Protesting in God's Name: Faith, Immigration, and Public Witness

This week on American Angst, Mike shares a crossover episode with host Dale McConkey Church Potluck. They are joined by United Methodist pastors Rev. Ash McEuen and Rev. Karen Kagiyama for a timely and poignant conversation exploring immigration, protest, and the uneasy intersection of faith and public life in the United States.

The episode begins with the real-world impact of current immigration policies. Ash McEuen, whose ministry is deeply rooted in immigrant and Latino communities, describes the daily fear many families face—detention uncertainty, deportation confusion, and the emotional toll of accompaniment. Karen Kagiyama provides theological grounding, framing clergy-led protest not as partisan politics but as Christian witness, solidarity, and lament shaped by prayer and Jesus’ confrontation with injustice.

Bringing a political science lens, Michael Bailey examines when protest actually works, why nonviolent movements have historically driven change, and how public action raises moral urgency within democratic systems. Together, the group wrestles with Scripture—including Romans 13, Jesus turning over the tables in the temple, and the United Methodist baptismal vow to “resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”

Blending seriousness with warmth and humor, the conversation reflects the heart of American Angst: a thoughtful exploration of power, policy, morality, and the human cost of political decisions. The episode insists that immigration is not abstract, protest is not simple, and the questions facing the nation are inseparable from the lives—and suffering—of real people.

The views expressed on American Angst are solely those of the participants and do not represent any organization.