Advertise on podcast: Reign of Error with Sarah Posner

Last week, the Department of Justice escalated its prosecution of anti-ICE activists at a St. Paul, Minnesota church by arresting two journalists who were covering the protest: Emmy Award–winning independent reporter Georgia Fort, vice president of the local chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, and Don Lemon, a former CNN host now reporting independently. Charging journalists with conspiring to violate worshipers’ religious freedom simply for documenting a newsworthy protest is a blatant assault on press freedom and the First Amendment. The DOJ’s unprecedented use of the 1994 FACE Act—long applied to physical blockades of abortion clinics—to criminalize peaceful protest and journalistic coverage inside a church marks a dangerous expansion of state power. This episode examines how the case reveals the Trump administration’s broader project: recasting Christian nationalist grievance as “religious freedom” while weaponizing the law against dissenters. Host Sarah Posner speaks with Brian Kaylor, a Baptist minister, political communication scholar, and author of A Public Witness, about the myth of “anti-Christian bias,” the selective enforcement of the FACE Act, the criminalization of opposition to ICE, and why white evangelicals remain Trump’s most loyal base even as public backlash grows. As protests against immigration enforcement spread nationwide, the administration is once again leaning into persecution narratives to shore up political support—at the direct expense of civil liberties, democratic norms, and the Constitution itself. Dr. Brian Kaylor is Editor-in-chief of Word&Way. He is also a Baptist minister with a Ph.D. in political communication, and the author or coauthor of several books, including The Bible According to Christian Nationalists: Exploiting Scripture for Political Power and Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. He writes about religion and politics at his award-winning newsletter A Public Witness. Additional Resources: Jem Bartholomew, “‘I Might Get Arrested, People,’” Columbia Journalism Review, February 2, 2026, https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/don-lemon-georgia-fort-arrests-church-st-saint-paul-ice-pastor-dhs-maga-media-benny-johnson-tim-pool.php?mc_cid=43c485a738&mc_eid=298969b3fc Opinion and Order of the Court, Conejo Arias v. Noem, United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Civ. No. A-26-CV-415-FB, January 31, 2026, https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txwd.1172886492/gov.uscourts.txwd.1172886492.9.0.pdf Quinta Jurecic, “The Case Against Don Lemon Is Junk, and Dangerous,” The Atlantic, January 30, 2026, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/01/don-lemon-arrest/685840/?mc_cid=43c485a738&mc_eid=298969b3fc Ryan J. Reilly, Matt Lavietes, Chloe Melas and Dennis Romero, “Don Lemon arrested after covering protest at Minnesota church,” NBCNews, January 30, 2026, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/don-lemon-arrested-federal-authorities-attorney-says-rcna256680 Amanda Becker, “Journalist Georgia Fort arrested over reporting on anti-ICE protest,” The 19th, January 30, 2026, https://19thnews.org/2026/01/georgia-fort-arrested-journalist-minnesota/ Laura Kelly Fanucci, “I’m a Minnesota Catholic mom. Here’s what my neighbors are saying about ICE.,” America, January 30, 2026, https://www.americamagazine.org/faithinfocus/2026/01/30/im-a-minnesota-catholic-mom-heres-what-my-neighbors-are-saying-about-ice/ Hannah Hartig and Jocelyn Kiley, “Confidence in Trump Dips, and Fewer Now Say They Support His Policies and Plans,” Pew Research Center, January 29, 2026,  https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/01/29/confidence-in-trump-dips-and-fewer-now-say-they-support-his-policies-and-plans/?utm_source=AdaptiveMailer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=26-01-29%20W185%20Main%20Report&org=982&lvl=100&ite=17283&lea=4830404&ctr=0&par=1&trk=a0DQm00000AFTqLMAX Dana Blanton, “Fox News Poll: 59% of voters say ICE is too aggressive, up 10 points since July,” Fox News, January 28, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-poll-59-voters-say-ice-too-aggressive-up-10-points-since-july  Brian Kaylor, “GOP Judge Blasts ICE Pastor for ‘Extraordinary’ Court Order Violations,” Word and Way, January 28, 2026, https://wordandway.org/2026/01/28/gop-judge-blasts-ice-pastor-for-extraordinary-court-order-violations/ Sarah Posner, “Trump just promised an authoritarian ‘task force’ to impose Christian ideology,” MSNOW, January 7, 2024, https://www.ms.now/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-2024-christian-right-truth-social-rcna132082 Glenn Thrush and Adam Goldman, “No Bias Found in F.B.I. Report on Catholic Extremists,” New York Times, April 18, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/18/us/politics/catholic-extremists-fbi.html Sarah Posner, “Trump’s ‘Christian Day of Visibility’ tantrum is also a warning,” MSNOW, April 4, 2024, https://www.ms.now/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-christian-day-of-visibility-trans-rights-rcna146225 Sarah Posner, “Why Trump targeted Christians with his darkest promise yet,” MSNOW, July 31, 2024, https://www.ms.now/opinion/msnbc-opinion/christian-nationalist-trump-speech-voting-rcna164091 Sarah Posner, “Jim Jordan’s new myth: an ‘anti-Catholic’ FBI,” MSNOW, April 15, 2023, https://www.ms.now/opinion/msnbc-opinion/jim-jordan-anti-catholic-fbi-myth-rcna79815 Sarah Posner, “The Southern Baptist Convention’s Deal With the Devil,” The Nation, September 12, 2022, https://www.thenation.com/article/society/southern-baptists-roe-gop-dobbs/ Creator: Sarah Posner: https://www.sarahposner.com/ Producer and Engineer: Dr. Ger FitzGerald Executive Producer: Dr. Bradley Onishi Production Assistance: Kari Onishi Generous funding provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.

Host Sarah Posner examines Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s escalating campaign to remake the Pentagon in the image of a militant, hyper-masculine Christian nationalism—from dismantling small-business contracting as “DEI,” to purging diversity programs, hosting monthly Christian prayer meetings inside the Pentagon, and framing U.S. military power as divinely sanctioned. As Trump rattles the global order with threats against NATO allies and Greenland, Posner traces how Hegseth’s theology and politics blur the lines among biblical law, domestic authority, and international norms—raising urgent questions about religion, war, and state power. Posner is joined by Dr. Julie Ingersoll, professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Florida and author of Building God’s Kingdom, for a deep dive into the radical Christian Reconstructionist movement shaping Hegseth’s worldview. They unpack the influence of Doug Wilson and the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, including beliefs about biblical law, patriarchy, Christian dominion, and a “God of war” theology that legitimizes violence and conquest. The conversation explores how once-fringe theocratic ideas have quietly moved into the corridors of power—and what it means when U.S. military leaders see themselves as carrying out God’s will, at home and abroad. Julie Ingersoll is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, where she teaches and writes about religion in American culture, with a particular focus on religion and politics and the religious right. Originally from Maine, she earned a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, along with degrees in history from George Washington University and political science from Rutgers College. She began studying religion as an undergraduate because of her interest in politics, which she saw as deeply intertwined with religious life—an understanding that only deepened as her studies continued. More about Dr. Ingersoll: https://julieingersoll.weebly.com/about.html Additional Resources: Julie Ingersoll, Building God’s Kingdom: Inside the World of Christian Reconstruction (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015) Julie Ingersoll, “Why the religious beliefs of Trump defense pick Pete Hegseth matter,” The Conversation, December 12, 2024, https://theconversation.com/why-the-religious-beliefs-of-trump-defense-pick-pete-hegseth-matter-245601 Brian Kaylor, “Hegseth Shares War Psalm He Prayed During Venezuela Attack,” A Public Witness, January 21, 2026, https://publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/hegseth-shares-war-psalm-he-prayed Brian Kaylor, “At Pentagon Christmas Service, Franklin Graham Praises ‘God of War’,” A Public Witness, December 17, 2025, https://publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/at-pentagon-christmas-service-franklin Government Worship Watch, A Public Witness, https://publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/government-worship-watch “The Christian nationalist pastor with ties to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth,” CNN, August 8, 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/08/politics/video/christian-nationalist-doug-wilson-pam-brown-digvid Creator: Sarah Posner: https://www.sarahposner.com/ Producer and Engineer: Dr. Ger FitzGerald Executive Producer: Dr. Bradley Onishi Production Assistance: Kari Onishi Generous funding provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.

One year into Donald Trump’s second term, his administration is openly reframing civil rights as a threat to white Americans. From attacks on DEI to the gutting of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Trump has moved to turn the federal government away from protecting equality and toward enforcing white grievance—under the banner of combating “anti-Christian bias,” “woke ideology,” and defending gun rights. This episode examines how those changes are playing out in real time, including the DOJ’s criminal investigation of anti-ICE protesters in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Trump’s push to rewrite American history through schools, museums, and the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary. Host Sarah Posner is joined by Anthea Butler, Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought at the University of Pennsylvania and author of White Evangelical Racism. Together they unpack how Trump’s agenda fulfills decades-long white evangelical resentment toward racial justice, why many white Christians actively support the dismantling of civil rights enforcement, and how Christian nationalism underpins efforts to re-segregate American life. From immigration crackdowns to historical revisionism, this conversation connects today’s headlines to a longer history of religious opposition to civil rights—and why resistance, public pressure, and historical memory still matter. Additional Resources: Anthea Butler, White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2021) https://uncpress.org/9781469681511/white-evangelical-racism-second-edition/ Brian Kaylor, “Protesters Disrupt Southern Baptist Church of Pastor Who Leads ICE Office in Minnesota,” A Public Witness Substack, https://open.substack.com/pub/publicwitness/p/protesters-disrupt-southern-baptist?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email, January 18, 2026 Kyle Cheney, Hassan Ali Kanu and Josh Gerstein, “‘Unconstitutional conspiracy’: Judge slams Trump administration over targeted deportations,” Politico, January 15, 2026, https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/15/unconstitutional-conspiracy-judge-slams-trump-administration-over-targeted-deportations-00733070 People for the American Way, “Father-Son Christian Nationalist Pseudo-Historians David And Tim Barton Are Shaping The Trump Administration's War On The Smithsonian,” January 6, 2026, https://www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwatch/father-son-christian-nationalist-pseudo-historians-david-and-tim-barton-are-shaping Jonathan Feingold and Victor Ray, “Promoting a New Segregation,” Liberal Currents, January 2, 2026, https://www.liberalcurrents.com/promoting-a-new-segregation/ Madiba K. Dennie, “How the Trump Administration Is Quietly Resegregating the American Workforce,” Balls and Strikes, December 17, 2025, https://ballsandstrikes.org/law-politics/disparate-impact-department-justice-rollback-trump/ Kevin Kruse, “The Perversion of Justice,” Campaign Trails newsletter, January 28, 2025, https://campaign-trails.ghost.io/the-perversion-of-justice/ Creator: Sarah Posner Producer and Engineer: Dr. Ger FitzGerald Executive Producer: Dr. Bradley Onishi Production Assistance: Kari Onishi Generous funding provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.

Reign of Error is a weekly podcast hosted by acclaimed journalist and author Sarah Posner, exploring how religious and ideological extremism—especially white Christian nationalism—has become central to U.S. politics in the Trump era and beyond. Bridging investigative journalism and interdisciplinary scholarship, the show unpacks current events, uncovering their historical and ideological roots to illuminate the forces fueling the subversion of democratic norms and institutions.