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A progressive church in Evanston, Illinois, is turning heads—and raising eyebrows—after unveiling a provocative nativity scene that portrays biblical figures as modern-day immigrants.

Lake Street Church’s display casts Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as victims of U.S. immigration enforcement, depicting the Christ child with zip-tied wrists and Roman soldiers drawn to resemble federal ICE agents, as Breitbart reports.

The church says it aims to “reimagine the nativity as a scene of forced family separation,” using the symbolism of border enforcement to spark moral questioning around immigration policies, according to statements posted on its Facebook page.

Church Claims Biblical Refugee Parallels

Set in the front of the church, the scene features Mary and Joseph in gas masks and an emergency blanket draped in the background—intended, the church says, to reflect materials used in detention centers. It’s a made-for-media theatrical production wrapped in scripture and activist sloganeering.

The lead pastor, Rev. Dr. Michael Woolf, is no stranger to political theology. He’s written a book on whiteness and sanctuary movements and has turned his congregation’s focus toward activist causes, including climate justice, abortion rights, and transgender issues.

Lake Street Church has been a self-declared “Sanctuary Church” since 2014 and reportedly houses an immigrant family currently seeking asylum—part of its broader progressive mission.

Nativity Scene Uses Modern Political Symbols

In a Facebook post, the church explained that “the zip ties on the infant’s wrists directly reference the children who were zip-tied...during a raid on a Chicago apartment building earlier this year.” The post claims most of those children were U.S. citizens, which, if true, would be a serious concern—but raises questions about the broader decision to equate that situation with the birth of Christ.

The gas masks worn by Joseph and Mary, according to the church, are meant to symbolize “the documented use of tear gas and other chemical weapons deployed by ICE agents against peaceful protesters, journalists, and community members.” Painting a nativity scene in the visual language of modern riot control isn’t exactly Bethlehem 101.

Breitbart News, among others, has pointed out that calling Jesus a “refugee” is a theological and historical stretch—reminding readers that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and later fled to Egypt, which, at the time, was also part of the Roman Empire. That’s hardly analogous to crossing a national border without authorization today.

Church Pushes Back on Criticism

The church insists otherwise, stating, “The Holy Family were refugees. This is not political interpretation, this is the reality described in the stories our tradition has told and retold for millennia,” according to its post.

And yet, by revising the nativity into a political commentary, the church drifts from what many would recognize as the central themes of Christmas: the birth of a savior, divine intervention, and hope grounded in faith—not policy critique or modern activism or ICE raids.

More controversially, the church’s published covenant notably omits traditional Christian doctrines, such as belief in the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, or salvation through His death and resurrection. That might explain why the Jesus at this nativity scene ends up more like a protest symbol than a redeemer.

The Limits Of Symbolism And The Role Of Faith

“By witnessing this familiar story through the reality faced by migrants today,” the church’s statement continues, “we hope to restore its radical edge.” The question is whether this reshaping honors the Gospel or hijacks it for political branding.

Supporters might see it as courageous. But to many, chaining up baby Jesus to prove a point about federal policy crosses a line—replacing reverence with spectacle and spiritual contemplation with partisan provocation.

This latest expression of liberal theology reflects a broader trend among some churches to replace gospel truth with current events, placing the moral weight of centuries-old spiritual stories onto present-day government controversies.

A Cultural Moment Or A Missed Opportunity?

Progressive churches are free to express their views—of course. But when the nativity becomes a reenactment of political grievance rather than a celebration of divine mystery, it’s fair to ask who, exactly, they’re worshipping.

Faith can and should speak to justice. But replacing Christ with a cardboard cutout of modern ideology leaves little room for soul-searching outside the latest headlines.

At the very least, Americans grappling with difficult immigration realities deserve better than being told the Prince of Peace came zip-tied and tear-gassed. That's not theology—it's theater.