Stop Surrendering Territory the Church Was Called to Claim

In a recently published piece in The Federalist, written by Hayden Daniel, he argued that Ben Shapiro and the Reagan-era Republicans who tell people to flee places they cannot afford or politically disagree with are missing the point. Daniel’s argument is that many Americans are being taxed out of their homes, and that people must change their city because there are fewer places in which to flee for political freedom. More importantly, he notes that the very voters who supported the policies now driving them out of their cities and states are relocating to states that align more closely with their values and income levels. Meanwhile, Shapiro argues that people should “put their big boy pants on,” work hard, and simply move to places that are more feasible for their families and politically friendly.

Both can be true—and in many ways, both are true.

On one hand, Shapiro is right: people should not live in places they cannot reasonably afford. Many Americans today have adopted a mindset that treats certain lifestyles, locations, and comforts as entitlements rather than privileges. That mindset is unrealistic. The Reagan-era approach, rooted in traditional American principles, holds that individuals bear responsibility for shaping their own lives. That belief became known as the “American Dream,” a conviction that opportunity and reward come through hard work, wise choices, and personal stewardship.

However, Daniel is also correct. A massive force has been reshaping American political culture, especially since 2008, when Barack Obama was elected: socialism. The growth of socialism in the United States did not happen overnight, nor by accident. Policies such as the Affordable Care Act—widely known as Obamacare—marked a major milestone in expanding government control and dependency. But socialism, like any ideology, does not rise on its own; it requires people to embrace and enforce it.

In 2016, Bernie Sanders emerged as one of the most prominent Democratic candidates in modern history, capturing more than 40% of the delegates at the Democratic National Convention. Although Hillary Clinton secured the nomination, Sanders’ popularity revealed a shift toward government-centric solutions that would have been unthinkable a generation earlier.

How does all this relate to people fleeing their states?

Because socialist-driven policies—high taxation, burdensome regulation, and even limitations on constitutional rights—have pushed many people to the breaking point. Churches were forced to close in 2020. Small businesses collapsed. Families struggled under rising costs. And ironically, many of the same individuals who voted for these policies are now fleeing the very states reshaped by their choices.

Fleeing a place harmed by destructive policies is not unreasonable; most people would do the same in similar circumstances. But the solution proposed by Shapiro misses the deeper issue Daniel highlighted. And more importantly, it misses the reality that For Liberty and Justice emphasizes: this battle is not merely political. It is spiritual. Political chaos is often the symptom of spiritual disorder, and spiritual problems require spiritual solutions.

Spiritual solutions first require a heart posture that pleases the Lord. What pleases the Lord? Making sure your marriage is not falling apart. Ensuring your children are honoring you and your spouse and displaying Godly characteristics and behavior to those around them. It includes being charitable to others, with time and money (or resources). Spiritual solutions include interceding with prayer over things that burden God’s heart. Spiritual solutions include boldly living your Christian life privately and publicly, influencing institutions and people around you.

Daniel rightly warns that fleeing alone solves nothing. Totalitarian ideas always seek new territory and new victims. When people flee to Texas for freedom, for example, many others follow, not all sharing the same worldview. Before long, Texas finds itself brimming with competing political visions shaped by diverse beliefs. This same shift is occurring in states across the country.

Eventually, there is nowhere left to run. Territory is limited. Land only stretches so far. The prayer of Jabez offers a powerful example of God expanding territory through His people:

“Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border… and God granted him what he requested.” (1 Chronicles 4:10)

God repeatedly commands Israel to expand territory in passages like Deuteronomy 12:20, Exodus 34:24, and Isaiah 54:2. Genesis 1:28 states clearly:

“Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it…”

God created the earth and everything in it. He calls His people to steward it, to manage it with excellence, to cultivate it, and to leave it better than they found it.

Yet the modern American church has often allowed godless activists to subvert His Word, the very cornerstone of our nation’s foundation, and replace it with rebellion, confusion, and immorality. Why should believers continue fleeing, surrendering more ground to destructive ideas? Why allow harmful worldviews to reshape communities God entrusted to His people? This should stir a righteous indignation within the Church, one that leads to reformation rooted in Scripture.

Yes, it is understandable for people to flee states that have become oppressive or outrageously expensive. But it is equally important for people to stay, stand firm, and expand God’s territory right where they are. In 2025, there is no unexplored frontier awaiting us. The world is discovered. Nations are inhabited. States are established. Relocation may offer temporary relief, but who is to say those same states won’t eventually be overrun by the same harmful policies?

Ultimately, the problem is not “bad people.” The deeper issue is the apathy of the Church. We have allowed a cancer of irresponsible governance to tighten its grip on our states and federal government. Fleeing to another state may feel like a solution, but it avoids the more painful truth: America’s crisis is spiritual because the Church has been silent.

We must expand territory—not for political power, but for the sake of the vulnerable and for the generations that will follow us.