PASTOR COREY BROOKS: When protest replaces prayer, the gospel is driven out of God’s house
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What happened a few days ago at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, it really moved me. Ordinary people were worshiping Jesus at that holy moment, as were Americans all over the country, when anti-ICE protesters came in and took over the service – all because one of the pastors, David Easterwood, also works as the director of the local ICE office. These activists are demanding “justice for Renee Good,” and they are mindlessly chanting “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” a long-denied lie from Ferguson, Missouri. By doing so, they turned God’s house into a battlefield. Is anything sacred? Or is everything political? Are there no limits to these protesters who value their feelings above all else – even above Jesus?
I have been on my Walk Across America, and I was in Alabama when this happened. What makes this disruption of God’s house even worse is the paradox. ICE has been open about the type of dangerous criminals targeting Minnesota through Operation Metro Surge. Recently, agents have arrested the worst of all: child rapists, murderers, molesters and violent attackers – including a registered sex offender convicted of child molestation and another convicted of child rape.
However, these protesters do not encounter predators. They call for an end to ICE, as if protecting our communities from such evil is a real crime. How is this not the work of Satan? I am not saying this to be deceptive or emotional. I say this because it shows the truth.
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Do you know what it’s like to live among people who have chosen the path of evil? We deal with it every day on the South Side of Chicago, where I have seen this kind of evil destroy lives. We suffered the consequences of depolicing, and will suffer even more with this latest attack on law and order. That’s the main reason why I’m traveling across America – to raise money for my community center, which will protect our children, our future, from the evil that Minnesota wants to protect.
What I do know is that if activism crosses the altar, nothing good can come of it. The church is not a stage for political intimidation.
That’s why I ask: Is nothing sacred? Is the safety of our children not important? Does the safety of any law-abiding citizen matter?
Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, photo January 22, 2026. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
What I do know is that if activism crosses the altar, nothing good can come of it. The church is not a stage for political intimidation. Churches have always been places of refuge, repentance and reconciliation – not props for the theater of ideas. When activists storm a holy place, as they did at Cities Church, yelling at worshipers and terrorizing children, they are not protecting the vulnerable – they are violating sacred ground. It is an attack on the soul of the public meeting to seek God.
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What really scares me is that we see the religion of progressivism at work – and it’s not God. What we see in these actions against ICE is not compassion, but the creed of the world with its sins, saints and heretics. When they falsely sing “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” instead of “Amazing Grace,” they reveal the futility of their patriotism.
Churches that condone or sympathize with these kinds of distractions replace the Gospel with appeal. You cannot preach salvation while using ideological coercion. The protesters say they are fighting for justice, but by attacking the worship service, they are putting their agenda over the eternal message of Christ. As Scripture reminds us, “Do not imitate this world” (Romans 12:2).
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And who was the face of all this? Don Lemon. He ran into that church believing that he was about to break the story of the year. He didn’t care about the pastors or their congregation. He professed to be a Christian, but what Christian sets out to pursue a matter made in relation to worship and prayer? When he realized the truth of what he had done in the following days, he turned to criticizing White supremacy in retrospect. No, Don — the race card expired some time ago, but you keep swiping because it’s all you’ve got, and sadly, so do others. The backlash was because you were chasing cheap clicks more than Jesus. Do you know what is the best cure for the fear of negativity? God.
That’s the tragedy here – not just the distraction, but how quickly the pursuit of relevance through cheap political superiority can eclipse respect.
Yet amidst all this noise, one steadfast truth cannot be shaken: Jesus is still on the throne, and His church will endure all storms. As I continue my Walk Across America, I am more convinced than ever that the answer is not more protests or more division. It is more prayer, more responsibility and more faith in action.
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The Scripture tells us, “Blessed are those who mediate, for they will be called children of God.” ( Matthew 5:9 ) That call – not to tear down holy places, but to build them; not to abolish order, but to restore it with mercy and truth. Our children deserve churches that stand strong, communities that protect the vulnerable and a nation that chooses hope over grief.
So let’s rise above the chaos. Let us walk in the light, protect the saints and trust that the grace of God will fulfill what the law and love demand. That’s why I keep going, why we keep building—and why the Gospel will always transcend all passing creeds.
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