Can Christian Engagement Save America's Soul?
I recently met a guy whose life story reads like a movie script. Imagine growing up in a California Christian hippie cult – not exactly the background you'd expect from a Marine, EMT, and former city councilman. But that's Caleb Collier for you.
When I interviewed him for my podcast Faith Under Fire, I wasn't sure what to expect. Some people write him off as just another political firebrand. They're not entirely wrong – his fights against various mandates in Spokane Valley as a councilman made waves and eventually cost him his council seat.
But sitting across from him, I was pleasantly surprised, and I heard so many things that stuck with me. Things that I hear from friends on the left and the right, especially the idea that America is coming apart at the seams as we fail to listen to each other. And the other message directed towards believers: too many Christians are watching Netflix while our national destruction is happening right in front of us.
From Cult Kid to Political Fighter
Caleb's childhood sounds like something from a documentary. His parents joined what they thought was a Christian commune, but it turned out to be a controlling cult. Shared belongings sounded utopian until they realized it was just a power grab. When his family finally broke free, Caleb emerged with a bone-deep hatred for bullies – whether they run cults or city councils.
Life took him into the Marines, then work as an EMT, before he found himself on Spokane Valley's city council. There, he made national headlines by proposing the city become a Second Amendment "sanctuary city." The move was pure Caleb – bold, unapologetic, divisive. His own party didn't back him. They ran someone against him, and he lost his seat.
Look, I don't agree with everything Caleb says – not by a long shot. But there's something authentic about him that's missing from most political talk these days. Maybe it's because he's seen the worst of what happens when people surrender their freedoms bit by bit. Once you've escaped a cult, you develop a sixth sense for control disguised as protection.
History's Warning Signs
When Caleb talks about America slipping, he's not just blowing smoke. History's full of republics that died not with a bang but a whimper. Rome wasn't built in a day, and it didn't fall in one, either. It took centuries to create and then collapsed when its citizens couldn't be bothered to protect it anymore.
I remember studying Edward Gibbon's take on Rome's fall in college. He wrote that Rome's "victorious legions... sunk into a fatal security," basically handing the keys to "more enterprising barbarians." They got comfortable, lazy, and then got conquered.
But you don't have to go back to ancient history. Rwanda still haunts me – 800,000 people hacked to death in just 100 days in 1994. Neighbors killing neighbors. I read this chilling account where one killer named Pancrace later said, "Something dark pushed us." That line gives me goosebumps.
Caleb sees parallels today – not in machetes, thank God, but in our slow surrender of freedoms while we're distracted by our phones. The founding fathers didn't design a system for people who can't look up from Instagram long enough to vote.
More Than Just Politics
What makes Caleb interesting isn't just his politics – it's how he grounds everything in principles older than America itself. He points to Exodus 18, where Moses's father-in-law, Jethro, basically invented representative government by telling Moses to pick judges from among the people.
Our founders weren't just making stuff up. They were building on ideas with serious history. John Adams didn't mince words about it. In a letter to the Massachusetts Militia in 1798, he wrote:
"We (don't have a) government. . . capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
(John Adam's Letter to Massachusetts Militia, October 11, 1798)
When Caleb talks about Christians needing to engage, he's not pushing for some kind of theocracy. He's making a practical point – the system only works when people with strong moral foundations participate. If the good folks check out, who's left making decisions?
Finding a New Platform
When Caleb lost his council seat, he pivoted to radio and podcasting (Church and State). In some ways, losing might have been the best thing for his message – now he reaches people far beyond Spokane Valley.
His concern about our weakening social fabric isn't just a right-wing talking point. I hear the same worries from friends across the political spectrum. We're losing our ability to talk to each other, to compromise, to see ourselves as part of the same team despite our differences. And history isn't kind to countries set on idle.
"In the end, (the Romans) wanted security and a comfortable life more than they wanted freedom. But they lost it all—liberty, security, and comfort… as the people became lazy, the rich grew idle, and the distractions of luxury and spectacle turned their eyes from the decay of their state."
The Conspiracy of Catiline (circa 40 BCE), and Juvenal (circa 100 CE), Synthesized
Caleb's just putting that in modern terms – every liberty you trade (ie free speech) is almost impossible to get back.
The Choice We Face
What sticks with me most from my conversation with Caleb is his call to action for Christians specifically. Show up at school board meetings. Support candidates who share your values. Maybe even run yourself. He points to Tennessee as proof that engagement works – when enough people decided things needed to change, they did.
This isn't about Republicans or Democrats. It's about taking responsibility for the communities we live in. Caleb sees it through a faith lens – God didn't choose perfect people to lead in the Bible. He chose flawed, messy people like David. But his point works regardless of your faith tradition.
America's approaching its 250th birthday – a milestone many republics never reach. The divisions we face today cut deep. Caleb's question haunts me: If we love this country, why aren't we fighting harder for it?
We can't afford to sit this one out – not if we want schools where our kids are safe, streets where we can walk without fear, a nation that works for all of us. Caleb's podcast challenges me, even when I disagree with him. Sometimes the hard truths are the ones we need most.
He's betting that Americans still care enough to act.
I hope he's right.
Listen to my full conversation with Caleb Collier on Faith Under Fire.
Jeff King is the long-term president of International Christian Concern (persecution.org) and one of the world's leading experts on religious persecution. He is the author of three books, "The Whisper," (2024) "Last Words of the Martyrs" (2023), and "Islam Uncensored" (2011).
To interview Jeff King, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, Dawn Foglein, ext. 100, or Robin Sprague, ext. 103.
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He has testified before the U.S. Congress on persecution and has been interviewed or quoted by most of the world’s top media outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the BBC.
He is a three-time author, and his podcast is Faith Under Fire, where he helps Christians deepen and defend their faith.
Jeff is available as a guest speaker.
To learn more, go to the Jeff King Blog.
Originally published March 12, 2025.
