Over the last few months, I have participated in protests with my pastoral colleagues at the Broadview ICE facility in Illinois. I have joined them because I believe strongly that the actions of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) have crossed a line between enforcing laws and committing sanctioned civil rights violations. The sacrifice of civil liberties constitutes a critical yield point in our democracy.

Christian Nationalists see Trump not as a president, but as God’s chosen instrument—like King Cyrus—to dismantle democracy and rebuild America as a Christian nation. By rejecting checks and balances, they embrace a theocracy where absolute power is divine will, pushing the U.S. toward a breaking point that could spark civil war.

A year ago, my article Departure: Why I Left the Church went viral. A year later, I reflect on how that moment changed my life.

What's the difference between Christianity and Christian Nationalism? The scary reality: Most evangelicals don't know the difference.