US EditionNativity Scene with ICE Agents Guarding Zip-Tied Jesus Sparks Debate
Lake Street Church's Nativity scene uses ICE imagery to highlight forced family separation and detention, urging reflection on sanctuary and migrant treatment, the church said.
- Last week, Lake Street Church of Evanston unveiled a Nativity reimagining the Holy Family as refugees and posted photos to Facebook in late November.
- The church said the installation reimagines the Nativity as forced family separation, drawing parallels to immigration detention and seeking to restore the Holy Family's radical edge.
- The display uses visual cues such as zip ties on the infant referencing a Chicago apartment raid earlier this year and gas/respirator masks on Mary and Joseph with an emergency-style blanket on baby Jesus.
- The installation prompted debate among local observers and critics, while Lake Street Church urged discussion on sanctuary and action to inspire change beyond faith.
- Building on past provocative displays, Lake Street Church declared itself a Sanctuary Church in 2014, led by Rev. Dr. Michael Woolf who protests ICE detention; its activism includes a 2023 Gaza Nativity and Black Lives Matter banners.
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New York Post
Illinois church faces criticism for Nativity scene showing baby Jesus zip-tied by ICE agents
An Illinois church is facing criticism for displaying a Nativity scene that depicts baby Jesus with his hands zip-tied and guarded by figures styled as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
'Tis the season for blasphemous nativity scenes as church features zip-tied baby Jesus · American Wire News
As the Christmas season approaches, one church has a rather blasphemous take on the nativity scene. Lake Street Church of Evanston in Illinois is proud of the display, which features a zip-tied baby Jesus and Roman soldiers as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. In a Facebook post explaining their decision, they explained that the scene draws “direct parallels between the Holy Family’s refugee experience and contemporary immigratio…
Evanston Church Nativity Scene Features Zip-Tied Baby Jesus, Roman Soldiers as ICE Agents – Protestia
The church explains that “this installation reimagines the nativity as a scene of forced family separation, drawing direct parallels between the Holy Family’s refugee experience and contemporary immigration detention practices.”
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