Sunday morning in St. Paul turned into a battleground when William Kelly—a self-styled “combat veteran” and professional agitator—led a mob of Black Lives Matter and Racial Justice Network operatives straight into Cities Church’s sanctuary. The intruders banged on bullhorns, screamed obscenities at children and branded worshippers “fake Christians” simply because one pastor also serves as an ICE field director. Chaos reigned until pastor Jonathan Parnell reluctantly shut down the service to protect traumatized families.
Kelly is no lone wolf. He’s a paid provocateur who has spent months stalking congregations in Washington, D.C., including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s church. His tactics are brutal and predictable: blare music, hurl insults, terrorize the faithful. One churchgoer in D.C. needed the hospital after his eardrum was ruptured by a protester’s bullhorn.
Southern Baptist mission board president Kevin Ezell confirmed that scared children at Cities Church were left in tears. “These intimidating tactics are not only illegal but cowardly,” Ezell declared. “No cause justifies traumatizing families as they worship in a sacred space.”
Despite federal civil-rights and FACE Act protections, local police stood by. They monitored the mob and made zero arrests—betraying their duty to uphold law and order. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice, under the Trump administration’s watch, has launched an investigation. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon blasted the disruption as “UnAmerican and outrageous.”
Kelly’s ostensible grievance—an ICE raid gone wrong in Minneapolis—has no connection to Cities Church. Jonathan Parnell stresses that Kelly’s real motive is chaos. These paid activists chase whatever issue grabs headlines, then weaponize it to shut down dissenting voices. Their aim: silence Christians who refuse to bow to lawlessness.
Across America, liberal-aligned agitators have grown more emboldened, backed by sympathetic local officials who prioritize politics over public safety. Their strategy: infiltrate houses of worship, harass congregations and exploit every opportunity to undermine religious liberty.
The proper response is clear. Churches must stand firm. Congregants should call on the Trump administration and Congress to prosecute every individual involved in these shameful assaults. And Americans must demand local law enforcement enforce the law equally, without fear or favor.
History shows that when government-sponsored mobs target believers, courage and unity win the day. As in the book of Acts, Christians faced shouting crowds and corrupt authorities—and emerged stronger. Today’s churches must do the same: pray boldly, worship boldly and refuse to cower before intimidation. American religious freedom demands nothing less.
