ICE agents shot and killed Renée Good, a US citizen and mother of three, on a Minneapolis street earlier this month. Video shows her steering away from the agent who killed her. DHS immediately labelled her a “domestic terrorist.” ICE continues to terrorize neighborhoods and abduct citizens and non-citizens alike.

Meanwhile, the president launched a military strike on Venezuela without congressional approval. He’s threatening NATO allies with tariffs and won’t rule out military force to seize Greenland—explicitly because he didn’t get a Nobel Peace Prize. And the Epstein files he promised to release? Less than 1% have come out, with documents connecting him to Epstein mysteriously disappearing from government websites before public backlash forced their restoration.

This is what authoritarianism looks like. And the fact that many “evangelical” Christians support these things—or look the other way—makes me sick to my stomach.

The Bible’s witness on immigrants, the poor, and the powerless is consistent from Leviticus through Matthew 25: God stands with the vulnerable, and his people are commanded to do the same.

Yet many American Christians invoke Romans 13 to justify compliance with policies that separate families, demonize refugees, and now kill US citizens on American streets. As if Paul wrote a blank check for whatever governments decide to do.

He didn’t. Romans 13 was pastoral counsel to a specific church in a specific moment, sandwiched between commands to love enemies and overcome evil with good. Read alongside Matthew 25, where Jesus says nations will be judged by how they treated “the least of these,” the picture becomes clear: submission to authority never trumps our obligation to the stranger, the hungry, the prisoner.

Christ identifies with the vulnerable. Our treatment of immigrants is our treatment of him.

I’ve written about these themes before. Here’s where to dig deeper:

  • You’re Reading Romans 13 Wrong: Paul wrote to discourage rebellion that would damage the church’s witness, not to provide comprehensive political theology justifying every government action.
  • When Romans 13 Meets Matthew 25: Romans 13 cannot be a blank check for cruelty. Christ identifies with the stranger, and our response to immigrants is our response to him.
  • You Can’t Follow Jesus and Hate Immigrants: Scripture consistently commands love for foreigners. Check your gut reaction to the word “immigrant” and ask if it reflects Christ.
  • What the Bible Says About Poverty: Proverbs: God has a bias toward the poor, standing against the powerful on behalf of the powerless. Oppressing the poor insults their Maker.
  • Christians and Wealth: American Christians should reduce living standards to what’s necessary for flourishing and give the excess. We will be held accountable for how we treat the poor.
  • A Citizen’s Manifesto: Working principles for democratic renewal, including: no one above the law, leaders accountable to the people, and civic obligations that match our rights.
  • How to Resist Tyranny: Practical resources for defending democracy, including Timothy Snyder’s 20 lessons, Gene Sharp’s 198 methods of nonviolent action, and reliable information sources.