The Kings You Cannot See
Manufactured Outrage, Invisible Power, and the Christian Discernment We Need
Renaissance Ministries | March 30, 2026
A Fellowship Discussion Essay
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
— Isaiah 5:20
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
— Ephesians 6:12
Introduction: The Signs Were Ready Before Your Outrage Was
On a recent Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Americans marched under the banner “No Kings.” The signs were professionally printed. The logistics were flawless. The message discipline was remarkable.
Dr. Rick Kirschner, a naturopathic physician and student of persuasion, looked at this spectacle and saw something the marchers did not:
“500 groups. Three billion dollars in revenue. Pre-printed signs stacked and shipped before you even knew what you were supposed to be mad about. That is not a spontaneous uprising. That is infrastructure. That is planning. That is money. That is message discipline.”
This essay is not about defending any political figure or party. It is about something more fundamental: the capacity for discernment in an age of manufactured consent.
The Christian is called to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). We are not called to be naive participants in movements we do not understand, swept along by emotions we did not generate, toward ends we cannot see.
The “No Kings” march raises a question every believer must ask: When you think you are resisting tyranny, are you sure you are not enabling it?
Part I: The Anatomy of Manufactured Outrage
The Infrastructure of “Spontaneity”
Kirschner’s analysis begins with a simple observation: genuine grassroots movements don’t have pre-printed signs ready before the triggering event occurs.
“The signs were ready before your outrage was. That should bother you.”
This is the tell. When the infrastructure precedes the emotion — when the organization is in place before the “spontaneous” anger — you are not witnessing democracy. You are witnessing a production.
The numbers are staggering:
- 500 coordinating organizations
- Three billion dollars in annual revenue
- Nationwide logistics for sign printing, distribution, and messaging
This is not a few concerned citizens deciding to protest. This is a permanent mobilization apparatus that can be activated on demand.
How Conditioning Works
Kirschner identifies the deeper mechanism:
“You are being trained to see normal functions of a country as authoritarian. Loving your country becomes suspicious. Wanting a secure border becomes immoral. Believing parents should have a say in their children’s lives becomes dangerous. Asking basic questions about elections becomes taboo.”
The technique is elegant in its simplicity:
- Redefine normal as extreme — Basic functions of any nation (border enforcement, voter identification, parental rights) are reframed as fascist
- Make questioning taboo — Anyone who asks “why?” is labeled as dangerous
- Create emotional triggers — Words like “king” and “fascist” bypass rational thought
- Provide ready-made responses — Pre-printed signs, pre-approved slogans
The result is a population that feels like it is thinking independently while actually responding to carefully crafted stimuli.
The Comparison Test
Kirschner offers a reality check:
“Every country on Earth enforces its borders. Most require identification to vote. That is not controversial anywhere else. It is only controversial here because you have been told it should be.”
This is the test: Is the thing you are outraged about actually unusual?
If every functioning nation on earth does something, and you have been convinced that doing it here is uniquely evil, something has happened to your perception. You have not arrived at that conclusion through independent thought. You have been guided there.
Part II: The Kings You Do Not See
The Tenure of Real Power
Kirschner provides a list that should stop every American in their tracks:
| Politician | Years in Power | Historical Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Chuck Schumer | 46 years | Longer than Stalin |
| Steny Hoyer | 45 years | Longer than Mao |
| Mitch McConnell | 42 years | 5× Napoleon’s reign |
| Nancy Pelosi | 39 years | Longer than Henry VIII |
| Maxine Waters | 35 years | Longer than Mussolini |
| Bernie Sanders | 35 years | Triple Hitler’s reign |
These are not term-limited executives. These are permanent fixtures of the American political system who have held power for longer than most dictators in history.
And yet, the marchers chant “No Kings” about someone who held office for four years, lost an election, and left — then won another election through the same democratic process.
“You are told the threat to democracy is the outsider who disrupted that system for a brief window of time. You are told he is the king. No. What you are reacting to is not monarchy. It is loss of control.”
The Crowning Without Consent
Kirschner points to a recent event that should have triggered the “No Kings” outrage — but didn’t:
“A sitting president steps aside. Within days, a replacement is effectively crowned without a real contest, without a meaningful debate, without voters having a say in a process that is supposed to belong to them. No primary. No debate. No ballot. And you said nothing.”
This is the test of principle: Do you oppose concentrated power, or do you only oppose it when it’s not your side?
If you march against “kings” while accepting the coronation of your preferred candidate without democratic process, you have revealed that your opposition is not to monarchy but to the wrong monarch.
“You do not hate kings. You hate kings that are not yours.”
Part III: The Mechanisms of Modern Control
Speech Control Without Decree
Kirschner identifies how modern authoritarianism works:
“There is written evidence of government officials pressuring platforms like Facebook to suppress information. Not just misinformation. Information that later proved to be accurate. Scientists were sidelined. Doctors were ignored. Even humor and satire were targeted. Humor.”
The mechanism is subtle:
- Government cannot directly censor (First Amendment)
- Government pressures private platforms to censor
- Platforms comply to maintain regulatory favor
- Result: censorship without government fingerprints
“That control did not come through loud decrees. It came through quiet coordination with corporations that act as extensions of political authority. That is far more effective than any throne.”
A king who issues decrees can be identified and resisted. A system that achieves the same control through “private” corporate action is nearly invisible.
The Double Standard
Kirschner documents the selective application of rules:
“During lockdowns, small businesses were shut down. Churches were closed. Families were kept from their loved ones in their final moments. At the same time, large scale unrest that caused billions in damage and cost lives was treated as justified or even necessary.”
This is the signature of ideological enforcement:
- Rules for thee, not for me
- Strict enforcement against disfavored groups
- Permission or excuse for favored groups
When the law is applied differently based on who you are, you do not have rule of law. You have rule by faction.
The Parent-State Relationship
Kirschner touches on something that should alarm every Christian parent:
“Across the country, institutions are redefining the relationship between parents and children, sometimes making life-altering decisions without transparency or consent. The state is stepping into spaces that used to belong to families.”
This is not subtle. Schools making decisions about children’s identity, health, and values — without parental knowledge or consent — represents a fundamental shift in the relationship between family and state.
“History has seen that pattern before.”
Indeed it has. Totalitarian regimes always seek to weaken the family and make the state the primary loyalty. The family is the competitor the state cannot tolerate.
Part IV: The Foreign Dimension
Following the Money
Kirschner traces the funding:
“Organizations like the Party for Socialism and Liberation were not hiding. They were present, organized, and clear about their goal: revolution, not reform.”
And the money behind them:
“Hundreds of groups. Billions in funding. A coordinated message. And money that traces back to figures like Neville Roy Singham, a billionaire operating out of Shanghai with ties to networks aligned with the Chinese Communist Party.”
This is not conspiracy theory. This is documented financial flow. American “grassroots” movements are being funded and coordinated by networks with connections to foreign adversaries.
“You thought you were fighting for democracy. You were participating in something far more organized than you realized.”
The question is not whether this is happening. The question is why more people are not troubled by it.
Part V: The Christian Response
The Call to Discernment
Paul warned:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
This does not mean every political movement is demonic. It means that behind visible events, there are invisible forces — and the Christian must learn to see them.
The “No Kings” march looks like democracy. It feels like participation. But when you trace the funding, the coordination, the message discipline, the pre-printed signs — you see something else. You see an operation.
Discernment means asking:
- Who benefits from my outrage?
- Who prepared the signs before I felt the emotion?
- Am I thinking, or am I being guided to feel?
- Would I accept this if the roles were reversed?
The Danger of Useful Idiocy
Lenin allegedly coined the term “useful idiots” — people who sincerely believe they are serving one cause while actually serving another.
The Christian must ask: Am I being used?
Not because the cause I believe in is wrong. But because the movement I’m joining may be serving purposes I do not see and would not support if I did.
Kirschner’s closing line is devastating:
“You think you’re resisting control while helping construct it.”
This is the ultimate inversion. The person who believes they are fighting tyranny becomes the instrument of tyranny. The person who chants “No Kings” enables the coronation of powers they cannot see.
The Isaiah Standard
Isaiah 5:20 describes the condition of a society that has lost its moral compass:
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
This is not just moral confusion. This is inversion — the systematic reversal of categories so that people cannot orient themselves.
When loving your country is called hate… When securing borders is called cruelty… When protecting children is called harm… When questioning elections is called treason…
…you are living in an Isaiah 5:20 moment. The categories have been inverted. And the people participating in the inversion believe they are righteous.
The Seismometer Principle (Revisited)
In our March 30 fellowship meeting, Thomas articulated the “seismometer principle”:
“The level of righteousness that a society has to have is so great that it is microscopically perceptive of wrongness in the society, and it’s willing to stand up at personal cost.”
Kirschner’s analysis is a test of that seismometer.
Can you detect the wrongness in a movement that:
- Has pre-printed signs before the outrage
- Is funded by billions from coordinated networks
- Ignores actual concentrations of power while protesting imaginary ones
- Applies principles selectively based on political alignment
- Has documented ties to foreign adversaries
If your seismometer doesn’t register these things, it may need calibration.
Part VI: What Then Shall We Do?
1. Test Every Movement
Before joining any cause, ask:
- Who organized this?
- Who funded it?
- Who benefits?
- Is it applying principles consistently?
- Would I accept this if the roles were reversed?
2. Trace the Money
Movements don’t materialize from nothing. Someone pays for the signs. Someone coordinates the logistics. Someone provides the message discipline.
Follow the money. It tells you who the real principals are.
3. Apply the Comparison Test
Is the thing you’re outraged about actually unusual? Does every functioning nation do it? If so, why have you been convinced it’s uniquely evil here?
4. Watch for Selective Application
Does the movement apply its principles consistently? Or does it only object when the “wrong” people do something, while excusing the same behavior from the “right” people?
Selective outrage is the mark of faction, not principle.
5. Guard Your Children
The state is making a play for the next generation. Schools, media, social platforms — all are competing for the formation of your children.
This is not passive. It requires active counter-formation: Scripture, community, intentional teaching, and vigilance about what influences are shaping your children’s minds.
6. Build Alternative Structures
The Christos vision is relevant here. If the mainstream institutions have been captured — media, education, corporate platforms — then the response is not merely to complain but to build alternatives.
Small groups that think clearly. Communities that form children well. Networks that provide alternative information. Fellowships that cultivate discernment.
This is the Paw Paw Principle: plant roots in the cold. The fruit will come.
7. Maintain Integrity
Kirschner’s analysis is powerful because it applies principles consistently. He’s not defending a party; he’s testing a movement against its stated values.
Christians must do the same. We cannot credibly criticize the left’s double standards while applying our own. We must be people whose principles don’t bend with political convenience.
Part VII: Discussion Questions for the Fellowship
On Manufactured Movements
- Kirschner says, “The signs were ready before your outrage was.” Have you ever participated in a movement without asking who organized and funded it? How would you investigate this in the future?
- He identifies conditioning: “You are being trained to see normal functions of a country as authoritarian.” What other examples of this conditioning can you identify?
- The “comparison test” asks whether the thing you’re outraged about is actually unusual globally. Apply this test to current controversies. What do you find?
On Hidden Power
- Look at the tenure list (Schumer 46 years, Pelosi 39 years, etc.). Does this change how you think about where power actually resides?
- Kirschner says, “You do not hate kings. You hate kings that are not yours.” Is this true? How would you know if it were true of you?
- The 2024 Democratic nomination happened without a primary, debate, or ballot. Did this trouble you? Should it have?
On Modern Control
- Speech control through government-corporate coordination is harder to see than direct censorship. How do you recognize it? How do you resist it?
- Selective enforcement — strict rules for disfavored groups, permission for favored groups — is a mark of ideological control. Where do you see this pattern?
- The state is increasingly stepping into spaces that belonged to families. What is the appropriate Christian response?
On Foreign Influence
- Money from networks connected to foreign adversaries is funding American “grassroots” movements. Why isn’t this more widely known? Why isn’t it more troubling to participants?
On Christian Response
- Paul says we wrestle against “principalities and powers.” How does this inform how you evaluate political movements?
- What would it look like to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” in the current political environment?
- How do you maintain political discernment without becoming cynical, paranoid, or disengaged?
- The essay argues for building alternative structures rather than just criticizing captured institutions. What would this look like practically in your context?
Key Quotes Worth Preserving
On manufactured outrage:
“The signs were ready before your outrage was. That should bother you.”
On conditioning:
“You are being trained to see normal functions of a country as authoritarian.”
On hidden power:
“You do not hate kings. You hate kings that are not yours.”
On coronation without consent:
“No primary. No debate. No ballot. And you said nothing.”
On modern control:
“That control did not come through loud decrees. It came through quiet coordination with corporations that act as extensions of political authority. That is far more effective than any throne.”
On double standards:
“One standard for one group. A completely different standard for another. That is not equal application of law. That is power deciding what counts.”
On the ultimate inversion:
“You think you’re resisting control while helping construct it.”
A Closing Prayer
Lord God, You are the only true King. Every earthly power exists under Your authority and will answer to Your judgment.
Give us discernment in this age of confusion. Help us see through manufactured outrage to the real power structures behind it. Help us apply our principles consistently, not selectively. Help us recognize when we are being used.
Protect us from the inversion that calls evil good and good evil. Keep our moral categories intact. Let our seismometers remain sensitive to wrongness, wherever it comes from.
Guard our children from those who would form them in Your absence. Give us wisdom to build alternative structures where truth can flourish.
And give us integrity — the same standards applied to all, the same principles upheld regardless of who benefits.
We do not place our hope in political movements or earthly kings. Our hope is in You alone. But while we are here, make us wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.”
— Matthew 6:24
Source Material: Dr. Rick Kirschner, “No Kings Explained for People Who Think They’re Fighting Fascism” (Facebook post, March 2026); Renaissance Ministries fellowship discussions on discernment and political engagement.
Related Christos Content: “When God Gives Nations What They Deserve” (Romans 13 essay); “Planting Roots in the Cold” (March 30 fellowship); Christos AI Theological Grammar (Part VI: Engaging Parasitic Ideas).