Category: Culture war
‘Eco-Socialism’ now! Inside Sunrise Movement’s ‘revolution’ playbook
Students have always enjoyed flaunting revolutionary politics — the posters, the slogans, the Che Guevara T-shirts.
Like gender fluidity and ultimate frisbee, these radical affectations often don’t survive graduation. It’s a tale as old as time: One day you’re shouting into a bullhorn; the next, you’re typing on Slack.
Members also earn ‘rays’ on a Sunrise patch as they progress through the ranks — a visible marker of participation and standing within the organization.
What does endure, however, is the sophisticated political machinery designed to harness this youthful fervor and put it into action.
‘Political revolution’
This week, watchdog group Defending Education published internal documents outlining a coordinated push for political upheaval from one of the country’s most visible youth activist organizations.
The Sunrise Movement is a 501(c)(4) environmental organization that describes itself as “a movement of young people fighting to stop the climate crisis.”
But slides leaked to Defending Education from a March 17, 2026, membership meeting reveal a highly structured and strategic operation calling for a “political revolution” and “structurally chang[ing] the foundations of this country” — language that goes well beyond climate advocacy.
The message is as simple as it is sobering: The goal is not reform, but replacement.
The revelation here is not the Sunrise Movement’s rhetoric. “Revolution” is already central to the group’s public-facing language; its homepage describes itself as part of a broader climate revolution. What the slides add is clarity: That “revolution” is not just metaphor, but a program laid out in concrete terms, from pressure campaigns and mass noncooperation to institutional targeting.
Defending Education
Path to a ‘New System’
The goal: “Eco-socialism, [a] multi-racial democracy, and Green New Deal legislation.”
A section titled “On the Road to Revolution” lays out a path to a “New System” — including passing Green New Deal policies and “ending the billionaire 2-party system.”
The slides also describe a strategy of “repolarizing” the country. One passage calls for “get[ting] majority of society out in the streets and an explosion in voting,” arguing that “we need to repolarize society” to move people away from what it describes as a “(corrupt) system” and toward a new one with “more democracy.”
Target: Hilton
The materials also outline how that shift is meant to occur in practice — through a sequence of escalating actions tied to specific campaigns.
It begins with a March 28 No Kings event and builds toward a May 1 national strike. In between: sustained pressure.
A slide titled “Hilton to May Day” points to coordinated economic disruption, including efforts to target “ICE enabler” Hilton Hotels over its alleged ties to immigration enforcement. Tactics listed include public boycotts, so-called “wide awake actions,” and coordinated booking and canceling of hotel reservations — designed to impose financial and reputational costs.
Defending Education
‘Dawn’ to ‘Dusk’
The slides also lay out what the group calls its internal “culture” — a set of guiding principles members are expected to adopt. The language reads less like loose organizing advice and more like a shared creed: “Nothing about us without us,” “Motivate the base, isolate the opposition,” and “It is our duty to fight for our freedom, it is our duty to win.” The effect is to define not just tactics, but a common vocabulary and moral framework for participants.
Another section details a tiered membership structure, with clearly defined ranks — “Dawn,” “Morning,” “High Noon,” “Afternoon,” and “Dusk” — each tied to specific benchmarks: recruiting new members, completing actions, attending meetings, and undergoing training. Advancement comes with increasing responsibilities, access, and internal status.
Members also earn “rays” on a Sunrise patch as they progress through the ranks — a visible marker of participation and standing within the organization. The structure resembles a formal pipeline, designed to scale participation and develop organizers over time.
‘Full Dictatorship’
The presentation outlines three possible futures, each portraying the current system as compromised and the stakes as existential — conditions that, in the materials’ framing, justify escalation.
The most extreme — “Full Dictatorship” — imagines Donald Trump consolidating power, using the military against opponents, and restricting speech.
The function is clear: Escalation isn’t optional. It’s required.
Defending Education
Defending Education
Defending Education, formerly Parents Defending Education, has focused on political activity in schools — curriculum, student protests, and institutional ties to advocacy groups.
Defending Education was founded in 2021 amid a surge of parental backlash to politicized curricula and school policies. The group uses public records requests, whistleblower tips, and document releases to surface what it describes as ideological activism inside education systems.
RELATED: Defending Education gives parents tools to fight leftist indoctrination
In recent years, it has zeroed in on the overlap between student organizing and outside advocacy groups — arguing that protests framed as grassroots are often supported and shaped by national networks. The Sunrise materials, it says, fit that pattern.
The Sunrise Movement has been linked to student walkouts, including protests tied to immigration enforcement. What the newly released slides add, Defending Education argues, is a clearer picture of how that organizing is structured and scaled.
“While calls for a ‘political revolution’ by left-wing activist groups are not unique, these coordinated plans to put economic and social pressure on universities … should raise serious concerns,” said Rhyen Staley, director of research at Defending Education.
“Our academic institutions should be places of higher learning … not weaponized or punished to achieve a ‘structural change’ to the political foundations of this country.”
Defending Education
Pushing left
Founded in 2017, the Sunrise Movement helped drive the Green New Deal into the political mainstream through protests, sit-ins, and youth mobilization.
The Sunrise Movement operates as a decentralized network of local “hubs,” many based on college and high school campuses. That structure has allowed it to scale quickly — turning student energy into coordinated national campaigns.
Since its founding, the Sunrise Movement has proven itself an effective pressure group within Democrat politics, helping push climate policy from the margins to the center of the party’s agenda. Its early backing of the Green New Deal helped turn what was once a fringe proposal into a defining litmus test for progressive candidates.
The group also played a visible role during the 2020 election cycle, applying sustained pressure on Joe Biden and his campaign to adopt more aggressive climate positions. While not all of its demands were met, Sunrise and allied activists helped shape the administration’s climate framework — demonstrating that its model of protest plus pressure can move policy, not just headlines.
Its strategy has consistently blended electoral pressure with direct action. What the newly released slides suggest is a continuation of that model, but with a more explicit emphasis on escalation and institutional leverage.
For a generation told that it is inheriting a world on the brink, the climate is the cause. For groups like Sunrise Movement, the target is something more immediate: the system itself.
What emerges is not just a campaign for the planet, but a bid to reshape political power around a broader program of systemic change.
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Why the Bible is suddenly flying off shelves across America
I’ve watched a lot of cultural moments come and go in my lifetime, but this one has felt different.
The shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk didn’t just send tremors through the conservative world — it created a ripple that reached far beyond it. In the days and weeks that followed, I saw headlines I never thought I’d see: reports of a Bible-sales surge unlike anything in recent years.
When the noise of culture gets stripped away, the hunger for truth rises to the surface.
According to Fox Business, more than 2.4 million Bibles were sold in the U.S. in September — a 36% increase over last year.
The Bible-sales surge that coincided with Charlie Kirk’s assassination reveals something profound.
When America faces moments of crisis, people often turn to scripture for hope and answers. While no one can say with absolute certainty what caused the surge, the timing and impact of Charlie’s life and testimony make it reasonable to believe it played a significant role. And I personally believe that his assassination likely contributed to this powerful moment.
A cultural shockwave I’ll never forget
Charlie’s assassination on Sept. 10, 2025, shook me to the core. Like so many others in conservative circles, I admired him. But for me, it was more than admiration. Charlie was my role model in Christ — a man who stood unapologetically for Jesus in a culture that often mocked Him. He lived boldly, unfiltered, and unafraid. That resonated with me deeply.
For years, those of us who followed Charlie knew who he was and what he stood for. But it wasn’t until his assassination that millions outside our circle — people on the left, independents, and even those who normally tune out of politics — truly saw him. His name wasn’t just on conservative media anymore; it was everywhere. And in that moment, the world encountered the testimony of a man whose faith was front and center.
That matters. His assassination didn’t just make headlines — it made people think about eternity. It made them think about what kind of man he was and, more importantly, Who he lived for.
This cultural moment reminds me of how believers are called to stand firm even when the world doesn’t understand.
Why people turn to the Bible in times like this
I’ve learned over the years that when tragedy strikes, people instinctively reach for something that doesn’t shake. They reach for something real. For many Americans, that means reaching for the Bible.
We’ve seen this before — after 9/11, during the pandemic, and now again. The Bible-sales surge isn’t just about a number on a spreadsheet. It’s a reflection of millions of hearts suddenly looking for answers they can’t find anywhere else. People may not even fully understand why they’re buying a Bible — but something in them knows they need hope.
Deep down, every person has a God-shaped void. And when the noise of culture gets stripped away, the hunger for truth rises to the surface.
The power of one man’s testimony
Charlie’s faith spoke louder in his assassination than most people’s do in their lifetime. I’ve followed him for years, not just for his courage in politics, but for his unwavering love for Jesus. Seeing the way his story spread afterward impacted me profoundly. People who would have never listened to him while he was alive suddenly heard about him everywhere.
I believe some of those 2.4 million Bibles may have been bought by people who wanted to understand why Charlie believed what he believed. Others probably acted out of grief, curiosity, or quiet searching.
RELATED: Why Gen Z is rebelling against leftist lies — and turning to Jesus
StanislavSalamanov/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Whatever the reason, it’s reasonable to believe his testimony was one of several factors prompting people to seek answers in scripture.
The early church experienced the same kind of ripple effect. Persecution never silenced the gospel — it multiplied it. Charlie wasn’t a martyr in the classical sense, but the way God is using his life after his assassination fits that same pattern: light shining in the darkness.
Why the Bible-sales surge matters
To me, this surge isn’t just encouraging — it’s revealing. Beneath the noise of politics and division, there’s still a spiritual hunger in America. People are tired of the chaos. They’re searching for something real. And whether they know it or not, they’re reaching for the only truth that can set them free.
The Bible isn’t just another book on a shelf. It’s living and active (Hebrews 4:12). If even a fraction of the millions who bought a Bible actually open it, read it, and meet the living God, this moment could be the spark of something extraordinary.
But this also means we need to be discerning because buying a Bible isn’t the same thing as being transformed by it.
Reaction or revival?
I remember the wave of church attendance after 9/11. America prayed. Churches filled up. People searched for answers. But as the months passed, that spiritual hunger faded.
Crisis can wake people up, but it doesn’t guarantee lasting change. That’s the question now. Will this Bible-sales surge be a turning point or just a reaction to pain?
Reaction is emotional, but revival is spiritual. Reaction fades, but revival transforms.
Real revival isn’t just a wave of emotion or a spike in sales. According to GotQuestions.org, true revival is a spiritual reawakening that brings a heartfelt return to God and obedience to His word. That’s the kind of revival America needs — not just a cultural reaction to tragedy.
My prayer is that this moment becomes more than a headline, that it becomes a holy spark that ignites something real.
The church — and you and me — must be ready
This is where we come in. If people are turning to the Bible, the church has to be ready to lead them to the Author. And I’m not talking about pastors and leaders alone — I’m talking about all of us. I’m talking about me.
People who might never have stepped into a church are holding a Bible right now. Some don’t know where to begin. Some are skeptical. Some are hungry. If we stay silent, this moment may fade away like so many before it. But if we speak up — if we share the hope we’ve found — we can meet those searching hearts with truth and grace.
Charlie’s example and our call
Charlie Kirk lived the kind of bold faith I want to live. He didn’t compartmentalize his Christianity. He proclaimed it from the rooftop, even when it cost him culturally. That’s why he became my role model in Christ. And I believe the best way to honor that kind of legacy is not just to admire it — but to live it.
A Bible sitting unopened on a shelf won’t change a single life. But the Word of God, opened and believed, absolutely will.
This is our moment to shine the light of Christ, to speak boldly, and to live with conviction. Charlie did. Now it’s our turn.
America is reaching for the Bible again. But this time, it’s personal for me. Charlie Kirk wasn’t just a public figure I respected — he was a man whose faith inspired mine. His witness is still bearing fruit, even now. I don’t want to see this moment fade into history as just another cultural reaction. I want to see lives transformed.
That starts with believers like you and me living out the truth we say we believe.
This article is adapted from an essay originally published at Arch Kennedy’s blog.
