Caleb Phillips, 21, was born and raised in Minnesota and when he saw the crowds protesting, he thought, There are many unbelievers in the twin cities, and these protests are just a concentrated group of people. I’d love to witness to them.
Anti-ICE protests continue in Minnesota while ICE officers target illegal immigrants throughout the Twin Cities. And while Christians have differing opinions on immigration, evangelicals, by definition, can unite around one central message: the gospel.
Phillips said, “My worldview, the way that I see every issue and the way that I go about my life is all based on Jesus Christ and on the gospel. And I have a lot of peace in my life because I know that those things are never going to change.”
That’s the message Phillips told a leader of a protest he visited. He realized that this woman based her entire life and identity around her politics, and he asked her if she had any stability.
Phillips has been visiting protests to evangelize. He befriends protesters, asking them their background and motivation for being there. If anyone is willing to listen, he shares the gospel. Phillips said he planned to go out again on Sunday, Jan. 18, but he didn’t have to because they came to him.
Phillips said it was a regular Sunday morning at Cities Church, and he looked forward to attending church with his girlfriend. He said he was excited for the service because his favorite pastor would be preaching. But instead of hearing a sermon, he heard chanting.
“Justice for Renee Good,” and “Ice Out,” the protesters yelled. Phillips said they planted themselves in the congregation and began protesting right as the sermon was about to start. Phillips said he was struck by how angry and filled with hatred they were. He could see the disgust in their eyes. But he knew how to respond.
He said, “I knew that the only proper response for me as a Christian would be a response of love and a response of truth,”
Phillips said he was nervous and shaking. He could barely hold his Bible, but still he stood up and began reading Psalms. A brother in Christ stood with him in support.
Before he stood up, he purposefully made eye contact with the protesters, so they’d see his humanity. He said on some level protesters who do something like this have to dehumanize those whom they’re hurting. So he said, “I wanted them to see me.”
He started reading quietly and then became so loud that he lost his voice after four chapters. As he was reading, he realized that the chapters he turned to were relevant to the situation. Phillips doesn’t remember which chapters he read, but he recalled providentially reading about how God would not be mocked and how evildoers wouldn’t prevail.
As he read, he caught the eyes of an older woman. She stopped chanting. She listened. And she mouthed the words, “I’m sorry” and “I love you.” She said, “Amen. God is here.”
Phillips said he doesn’t know whether she was a Christian or had a heart change. But he said reading Scripture was the action he felt moved in his spirit to take.
The next day, Phillips attended an MLK rally and saw that the same person who led the protest in his church was speaking at the rally. Phillips said he didn’t have any interaction with her. Instead, he had a conversation with a man running a booth supporting Palestine’s freedom. The man at the booth preached a social gospel, but Phillips challenged him not to see Jesus as a political figure.
“Of course our beliefs and our faith should impact the way that we interact with society, but we can’t make that the whole thing or we lose what the gospel truly is,” said Phillips.
After the MLK rally, Phillips attended a protest outside of the Whipple building where ICE holds detainees. Profanity was loud. But Phillips was quiet. He held up a sign that read, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” hoping it would spark some thought in them.
He said, “Ultimately, it’s up to God what God does with their hearts, but in doing this I’m trying to be His tool in as much of a capacity as He will allow me to.”