The Christian Case For ‘No Kings’ Protests
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(OPINION) This past weekend, people of faith marched with clergy, college students, seniors and families in downtown San Diego and elsewhere — as part of the second “No Kings” protests that swept across America and beyond.
From Washington to L.A., from Atlanta to Austin, and in solidarity marches abroad, more than seven million people filled the streets to resist the growing authoritarianism in our nation. What began just four months ago as a single focus — “No Kings Day” — has become an international movement: A spontaneous, sustained, peaceful, and joyful uprising for democracy, liberty and people’s power.
As a Christian minister and theologian, I have participated in a number of demonstrations over the years — against apartheid, nuclear proliferation, racial injustice, AIDS stigma, economic iniquities, and now, rising autocracy. But what I am seeing now are greater numbers of Christians who have never protested before now out in the streets.
No Kings demonstrations are no longer fueled by fear and rage but animated by hope, humor, and moral imagination. Among the millions who marched last weekend were thousands of faith leaders, congregants, and spiritual seekers who brought hymns, smiles, silly costumes, and banners quoting Jesus and the prophets. They carried signs that read “Bind the Strongman” (Mark 3:27), “What Does the Lord Require?” (Micah 6:8), “Jesus loves the immigrant”, “I was a refugee and you took me in” (Matt. 25), and “No King but Christ.”
Something sacred is stirring in the streets. The No Kings Movement is becoming not just a political act — but a spiritual demonstration of the power of love to transform.
From protest to a movement of conscience
The first No Kings Day on June 14 coincided with the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and President Trump’s 79th birthday. Auspiciously, the date was also the eve of the Feast of Pentecost for Christians and Jews. Over five million people marched to reject the fusion of military pageantry and religious imagery — a prophetic protest against creeping theocracy.
Now, the movement has evolved. Last weekend’s gatherings were not reactive — they were formative and sustainable. No longer a one-day eruption of outrage, but a broad-based, coordinated, multi-faith affirmation of democratic values and human dignity.
From the steps of churches and mosques to the plazas of city halls, the chants and prayers shared a common heartbeat: that no ruler — religious or political — should stand above the people or rise above the law.
What people of faith bring to the movement
People of faith are not merely joining this movement — they are grounding it in a biblical mandate with spiritual depth. Our contribution is not just in numbers but in moral values:
Nonviolence rooted in love: Following Jesus’s example, we protest without hatred. Our strength lies not in domination but in compassion. As Dr. Martin Luther King taught, nonviolence is not passive but active resistance. “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,” the civil rights movement leader said.
2. A faithful defense of separation of church and state: Christians should be the first to defend the wall between religion and government. When one particular faith tradition is wedded to political power, as history shows, both religion and state are corrupted. True faith flourishes only where conscience is free and liberty and justice are for all.
3. A spirit of diversity: For Christians, The Body of Christ is gloriously plural. One Body with many parts working together, offering different gifts. The No Kings Movement honors this divine diversity, welcoming all God’s children — every race, creed and identity — to the same table.
4. Humor, art and joy: Joy is our resistance. We sing, dance and laugh in the streets not to trivialize our struggle but to testify that fear will not have the final word. Joy is the public face of hope.
5. Scriptural imagination: It’s good to play the jester who laughs at the king, to expose the emperor who has no clothes. Last weekend’s images of frogs and clowns, of counter spoofs of a U.S. President’s depiction of dropping poop on protestors, are examples of holy humor in service to prophetic action.
6. Moral clarity: People of faith bring ancient wisdom to modern crises. Our placards and prayers proclaim timeless truths deeper than any political slogan: that mercy is greater than might, truth stronger than tyranny and love more enduring than recompense.
The dangers of a soft theocracy
These joyful marches are not naïve. We know what we are up against. We’ve seen this face before: Hitler’s Germany co-opting the national church, the American civil rights movement characterized as a socialist takeover of a Christian country. Attempts to establish a religious state.
The Trump administration has taken deliberate steps to structure religious power into executive authority — from the White House Faith Office and Religious Liberty Commission to “biblical worldview” tests for federal appointments.
This is not religious liberty — it is ideological privilege. It favors one faith, one tradition, one kind of believer over others. When pastors bless executive power instead of challenging its abuse, they trade prophecy for patronage.
The “No Kings” proclamation is profoundly Christian. It reclaims the gospel for the poor and needy from those who misuse it for the rich and famous. It insists, with holy humility and defiance, that there is no king but the Christ, no president above the law, and no throne above a firm foundation of liberty and justice for all.
Building a faithful resistance
The next phase of the No Kings Movement will require more than marches. It will demand what the faithful leader of the Confessing Church in Germany under Nazi domination called the “cost of discipleship.”
Faith communities can lead the way by:
— Hosting forums and teach-ins on democracy, justice, and conscience;
— Offering sanctuary to those targeted by unjust laws;
— Training members in nonviolent civil resistance and know-your-rights education;
— Forming coalitions across denominations and faiths to model unity in diversity;
— Using art, music, humor and storytelling to keep the spirit of resistance joyful and creative.
This is the work of prophetic imagination, not political partisanship. We cannot fight fire with fire, but with creative and nonviolent resistance with clarity and purpose.
For people of faith to march in the streets is an act of moral courage and spiritual authority. The prophets of old spoke truth to kings. Jesus confronted the empire of domination with parables of the kingdom of God. The early Christians refused to hail Caesar as Lord and died for their faith.
Today, we march in their footsteps. To smile and sing and declare that love is stronger than hate, and hope is stronger than fear.
“The moral arc of the universe still bends toward justice,” but it bends because people of faith turn their faith into action and put their hands to the plow. The No Kings Movement is now a living parable of democracy, dignity and discipleship,
As a Christian faith leader, I will keep showing up with my family. With my cleric collar and sign reading, “Bind the strongman before it’s too late.”
The “No Kings” movement, thank God, has only just begun.
Michael J. Christensen is a theologian, church historian and author of “City Streets, City People,” “The Samaritan’s Imperative” and “C.S. Lewis on Scripture.” He is a clergy member of the Point Loma Peninsula Faith Leaders in San Diego and has participated in both national “No Kings” protests.