US, Global Christians Resist Trump’s Greenland Threats

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A Public Witness | Jan 27, 2026

“What we need to know in Greenland is that we are not alone. We are used to having to wait until the snowstorm is over for the sun to come back.”

That’s what Lutheran Bishop Paneeraq Siegstad Munk from the Church of Greenland said last week during an online meeting convened by the World Council of Churches. As her remarks indicate, there has been both a threat to Greenland lately and also an outpouring of support. As U.S. President Donald Trump blasted American ally nations this month — sometimes with incoherent claims — several Christian leaders in the U.S. and other nations have criticized any effort to seize the autonomous Arctic territory of Denmark.

Trump’s interest in Greenland isn’t new, but his obsession has surged in recent weeks. He said in 2019, during his first term, that he wanted to acquire Greenland but it was a low priority. Shortly after winning the 2024 election to return to the White House, Trump again raised the idea, arguing on social media that “the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.” Trump Jr. then visited Greenland, a stunt that raised attention to his father’s interest. Like in 2019, these comments were quickly criticized by leaders in Denmark and Greenland.

But for most of Trump’s first year back in office, Greenland was a back-burner topic. Until last month. On Dec. 21, Trump appointed Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland — something he did without informing the Danish government in advance. Landry, who will continue as governor of The Pelican State, quickly said his position was part of the administration’s efforts “to make Greenland a part of the U.S.” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen responded, “Greenland is our country. We have our own democracy, our own decisions, and a strong community that stands firm. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and territorial integrity must be respected.”

People protest against Trump’s comments about Greenland in front of the U.S. consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 17, 2026. (Evgeniy Maloletka/Associated Press)

Although Trump has often mused about buying Greenland in a real estate deal, he’s also at times refused to rule out military action (though last week suggested he would not attack). Military action would mean attacking not just an ally nation but one that’s part of the NATO treaty that obligates all other members to respond to the attack. Invading Greenland would put the U.S. in violation of that treaty and, in theory, at war against the 31 other NATO member nations that include Canada and most of Europe.

As European leaders criticized Trump over Greenland, he even threatened last week to launch a tariff war with them, though he later backed down on that. Most wildly, he wrote a letter to the prime minister of Norway, arguing that since that country did not give Trump the Nobel Peace Prize, he no longer is thinking “purely of peace” and so will take “complete and total control of Greenland.” Of course, the country of Norway doesn’t actually decide the peace prize winners and he didn’t explain why Norway’s behavior would justify taking Greenland from … checks notes … Denmark.

As Trump alienates the U.S.’s closest allies, 75% of Americans say they oppose taking over Greenland and several Republican members of Congress have publicly criticized the idea. Yet, Trump’s obsession hasn’t abated. So many Christian leaders in the U.S., Denmark, Greenland, and elsewhere are speaking out against the imperial plotting of the man who commands the world’s largest military. This issue of A Public Witness lifts up these important religious voices of opposition.

Lutherans Hammer Back

Greenland, like Denmark, is overwhelmingly Lutheran. A Danish missionary arrived on the world’s largest island just over 300 years ago, and that branch of Christianity has dominated there since. The Church of Denmark, a Lutheran body, is the established church in Denmark and its territories. The Church of Greenland, a diocese of the Church of Denmark, has also enjoyed local government support and funding.

And so, just over 90% of Greenlanders officially belong to the Lutheran church. But, as in other European nations with a historically established church, attendance is often quite low compared not just to the official membership but also the United States. For instance, there are only two Lutheran churches in the capital city of Nuuk, despite having a population of more than 20,000 people (making it Greenland’s largest city). One of those churches is named for Hans Eged, the missionary who launched evangelistic efforts to Greenland and founded the city now known as Nuuk. But he’s also a divisive figure, with statues of him being vandalized in recent years with words like “decolonize.”

Given the centuries-long history and the dominant membership in Greenland, Lutheran leaders there and globally have been particularly vocal against Trump’s dreams of conquest. Earlier this month, the heads of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark (also known as the Church of Denmark), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada issued a joint statement to offer their “full support” to the Greenlandic people against Trump’s threats.

“We pray for and encourage our own congregations and people to pray for and stand with Greenland and the Greenlandic people who want to maintain their independence. We pray for peace and respect between nations,” the three bishops wrote.

The joint Lutheran statement included support for Bishop Paneeraq Siegstad Munk of the Church of Denmark and affirmed a comment by Munk: “This is a question of human rights, dignity, and respecting international laws and treaties. We are a small people, but we are not invisible. Our future is not something to be decided over our heads. We have language, culture, ancestors, children, and a future tied to this place. We are people, not property. Greenland is not land to be bought. It is our home and it is not for sale.”

Longing for continued “close cooperation” between the Lutheran denominations that “will continue and bring joy and benefit to the people of Greenland,” the bishops also urged Lutherans to contact elected leaders to advocate support for the Greenlandic people.

Munk reiterated her position during last week’s World Council of Churches meeting on the issue of Greenland.

“That is why God created other people, so that we can support each other together,” she said. “Thank you for praying for peace and speaking out for the importance of human rights, Indigenous rights, and — not least — international agreements.”

Others at the WCC meeting also spoke out to support Greenland and oppose the threats from Trump, including a leader from the Church of Denmark, an Anglican leader in Canada, the head of the National Council of Churches in the U.S., and Rev. Angelique Walker-Smith from the National Baptist Convention USA.

“These are the times when we really need each other as churches. We must stand together in solidarity and raise our voices,” Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland Archbishop Tapio Louma said during the event.

“We will continue to speak out and encourage our churches, our clergy to be visible in their resistance and stand up for the liberties that God has granted us,” added Rev. Terri Hord Owens of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Catholics Urged To Disobey

While Lutherans and other Protestants criticize Trump’s threats and defend the right of Greenlandic people to choose their status, some U.S. Catholic bishops have also raised their voices. And one went even further by arguing it is “morally acceptable” for U.S. soldiers to disobey “morally questionable” orders to invade the Arctic island.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, a recent president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, serves as head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, which is focused on providing services to Catholics at U.S. military installations. In a BBC radio interview last week, he insisted that an invasion of Greenland “is certainly very difficult to justify” and that he “can not see any circumstances” where it could be considered a “just war.”

“It doesn’t seem acceptable to invade a friendly nation,” Broglio added. “Whether the powers that be will listen to those admonitions, that’s another question entirely. But I think it is my duty to speak appropriately as I’m able.”

After Broglio’s comments last week, three U.S. Catholic cardinals issued a joint letter urging more efforts toward peace in light of the recent military action in Venezuela, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the threats against Greenland. The threats against Greenland and the other military actions, the three argued, “have raised basic questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace.”

“The sovereign rights of nations to self-determination appear all too fragile in a world of ever greater conflagrations,” explained Blase Cupich of Chicago, Illinois, Robert McElroy of Washington, D.C., and Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey. “War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading. The principle established after the Second World War, which prohibited nations from using force to violate the borders of others, has been completely undermined.”

It remains to be seen if Trump will finally let go of his obsession with Greenland or again escalate his rhetoric. But it is important that Christian leaders haven’t been ignoring his attacks. Even if he drops it, damage has already been done to the U.S.’s global standing and relationships with key ally nations. But Christians speaking out across international lines to show solidarity with global neighbors offer a different, better way.

May we be among those who show support amid attacks, promote peace amid warmongering. May we be the light of the world, like the sun driving away a snowstorm.

As a public witness,

Brian Kaylor

Brian Kaylor is publisher of Word&Way, a Baptist publication based in Missouri. This post is republished from his Substack column, A Public Witness.