Eugene Faith Leaders March on Palm Sunday Against Christian Nationalism

Rev. Ryan Scott of First United Methodist Church helped lead dozens of Christian congregations through downtown Eugene on Palm Sunday, marching from First Christian Church to Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza in a public rejection of what organizers called White Christian nationalism and the misuse of religious language to justify exclusion.

The procession stepped off at 2:00 p.m. at First Christian Church, 1166 Oak Street, with the crowd moving toward Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza at approximately 2:30 p.m. Clergy and lay leaders from multiple denominations across Eugene and Lane County took part, united around the argument that faith rhetoric has been weaponized in service of authoritarianism rather than mercy.

Scott framed the core dispute plainly: "The message of Jesus is not about national power, ethnic identity, or political control. It is about love of neighbor, care for the poor, the hungry and the sick, and welcoming the stranger."

The Palm Sunday timing was intentional. Organizers drew directly on the theological symbolism of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, a story they characterized as centering humility and care for the marginalized, positioning it as a counterpoint to any political theology built on ethnic identity or concentrated power. Their stated goal was to reclaim the Gospel from actors who, in their view, use it to justify cruelty.

The event was explicitly ecumenical and nonpartisan in formal terms, drawing organizational inspiration from the ISAIAH network and the Pacific Northwest-based Together Lab, both of which link faith communities to civic organizing. Activities included songs of peace, call-and-response prayers, and brief statements from several congregations, closing with a call for sustained civic engagement.

The march extended a visible pattern of faith-led civic action in the Eugene-Springfield area, where congregations have organized around immigration, housing, and public policy issues in recent years. Organizers opened the event to anyone identifying as a person of faith or conscience. Parking was available at the Tenth and Oak overpark and at downtown metered and two-hour spaces nearby.