism — a freedom that is only enjoyed by right-wing Christians.
These are people so brittle that rather than attempting to persuade outsiders that Jesus would condone what ICE is doing, they demand that the government arrest people for telling them a truth that they don't want to hear. Unfortunately, this histrionic language about "religious freedom" has cowed many centrists and even liberals into thinking the protesters who interrupted a single church service are in the wrong.
Instead, they should be applauded as following the tradition of Jesus himself confronting the money-changers in the temple. Religious freedom means the right to worship as you see fit; it also allows everyone else the right to question what churches are teaching — especially when those teachings impact people and communities outside the church doors. In an era where Christian churches are condoning outright evil actions such as ICE's deadly rampage through Minnesota, it's more important than ever to not allow this dishonest definition of "religious freedom" browbeat the rest of us into silence over spiritual oppression.
As long as right-wing extremism like Cities Church continues to thrive in the United States, it's essential that we speak out against its teachings and protect those who are being harmed by them. We must challenge these churches' claims of "religious freedom" and promote a more nuanced understanding of what it means to be a person of faith in America today.
whats going on with some US churches right now? theyre like, super into right-wing extremism and racism but then get mad when people call them out on it 
. its like, i get that everyone has the right to their own beliefs, but doesnt it also mean we have the right to criticize those beliefs if theyre hurting ppl? 
. like what even is religious freedom if it means being able to silence others? 
. its all just a bunch of gaslighting
. we need to challenge their claims of "religious freedom" and promote some real discourse 
. we cant just sit back and let people be silenced because they dont like it 
.
They're basically saying that just because some churches are promoting hate speech, we should all just shut up and not criticize them. That's not how freedom of religion works, you know? It's supposed to be about being able to practice your faith without harming others or getting hurt by people who don't share the same views.
I'm literally shook by the idea that these extremist churches are using "religious freedom" as an excuse to shut down critics. It's like, we get it, you're entitled to practice your faith, but that doesn't mean you can silence people who are rightfully concerned about the harm caused by your teachings! 
These right-wing extremists need to stop playing the victim card and take responsibility for promoting hate speech and ideologies.
. As Tim Whitaker said, freedom of religion doesn't protect you from criticism, especially when your teachings impact other people's lives.
. We should be applauding those who are taking a stand against these extremist churches, not apologizing for them. It's time we challenge these churches' claims of "religious freedom" and promote a more nuanced understanding of what it means to be a person of faith in America today 
.
I'm really worried about the rise of right-wing extremist churches in the US 
It's like they're trying to shield themselves from scrutiny, while innocent people are being hurt by their teachings 
We should be applauding those who are speaking out against injustice, not demonizing them 
. It's like they think they're above criticism or that they can just ignore the harm they're causing to others 
. And then, there's ICE recruitment, which is basically about giving people a way to feel powerful by committing acts of violence 
.
. We need to call out these churches and challenge their claims of "religious freedom" because they're not using it to promote love and kindness, but rather to protect their own bigoted ideologies 
. We can't just let these extremist churches spread hate and intolerance without speaking out 
.
this is so messed up... i remember back in the day when we used to talk about love and acceptance at church, but nowadays it's all about hate and intolerance. these right-wing extremist churches are literally spreading poison and it's time someone called them out 
.
. let's not be silenced by their claims of "religious freedom" 
. we have a right to question and critique what's going on in our communities, especially when it comes to issues like ICE and racism 
. hope someone listens 
this is getting scary, when do ppl stop the hate? 
. And when anti-racism activists disrupted a service there because they were upset about his teachings and actions, he claimed that protesters were being "intimidating" but really they were just standing up for themselves and others who are being harmed by these churches.
The whole thing is just so messed up.
. We need more people speaking truth to power and not letting these hate groups run amok 
. cities church is literally the epitome of "faith-based action" against marginalized people. 
. The idea that freedom of religion doesn't protect us from criticism is basically common sense. If I'm walking down the street and someone tries to spit on me, I don't think they're being "silenced" just because they're expressing their opinion.