And when the police arrived they started questioning him about whether he agreed with Trump on deportations and Gaza. The police questioning people on their political views seems to be becoming standard in the USA.

“Why are they saying you pushed a priest?”

“They were trying to pull me away from the pulpit. I grabbed the pulpit and just held on. I didn’t push anyone. They had four guys grabbing me and dragging me off there.”

“What made you want to preach today?” “I’m worried about human beings, our brothers and sisters who live within our midst and are being targeted by the government.”

“What do you consider to be targeted by the government? What class of people are you …”

“Undocumented immigrants.”

“So you don’t agree with deportations and things like that?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Did you say anything like that?”

“I didn’t even get there.”

Looking at a copy of Gillcrist’s prepared remarks, the officer said, “So I see you mention Gaza and Ukraine in here. What’s your message with that?”

“They’re our brothers and sisters. When we stop seeing people that way it’s so easy to start making laws or enacting policies that harm them.”

“It’s inappropriate.”

"To pray?”

“There’s an appropriate time.”

“It is the appropriate time.”

“No, you have to listen to your authorities, which is your pastor.”

Jesus Christ.

Yeah, no way We're letting a long haired, bearded freak into our church....

A catholic is surprised the catholic church is an authoritarian shithole.

Not even Jesusy.

More people need to be doing this at churches. Its the easiest way to fix the free speech narratives:

"why are churches trying to ban the words of jesus?" "These are public spaces that get tax breaks for being public spaces, why is there censorship in these places"

He has long hair and a beard

*glances around nervously*

Fucking legend.

I’m an Episcopal priest, and I’m trying to imagine how I’d respond to this. The only time I’ve ever had to ask someone to leave was when a, say, mentally unbalanced man came into the church and screamed profanity at me in the middle of the service and told me that I needed the permission of the Korean consulate to preach (this was a white guy in a Navy sailor’s cap, in Hawai’i where I live—not sure what his deal with Korea was). He did this twice over a couple years and I have a person who works with unhoused veterans in my parish who’s told me that she’d been instructed not to interact with the guy because he was deemed too dangerous. So, asking him to leave was a safety issue. But no one tackled him.

I’d like to think that I’d let this guy have his say. If he’s not cussing anyone out or getting violent, I’d probably let him talk and then invite him to hang out and talk some after the service. I sure as shit wouldn’t demand him to “respect my authoritah” or see him tackled to the ground. That is something I can’t wrap my head around.

Seems like some apologies and confession seems to be in order here and not by Jimbo. Wow!

What an unfortunate coincidence that this man, Jimbo Gillchrist, has almost exactly the same name as Jim Gilchrist.

A church to the antichrist. You will treat the sorjourner as your own.