An anti-ICE mob stormed and terrorized Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, mid-service, testing whether the Department of Justice will fully protect religious liberty or if Bolshevik-style church attacks will become the norm in America.
This article is a lightly edited transcript of the “Here’s the Point” podcast by Ryan Helfenbein, executive director of the Standing for Freedom Center.
On Sunday morning, January 18, families gathered for worship at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, but they were terrorized by radical activists who invaded their sanctuary mid-service. Approximately 30 to 40 protesters affiliated with the Racial Justice Network and Black Lives Matter (BLM) Minnesota stormed the church chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referencing an activist woman fatally shot by an ICE agent in self-defense just weeks ago.
But there on Sunday, worship stopped. Children screamed. Families fled.
The mob targeted the church claiming one pastor allegedly serves as an acting field director for ICE. Whether true or not is immaterial. The protest was unlawful, and a church should never be targeted for public terror.
What made this even more egregious is that former disgraced CNN host Don Lemon entered with the protesters and filmed the entire incident. He wasn’t observing as a neutral journalist. He embedded with the mob, shoved a microphone in Senior Pastor Jonathan Parnell’s face and claimed that the group had a constitutional right to be on private property without permission.
Police were called, the protesters left, and no immediate arrests were made. But Attorney General Pam Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon have vowed to prosecute these federal crimes to the fullest extent, including violations of the FACE Act and the Klan Act. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has put Don Lemon on notice for his involvement, which he documented on social media before, during, and after the event.
So how should Christians think about this? Here are five points.
First, this was an anti-Christian, domestic terrorist attack on a house of worship.
Make no mistake: What happened at Cities Church was not civil protest, it was terrorism. It was targeted intimidation of Christians in a sacred house of worship. A church might be welcoming and open to the public, but it is not a public space. Even if it were, a mob is not a lawful assembly.
These radical Marxists didn’t picket outside or hold a rally down the street. They invaded a sanctuary during worship and terrified women and children. Watch the video—you can it on full display.
The purpose was to instill fear, to make Christians think twice about supporting the rule of law or even associating with anyone who works for ICE. If you do, in their imagination, your church is fair game for mob violence.
The First Amendment protects freedom of religion and assembly. But the only group with a constitutional right of free assembly in that place on Sunday morning was the congregation of Cities Church. No mob has any more right to protest inside a church building uninvited than in someone’s private living room.
Second, Don Lemon committed federal crimes and must be prosecuted.
If President Trump can have his mugshot taken for not committing a crime, it’s high time people on the left are prosecuted for crimes they do commit in broad daylight.
Don Lemon cannot hide behind the veneer of “journalism.” He didn’t observe — he participated and propagated their narrative. He entered with the mob, confronted the pastor on their behalf, and filmed the entire thing.
Under federal law, it is a crime to obstruct, impede, or interfere with religious exercise. Every identifiable protester who entered that church violated federal law. Don Lemon is just as guilty.
He’s one of the central figures, along with professional agitator William Kelly, associated with BLM and the Racial Justice Network, who has repeatedly targeted churches without facing any real legal consequences. Both need to be tried under the law.
Lest we forget, the Biden administration prosecuted 23 pro-life advocates for FACE Act violations, many were elderly. Lauren Handy, a pro-life Catholic, served a 57-month sentence before President Trump pardoned her last week.
If the Trump administration wants to be taken seriously about equal protection under the law—and we all want to take the Trump administration — then Don Lemon, William Kelly, and all participants must face the same consequences for leading an actual church invasion.
Third, Pastor Jonathan Parnell and Cities Church should be commended for their peaceful and poised response.
When radicals burst through the doors, the terrorism was not met with violence. Cities Church was legally entitled to use physical force to remove the mob.
Children were terrified. Parents shielded them from aggressors shouting mid-worship. Yet Pastor Parnell remained calm, telling Don Lemon: “This is unacceptable. It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship. I have to take care of my flock.”
He then continued: “We’re here to worship Jesus, because that’s the hope of these cities. That’s the hope of the world — Jesus Christ.”
Pastor Parnell is a hero for standing his ground without balking. His poised, patient response in a hostile situation is a model for every pastor facing physical intimidation.
Fourth, wokism is destroying our nation. It’s as much a problem inside the church as outside the church.
The rot of wokism is destroying and dividing our country between constitutional order and Marxist anarchy. It’s also dividing churches by normalizing the social justice mindset over biblical truth.
For too long, social justice has robbed the evangelical world of its true prophetic voice during BLM, COVID, forced vaccinations, mass illegal immigration, and now this.
Even now, evangelical media outlets refuse to report truth about Renee Good and will be silent about Cities Church. Evangelical leaders who marched for BLM in 2020 — the group that terrorized Cities Church on Sunday — aided and abetted this movement without ever publicly repenting. And they absolutely must today.
Christians should stand — and must stand — clearly on the side of truth, freedom, and justice. There is no time for political third wayism. There is no time for gnostic pietism or apolitical apathy.
The Church must raise its voice righteously. The Church must reengage the public square for truth, morality, justice, and equal protection under the law. We cannot let this moment slide. We must remember and we must act. We need to normalize consequences for the left. Bolshevik activity was outlawed before and it’s high time we enforce the law now.
Finally, we must demand equal justice under the law from the leaders we elect.
If President Trump can have a mugshot, survive two assassination attempts, and pardon hundreds that were imprisoned for praying outside abortion clinics or detained without trial for their activity on January 6, whatever it was, a consequence-free life for leftist radicals who burn our cities, commit violence, and disrupt worship must end.
The same laws that put pro-life grandmas in jail for praying outside abortion clinics must be employed. The right must insist that the same weights be applied, the same measures be applied, rather than just pointing out the double standard. A two-tiered system of justice cannot stand. Either we have equal protection under the law or we do not have any law in this nation.
Every identifiable protester must be charged, prosecuted, and convicted. This isn’t about politics or grievances over ICE. This is about the rule of law and the First Amendment protection that we are all afforded. If religious Americans aren’t safe worshiping in their churches, then we have no religious liberty.
Swift, severe punishment is the only deterrent. Without it, Bolshevik-style church invasions will become the norm.
Pray for Cities Church families and for Pastor Parnell.
Pray for the Trump administration and the DOJ to protect religious liberty swiftly. Because if we don’t prosecute these crimes under the law, we may no longer have a country.
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