It’s been one week since one of the most significant events in American religious history this century. This past Sunday, January 18, Cities Church in Minnesota was attacked by a Leftist mob who plotted with the media to disrupt worship and intimidate churchgoers. The mob was led by a BLM activist who proudly conspired to break federal law and strike fear into peacefully gathered Christians worshiping God. And make no mistake, they were attacked because they were Christians.

It wasn’t random; it was intentional and planned with malice aforethought. As Auron MacIntyre pointed out, “It’s not just that [Don] Lemon and his thugs broke federal law; they proudly planned, coordinated, announced, and documented the act. This was a conspiracy streamed live to gloat about how untouchable leftist political violence is.”

Cities Church is, by all accounts, just a “normal” Southern Baptist Church. They were planted by the now former-Baptist Joe Rigney over a decade ago in St. Paul. Nothing about Cities Church screams “cultural warrior” or “right wing.” Their crime in the eyes of the Left was simply that one of their elders is a federal law enforcement officer. Oh, and that they are “White.” And Christian.

As horrible as this event was, let this be a warning to all normal churches and “everyday revolutionaries” out there, especially those who decry the culture war. The Left sees no difference between you and the charismatic megachurch that hosts political rallies for Donald Trump. You are their enemy. You may not wish it were so. You may nuance every jot and tittle of your pristine doctrine all you want. But they do not care. They will storm your church in order to strike fear into your children. This is who the Left is. They do not discriminate between the Kellerites and the MAGA Baptists.

For many years now, evangelical elites in think tanks, publications, and podcasts have lectured Christians on how to use the appropriate tone when speaking publicly. They have advocated for a faithful presence that does not ruffle feathers. They hold up an ideal of the pastor as never taking sides. Above all, do not upset anyone (unless those people are conservatives). How long will you continue to listen to them preen from their platforms about their principles? Those principles did nothing to protect Cities Church this week. They will do nothing to protect your church, either.

Thankfully, it seems that many evangelical leaders woke up this week. Good for them. We’ve been warning them for years now that this is coming. This was not an isolated event. Welcome to the fight.

And it is still a fight, because this is not the end of the line for the Left. They are always imagining new ways to destroy. Look at Canada, where they burn buildings. Look at Nigeria, where they slaughter Christians. Look at Spain during its civil war.

Now, look at America. These Leftists and all those who provide them with spiritual cover have no intention of “putting woke away.” They are biding their time, plotting their bloodthirsty deeds. They hate God and hate God’s people. And they really hate God’s people worshipping God rightly and freely.

Disruption in worship was a serious concern for the Apostle Paul. He wanted the church at Corinth to worship in an orderly manner. Jesus was very concerned with proper worship. The goal of worship is not entertainment or therapy but to participate in magnifying and glorifying God. Anyone who seeks to draw attention to themselves during the worship of the living God shows that they do not know the living God. Imagine what the priests of the Old Covenant might have done if some Philistines had disrupted worship at the tabernacle, shouting, “Justice for Goliath.” They carried swords for a reason. 

Now, some might say, “But Chase, we live under the New Covenant.” And I would say yes, of course, Andy Stanely. This New Covenant is one in which Christ has secured His people and is coming again to judge the living and the dead, coming to tread out the winepress of God’s wrath with a sword from His mouth. This is the same Jesus who instructed his disciples to buy two swords. When he rebuked Peter, it was for interrupting divine purposes, not because Peter was wrong in his martial instinct. 

In this New Covenant, the state has been authorized with the sword to strike fear (or terrorize, as some translations put it) into the heart of the evildoer. In the American context, there are many layers of state power that can be dispensed depending on the severity of the crime. 

The best thing that could happen now is for the totality of the federal law to be exhaustively applied to every single person who participated in this heinous disruption of worship. 

All Southern Baptists should be incensed by this wickedness. That much is clear. A line has been drawn, the die has been cast, all that remains for you, pastor, is to choose the Lord this day. Justice will be served in this life or the next against Don Lemon and his lemmings. 

But as far as we are concerned, we must be like Joshua. For us and our houses of worship, we must serve the Lord. And in that service, there cannot be any compromise with the Left. Their script is easily discerned by anyone familiar with their communist revolutions. They went all in on social revolution in 2020. And they display no signs of remorse or repentance. Some even speculate if they still have souls. 

Men have a duty before the Lord to defend themselves and their people. Today, most men have been bludgeoned and cudgeled by stupid laws that prevent them from exercising their divine rights and duties when it comes to these disruptors of God’s people. In other words, laws are a teacher. Even if a man at Cities Church were to simply restrain and remove one of these leftists, I have no doubt that in a blue state like Minnesota, they would seek to prosecute him and let the rebellious free to roam the streets. 

It is incumbent on all Christians, especially Southern Baptists, no matter how nuanced or cultural warrior they are, to stand firm with Cities Church and their pastor, Jonathan Parnell. We must hold the line here and push back the darkness.

Too many were easily deceived in prior years. Their empathy was taken advantage of, used as a steering wheel in churches to get the church to do the bidding of the left, or at least not offer any resistance to their wickedness other than strongly worded letters.

That day is over. Now is the time for Christians to stop playing defense and go on the offense. It is time to take back our cities and our nation for the glory of God.

May God grant favor to Cities Church, and may God have mercy on those who oppose Him.