Y'all, they're coming for us again. Here's how we fight back with faith.

Let me tell you something about empires: they don't wait for you to throw the first punch. They see you existing as a threat and decide you need to be eliminated. Period.

This isn't new. From Pharaoh drowning Hebrew babies to Caesar crucifying revolutionaries, empire has always responded to challenges with disproportionate violence. The pattern is predictable: when people start declaring allegiance to something higher than state power, the state strikes back hard.

What's different now is the scale. As processthis.substack.com reminds us, "God's passion is displayed in compassion for others, one that shares in their sufferings and rejoices in the joys of others." But empire's passion? It's displayed in violence against anyone who dares to center that divine compassion over imperial loyalty.

I learned this lesson early. Growing up Black and queer in the South, I watched how quickly "Christian" communities would weaponize scripture against anyone who threatened their comfortable alliance with white supremacy. The same folks who sang "Jesus Loves the Little Children" on Sunday would vote for policies that caged those same children on Tuesday.

When empire strikes back—and it will—here's how we stay alive and keep fighting:

Declare Your Real Allegiance • Stop trying to serve two masters. You're either Team Jesus or Team Caesar. • Make it clear: your primary loyalty is to divine justice, not American exceptionalism. • Practice saying "Jesus is Lord" like you mean it, because Caesar is listening.

Find God in the Right Places • God isn't in the Pentagon or the police station. God is with the migrants, the poor, the queer kids. • Stop looking for divine validation in voting booths and start finding it in soup kitchens. • Remember: if your theology makes oppressors comfortable, you're doing it wrong.

Build Networks of Resistance • Connect with other communities under attack. Our liberation is bound together. • Create mutual aid systems that don't depend on government approval. • Develop communication channels that can't be easily monitored or shut down.

Prepare for the Cost • Speaking truth to power has always been expensive. Budget accordingly. • Document everything. Empire lies about its violence. • Have legal support ready and know your rights.

Here's what empire doesn't want you to know: their violence is a confession of weakness, not strength.

When they come for the dreamers, the asylum seekers, the trans kids, the voting rights activists—they're admitting these communities pose an existential threat to their power. Good. That means we're doing something right.

The cross wasn't just about personal salvation, y'all. It was about what happens when divine love confronts imperial violence. And spoiler alert: love wins, but not without scars.

Songs of resistance become survival chants that remind us that returning to oneself is not a regression but a resurrection.

Empire wants us to believe violence is inevitable, natural, and divinely ordained. But every time we choose love over fear, justice over order, liberation over security, we prove them wrong.

Empire strikes back because it’s counting its days. Our job isn't to comfort empire. Our job is to hasten its end.

Please share this newsletter with someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe for more unapologetic truth-telling. And if you're feeling called to action, find a local organization fighting for immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ youth, or racial justice, and show up.

The empire is striking back, but we're striking forward.

Peace and revolution,Rev. Jason