Last Wednesday, religious leaders from Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan released a statement pushing back against Trump’s February “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias” executive order. The statement, titled “For Religious Liberty and Against Christian Nationalism,” denounces the troubling rise of Christian nationalism and calls on the president and all elected officials to protect the U.S. Constitution and religious freedom. The leaders warn that Christian nationalism endangers true religious liberty and corrupts state-church separation.

“We, the undersigned, urge the federal government to protect the religious liberty of all people, and we strongly condemn the rise of Christian nationalism, a dangerous conflation of fundamentalist Christianity, conservative politics and fierce patriotism which distorts what it means to be an American citizen and an engaged Christian in society,” the statement reads.

The group continues: “This executive order is a threat to the religious pluralism enshrined in the Constitution and does not protect Christians; rather it aligns the federal government with Christian nationalism.”

“This executive order violates religious freedom, corrupts the separation of church and state, and creates a more hostile environment for Christians and all citizens who believe differently than the current administration and its religious advisers,” the statement adds.

The group delineates the “dangerous ideology of Christian nationalism” as “a particular brand of Christianity” that wants to “be privileged by the state” in order to impose a singular belief system onto U.S. citizens.

“In order to protect religious freedom, the federal government must not align with one religious ideology but rather honor the constitutional mandate to defend space for religious pluralism and ensure that each member of society is free to practice their religion, or no religion, while keeping the peace and working together for the common good,” the statement further says.

The group concludes: “We call on the president of the United States and all elected officials to protect religious freedom in our country and uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.”

27 Christian leaders in Wisconsin and Upper Peninsula Michigan originally signed the statement, and more than 200 additional religious leaders have since joined on. Leaders who wish to follow their lead and sign the statement can do so here.

The La Crosse-area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Bishop Felix Malpica said that it is essential for Christians to speak up against Christian nationalism and the actions of the second Trump administration.

“Especially for Christians right now, it’s important for us to speak against this executive order,” Malpica said. “It’s posed as a way to protect Christianity, but I think it undermines who we are as a church and has the potential to be threatening to certain types of Christianity.”