Culture, Faith and Politics with Pat Kahnke

In this urgent conversation, Pat Kahnke and international Christian leader Tihomir Kukolja confront the dangerous rise of court prophets—religious leaders who align themselves with political power rather than the truth of the gospel. Franklin Graham is the focus of this episode, not as an isolated figure, but as a powerful example of how faith can be co-opted to serve authoritarian politics.

Minnesota is still under siege from federal agents, but two separate protest incidents this weekend have Pat’s attention. On this live episode, we’ll be discussing the incident inside the Cities Church in St. Paul and the truth behind conservative influencer Jake Lang’s protest.

In this episode, I respond to the recent protest inside Cities Church, just blocks from my home. With decades of experience in the evangelical world and years spent speaking out against Christian nationalism and injustice, I offer a raw, pastoral perspective on the tension between righteous anger and sacred space.

Pat Kahnke and Adam Swenson expose the sick propaganda campaign fueling ICE’s growing presence in Minneapolis and St. Paul. From armored vehicles on local streets to disturbing federal tweets about “peace after 100 million deportations,” we unpack how messaging is being weaponized to justify fear, division, and unchecked power.

Why do so many white evangelicals still support Donald Trump—even after all the lies, cruelty, and corruption? It’s not because they’ve been fooled. It’s because they’ve chosen the lie. In this episode, we hear from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian who resisted Hitler and wrote powerfully about the moral danger of what he called folly—a willful, self-protecting ignorance that chooses comfort over truth, and power over integrity. Other call it his Theory of Stupidity.

In this urgent conversation, Pat Kahnke and Adam Swenson break down the alarming ICE surge in Minneapolis and St. Paul — including firsthand accounts of aggression, propaganda, and the recent ICE shooting of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen. With Gregory Bovino leading a camera crew through our neighborhoods, the message is clear: if we don't film them, they'll control the story.

The Department of Homeland Security continues to send its ICE agents into the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul following the murder of Renee Good. Pat and Producer Ken Napzok discusses what the impact has been on the community and how the resistance is going.

What does the Bible really say about protest, injustice, and state violence? In this raw, prophetic conversation, Pat Kahnke (St. Paul) and Amy Hawk (Portland) respond to the ICE shooting of Renee Good through the lens of Habakkuk, Amos, and the whole biblical witness. Why are so many Christians silent? What do the prophets say about corrupt governments and false worship? And how do followers of Jesus cry out — not just in prayer, but in public?

Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Days later, white evangelical churches in the Twin Cities sang louder—but said nothing. As a former evangelical pastor, I can’t stay silent. This video confronts the deadly silence of the American church, the idolatry of the MAGA movement, and the moral collapse of Christians defending Donald Trump at any cost. If you're wondering where Jesus is in all this—so am I.