'Shameful': Pastors, Christian leaders react to activists storming So. Baptist church in Minnesota

Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference 

The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, the lead pastor of New Season in Sacramento, described Sunday’s invasion at Cities Church as a “microcosm of a much larger conflict unfolding across America” between two increasingly hostile factions.

“Protesting inside a church and interrupting worship services reveals the true colors of a segment within our society committed to disorder and chaos, openly dismissive of the rule of law, and deeply antagonistic toward our Judeo-Christian values,” said the 56-year-old Rodriguez. 

“The real battle is not between law enforcement and communities, nor between peaceful protest and public order. The real battle is ideological,” said Rodriguez, an advisor to three U.S. presidents. 

He added that he sees this conflict as existing “between those who embrace a Judeo-Christian value system as a moral foundation for our society and those who are vehemently opposed to that system continuing to shape our culture, institutions, and public life.”