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Minnesota is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Since the late 20th century, Minnesota's economy has diversified away from traditional industries such as agriculture and resource extraction to services, finance, and health care; it is consequently one of the richest states in terms of GDP and per capita income. Minnesota is home to 11 federally recognized Native American reservations (seven Ojibwe, four Dakota), and its culture, demographics, and religious landscape reflect Scandinavian and German influence. In more recent decades, the state has become more multicultural, driven by both larger domestic migration and immigration from Latin America, Asia, the Horn of Africa, and the Middle East; the state has the nation's largest population of Somali Americans and second-largest Hmong community. Minnesota's standard of living and level of education are among the highest in the U.S., and it is ranked among the best states in metrics such as employment, median income, safety, and governance. Christian leaders urge worshippers’ rights after protesters interrupt service Several faith leaders called urgently for protecting the rights of worshippers while also expressing compassion for migrants after anti-immigration enforcement protesters disrupted a service at a Southern Baptist church in Minnesota. About three dozen protesters entered the church during Sunday service at the Cities Church in St. Paul, some walking right up to the pulpit, others loudly chanting “ICE out” and “Renee Good,” referring to a woman who was fatally shot on Jan. 7 by an ICE agent in Minneapolis during an immigration enforcement operation. (Politico; 1.19.26) READMORE>>>>> Protesters Disrupt Southern Baptist Church of Pastor Who Leads ICE Office in Minnesota On Sunday (Jan. 18), an unplanned liturgy of “ICE out!” and “Justice for Renee Good!” erupted in the sanctuary of a Southern Baptist church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Activists marched into the building to protest the fact that one of the congregation’s pastors is the acting director of the St. Paul ICE field office. David Easterwood, who is one of the pastors listed on the website of Cities Church in St. Paul, appeared on C-SPAN in October as acting director for the St. Paul ICE field office. Speaking during a press conference with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Easterwood talked about being “proud” of leading his ICE team. Last week, Easterwood made news for defending ICE actions in a free speech lawsuit by several Minnesota residents who were arrested while attempting to observe ICE actions. On Friday, a federal judge ordered limits on ICE, declaring they cannot arrest or detain “persons who are engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity.” . (Public Witness; 1.18.26) READMORE>>>>> |
CHURCHES:
Minneapolis, Minnesota: Real Believers Faith Center -
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Neighborliness is a lived theology in Minnesota
“I realized it was that Renee Good, our kids are in school together,” read a text I received in the last 24 hours from a friend in our Minneapolis community. I did not know Renee personally, but I feel the pain and sadness that’s now a lasting part of our city. That is precisely the point of the lived theology of neighborliness, something uniquely Minnesotan that presses us to show up for each other. I do not need to know you to love you and show compassion; knowing you are my neighbor is enough. This interconnectedness is reflected in the highest levels of our state government. In a press conference yesterday, Gov. Tim Walz said, “I saw it last night, I saw it during George Floyd, I’ve seen it throughout our history, when things look really bleak, it was Minnesotans first who held that line for the nation … to rise up as neighbors, and simply say we can look out for one another.” He connected this bond of neighborliness as a cornerstone for a healthy, thriving democracy that holds us together when we differ and disagree. (Religion News Service; 1.9.26) READMORE>>>>>
“I realized it was that Renee Good, our kids are in school together,” read a text I received in the last 24 hours from a friend in our Minneapolis community. I did not know Renee personally, but I feel the pain and sadness that’s now a lasting part of our city. That is precisely the point of the lived theology of neighborliness, something uniquely Minnesotan that presses us to show up for each other. I do not need to know you to love you and show compassion; knowing you are my neighbor is enough. This interconnectedness is reflected in the highest levels of our state government. In a press conference yesterday, Gov. Tim Walz said, “I saw it last night, I saw it during George Floyd, I’ve seen it throughout our history, when things look really bleak, it was Minnesotans first who held that line for the nation … to rise up as neighbors, and simply say we can look out for one another.” He connected this bond of neighborliness as a cornerstone for a healthy, thriving democracy that holds us together when we differ and disagree. (Religion News Service; 1.9.26) READMORE>>>>>
Happy 80th Birthday, John Piper
In July of 1980, 34-year-old John Piper preached his first sermon as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church on the eastern edge of downtown Minneapolis. Surveying a sea of gray hair, he retained traces of South Carolina lilt in his tenor voice as he said, “I have nothing of abiding worth to say to you. But God does. And of that Word I hope and pray that I never tire of speaking. The life of the church depends on it.” Piper’s final sermon at the church fell on Easter Sunday of 2013. The gray-haired, balding pastor, then 67, looked out at a sea of younger faces and explained why this wouldn’t be a typical farewell sermon with personal reflections: “It has been our commitment in all these years together to preach not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord (2 Corinthians 4:5). People ought not to go to church to hear the sentiments or the ideas of a man, but to hear the word of God.” (Christianity Today; 1.9.26) READMORE>>>>>
In July of 1980, 34-year-old John Piper preached his first sermon as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church on the eastern edge of downtown Minneapolis. Surveying a sea of gray hair, he retained traces of South Carolina lilt in his tenor voice as he said, “I have nothing of abiding worth to say to you. But God does. And of that Word I hope and pray that I never tire of speaking. The life of the church depends on it.” Piper’s final sermon at the church fell on Easter Sunday of 2013. The gray-haired, balding pastor, then 67, looked out at a sea of younger faces and explained why this wouldn’t be a typical farewell sermon with personal reflections: “It has been our commitment in all these years together to preach not ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord (2 Corinthians 4:5). People ought not to go to church to hear the sentiments or the ideas of a man, but to hear the word of God.” (Christianity Today; 1.9.26) READMORE>>>>>
Interfaith Alliance Condemns Brutal ICE Killing – Calls for Faith Communities to Reject Authoritarianism and Choose Love, Not ICE
January 8, 2026:
On Wednesday in Minneapolis, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good during an otherwise nonviolent encounter. Video and eyewitness accounts, which show the woman attempting to flee from ICE as they aggressively attempted to enter her vehicle, contradict the Trump administration’s claims that agents acted in self-defense. The killing has intensified outrage and grief across Minnesota and the nation, as calls grow for accountability and an end to ICE crackdowns that are driving fear and putting communities in danger.
Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, released the following statement:
“This shocking killing is another tragic example of ICE’s brutality, and the deadly consequences of the Trump administration’s reckless and authoritarian immigration crackdown. Our hearts are with the victim’s loved ones and the Minneapolis community, as they grieve and respond to this horrific tragedy.
Wednesday’s shooting is the latest example of what happens when an administration makes dehumanization, aggression, and cruelty the foundation of its agenda. The American people don’t want blood on the streets or armed government forces surrounding our homes, schools, and places of worship.
Religious leaders and communities now face a fundamental choice: to choose love, not ICE. Across faith traditions, we are called to protect human dignity, care for the vulnerable, and resist systems that thrive on fear. When the Department of Homeland Security attempts to cloak ICE brutality in divine language, it draws directly from Christian nationalist ideology — one that teaches some human lives matter more than others. It’s an attempt to prime the public to accept violence against those deemed outsiders. People of faith must reject this distortion of religion and refuse to let our faiths be weaponized to serve the authoritarian whims of President Trump.
The way forward demands both moral clarity and courageous action. Faith communities must speak out, stand in solidarity with immigrant families, and insist on accountability for this killing and other acts of violent repression. We will continue to take to the streets in peaceful and principled resistance to authoritarian abuse. Choosing love over ICE is not just a slogan — it is a moral stance rooted in the belief that safety comes from solidarity, not terror, and that our shared future depends on dignity, compassion, and justice for all.”
January 8, 2026:
On Wednesday in Minneapolis, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good during an otherwise nonviolent encounter. Video and eyewitness accounts, which show the woman attempting to flee from ICE as they aggressively attempted to enter her vehicle, contradict the Trump administration’s claims that agents acted in self-defense. The killing has intensified outrage and grief across Minnesota and the nation, as calls grow for accountability and an end to ICE crackdowns that are driving fear and putting communities in danger.
Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, released the following statement:
“This shocking killing is another tragic example of ICE’s brutality, and the deadly consequences of the Trump administration’s reckless and authoritarian immigration crackdown. Our hearts are with the victim’s loved ones and the Minneapolis community, as they grieve and respond to this horrific tragedy.
Wednesday’s shooting is the latest example of what happens when an administration makes dehumanization, aggression, and cruelty the foundation of its agenda. The American people don’t want blood on the streets or armed government forces surrounding our homes, schools, and places of worship.
Religious leaders and communities now face a fundamental choice: to choose love, not ICE. Across faith traditions, we are called to protect human dignity, care for the vulnerable, and resist systems that thrive on fear. When the Department of Homeland Security attempts to cloak ICE brutality in divine language, it draws directly from Christian nationalist ideology — one that teaches some human lives matter more than others. It’s an attempt to prime the public to accept violence against those deemed outsiders. People of faith must reject this distortion of religion and refuse to let our faiths be weaponized to serve the authoritarian whims of President Trump.
The way forward demands both moral clarity and courageous action. Faith communities must speak out, stand in solidarity with immigrant families, and insist on accountability for this killing and other acts of violent repression. We will continue to take to the streets in peaceful and principled resistance to authoritarian abuse. Choosing love over ICE is not just a slogan — it is a moral stance rooted in the belief that safety comes from solidarity, not terror, and that our shared future depends on dignity, compassion, and justice for all.”
July 26, 2025: USA Today reported: The former CEO of My Faith Votes, a nonprofit that encourages "Christians in America to vote in every election," has pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual abuse images, months after his arrest. Jason Christopher Yates, 56, pleaded guilty to two of eight felony counts of possession of child pornography on Tuesday, July 22, in a district court in McLeod County, Minnesota, according to a plea petition obtained by USA TODAY. Yates was initially charged and arrested in October 2024, according to Minnesota state court records. My Faith Votes told Religion News Service that Yates served as its CEO until August 2024.
February 29, 2024: Minnesota reformer reported: Nearly three in ten Minnesotans — including a majority of Republicans — hold Christian nationalist views, according to a new survey of all 50 states conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute. Christian nationalists support an aggressive fusion of church and state, and believe in a “Christian primacy in politics and law,” in the words of conservative commentator David French.
March 28, 2024: The federalist reported: In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature and governor added a new category of so-called human rights, “gender identity,” to the Minnesota Human Rights Act. They included no corresponding religious exemption, however, demonstrating their intent to deny religious freedom to Minnesota citizens, churches, and schools and to engage in persecuting Christians and some other religious bodies. If the state can tell churches and schools what they cannot say or do on “gender identity,” then it can tell churches and schools what they cannot say or do on other subjects too. In an attempt to correct this egregious law, Rep. Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, in this current session introduced an amendment to correct this violation of First Amendment rights.
August 8, 2024: Raw Story reported: Former Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) responded to the selection of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as the Democratic vice presidential nominee by claiming the Minnesota governor signed a law requiring students to "hate white people" in her state. "What they did is they infused all the school curriculum with wokeism," Bachmann told the War Room on Wednesday. "It's now mandated in law by Tim Walz." "It's basically teaching George Floyd hate whitey curriculum," she continued. "Everything is about race. It's hate white people. White people are evil. And that's in all of the curriculum."
May 20, 2022: It's been two years since George Floyd, a Black man, was murdered by a white Minneapolis police officer. Floyd’s death prompted many Minnesota institutions to pay new attention to racial disparities in Minnesota. Some Minnesota churches and Christian institutions also have been grappling with how they supported racial prejudice and inequality in the past and what they can do now to address it. (MPR)
Oct 3, 2022: As hundreds of people filed into Soldiers Field Park Sunday, Oct. 2, for an evangelical revival hosted by Rev. Franklin Graham, some Rochester pastors wanted to make sure visitors received a warm welcome. Representatives from almost a dozen different congregations lined the north entrance to the park at the memorial. They held signs proclaiming God loves everyone — including LGBTQ people. (Duluth News Tribune)
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Jan 23, 2023: The Humanist reported: Like many secular advocates across the country, humanists in Minnesota are becoming increasingly concerned about the rise of Christian Nationalism and the impact of religious dogma on our legal system. In an effort to publicly support the Secular Government Caucus as it gets off the ground, the HumanistsMN Board agreed to pay for two billboards in the vicinity of the State Capitol in St. Paul starting in February. They both feature a photo of the Capitol, with the messages: “Protect Our Democracy. Keep Religion Out of Government” and “Reject Christian Nationalism. Keep Religion Out of Government.”
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February 14, 2023: Christianity Today reported: “There have been chronic patterns of violence over many years, but in the last three years … it’s been exacerbated by the fallout effect after the murder of George Floyd and everything that cascaded down from that,” said Carl Nelson, president of Transform Minnesota, an evangelical organization that brings churches together to wrestle with social issues.