American Baptist Church Erects Perverted Nativity to Protest ICE Enforcing the Law
Sometimes the gravest sins come from those who claim to follow Christ.
In a striking example, Lake Street Church of Evanston, Illinois, recently used the story of Jesus’ birth for political messaging. On Facebook last month, the church posted photos of a “Nativity” display that appeared deliberately distorted to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents enforcing federal immigration laws amid what the church described as overreach by leftist activists.
“This installation reimagines the nativity as a scene of forced family separation, drawing direct parallels between the Holy Family’s refugee experience and contemporary immigration detention practices,” the church wrote. In the display, baby Jesus was shown with zip ties on his wrists.
“The zip ties on the infant’s wrists directly reference the children who were zip-tied by agents during a raid on a Chicago apartment building earlier this year, where most residents were U.S. citizens: a stark reminder that enforcement terror does not discriminate by documentation status,” the post added.
Mary and Joseph, meanwhile, were depicted wearing gas masks, reminiscent of Antifa gear. “The gas masks worn by Mary and Joseph reference the documented use of tear gas and other chemical agents deployed by ICE against peaceful protesters, journalists, and community members advocating for immigration reform and bearing witness to human rights abuses within the system,” the church explained.
The controversy escalated when ICE agents arrested the church’s pastor, Michael Woolf, later that same month. A YouTube video of one of his services identifies Woolf’s pronouns as “he/him” at the 35:17 mark, and he has also encouraged his congregation to view Christ’s second coming through the lens of fear.
The church’s website emphasizes “social justice” and features a “Covenant” celebrating “soul liberty, which challenges us to embody God in the world each in our own way.”
For many Christians, these actions present a jarring—and deeply troubling—distortion of the faith.
About Post Author
