There are moments in church life when the language of “strategy” exposes the cracks in our soul. Recently, Unity leadership offered such a moment that chilled me to the bone and broke my heart. In explaining why Unity World Headquarters and Unity Worldwide Ministries are merging into a single organization under a new Movement Model, they wrote:

We have studied how successful modern movements grow and stay vibrant. Groups such as Turning Point USA, Black Lives Matter, No Kings, and Moms for Liberty—though vastly different in their missions—share a common operational approach. We are not endorsing or debating the politics or beliefs of these groups. We are observing how they organize, build large followings, and sustain energy over time.

On paper, it sounds pragmatic. In reality, it is a dog whistle.

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The Dog Whistle of “Mechanics”

On the surface, it sounds harmless, even practical. But let’s be clear: this is a dog whistle. It’s the claim that mechanics can be divorced from mission, that structure can be studied apart from values. It’s a lie. Dog whistles are coded language that slip under the radar of opposition. This one hides behind the claim that we are only “studying mechanics,” not endorsing beliefs. But that’s not possible.

Structures are never neutral. Mechanics are not floating above mission—they are animated by it. Moms for Liberty doesn’t just have decentralized chapters. It has decentralized hate campaigns, mobilizing parents to ban books, intimidate teachers, and silence LGBTQ+ youth. To say we want to study their structure, even admire it, is to ignore that the structure itself was built for harm. That’s like saying: “We’re not endorsing poison, we just admire how quickly it spreads through the body.”

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False Equivalence

The phrase “vastly different in their missions—share a common approach” is supposed to make it sound okay. But it isn’t. It is false equivalence.

It’s like saying, “Jim Jones was a dangerous cult leader, but let’s not forget his community-building skills.” Or, “The Nazi party grew rapidly. We don’t endorse their racism, but their organizational structure is worth studying.” I hope most people would find that horrifying.

And just for the record: the Nazis modeled their tactics after the United States’ practices of enslavement. They didn’t implement all of them—because they thought the U.S. had gone too far.

So why on earth is it acceptable to place Black Lives Matter—the sacred, gut-wrenching cry of a people rising against centuries of state-sanctioned violence—side by side with groups whose very purpose is to dismantle democracy and crush the lives of the marginalized? To even breathe them in the same sentence as “equivalent examples” is not balance. It is betrayal.

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The Myth of Neutrality

Neutrality is a myth. There is no middle ground in the face of hate.

  • When a school board says, “We’ll remain neutral on whether LGBTQ+ kids deserve protection,” they’ve already chosen a side.
  • When clergy say, “We’re neutral on whether gun violence is a spiritual crisis,” they’ve already abandoned life.
  • And when Unity says, “We’re just studying Moms for Liberty for their mechanics,” Unity has chosen to validate oppression by giving it legitimacy.

This isn’t neutrality—it’s justification. It’s saying: “The hate doesn’t matter, because efficiency is what counts.”

Silence is assent. Neutrality is complicity.

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Real-Life Consequences

This isn’t abstract. The very act of naming extremist groups alongside justice movements treats them as morally comparable. It shrinks the gap between liberation and oppression until people start believing they’re just two sides of the same coin. They are not.

To those harmed by these groups, Unity appears complicit, the impact is devastating. A queer teenager who hears that Unity studied Moms for Liberty will not care if the intent was “just the mechanics.” What they will hear is: Unity legitimized my oppressor.

Mechanics are not neutral. They carry DNA. Mimic them, and you inherit their sickness.

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Better Choices

If the goal is to learn about modern movement-building—storytelling, rapid mobilization, decentralized leadership—there are countless organizations embodying life-affirming values.

These demonstrate strong, sustainable organizing while embodying justice and wholeness. So why dignify groups like Moms for Liberty or Turning Point USA by naming them as our teachers?

By naming hate groups, Unity gives them credibility. It signals that tactics matter more than integrity. And for anyone harmed by those groups, it signals that Unity believes their oppressor has something to teach. That is an immediate betrayal of belonging.

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A Minister’s Word

I am a Unity minister. My calling is to speak the truth of love and wholeness into this world. And I will not be silent, I will not be complicit in building a Unity “movement” that borrows the playbook of hate.

Unity leadership must decide: do we mimic the structures of oppression, or embody the practices of liberation? One path may build numbers quickly, but it will rot us from within. The other is slower, harder—but it builds integrity.

Neutrality is a myth. Dog whistles are not harmless. And studying the mechanics of hate is not clever strategy—it is spiritual bankruptcy.

If Unity truly wants to be a movement, then it must choose—not between “mechanics” and “missions,” or “efficiency” and “values.” But between complicity and integrity. Between silence and truth. Between death and life.

And as for me, I choose life.