A civil war erupted in Wyoming a few weeks ago when a Christian church, on private land inside the outside perimeter of the Wind River Indian Reservation, simply stated the faith’s foundation, that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven.
The sermon had followed only by a short time the Northern Arapaho tribe’s Sun Dance ritual, and tribal officials erupted in rage, telling the church to leave, demanding that the church accept its beliefs, demanding that the church obtain tribal authorization to operate on its own property.
Now there’s a new plateau for the fight: A legal team has filed a religious discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture because a regional organization, the Food Bank of the Rockets in Denver, and a hub, Food Bank of Wyoming, apparently discriminated against the church involved, Foundations For Nations, by removing them from a food distribution program.
“Filing the discrimination complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is the next step to bring scrutiny to the unlawful termination of a church from a USDA-funded program. By taking sides in a religious dispute, Food Bank of the Rockies and Food Bank of Wyoming are withholding food supplies from the people that they purport to serve over the demand of third parties who disagree with a church’s religious beliefs and teachings,” explained Mat Staver, chief of Liberty Counsel, which is working on behalf of the Christian church.
“The church’s partnership with the Food Bank should be reinstated immediately to avoid further constitutional and statutory violations and to resume food deliveries to those who depend on Foundations For Nations’ food pantry ministry for food.”
The legal team explains Food Bank of the Rockies “unlawfully terminated” the church from a longstanding food bank partnership.
It was all over “religious statements made during a worship service.”
The legal team said, “The complaint states the Food Bank, a Colorado-based non-profit organization receiving federal funds, has taken sides in a religious dispute between the church and the Northern Arapaho Tribe’s business council, and has wrongfully cut off food supplies to the church’s off-reservation food pantry ministry based on the church’s protected religious expression.”
As the food bank gets federal funding, protections for civil rights and religious beliefs that exist in federal law apply, Liberty Counsel confirmed.
The tribal rage was unleashed after a July 5 sermon in which the pastor at the church contrasted Christian and tribal beliefs.
“The church is a multi-racial and ethnic church which includes members from the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes. Pastor Sarah Lucas and other Native members of the church discussed the commonly held Christian doctrine that salvation and freedom from sin only come through Jesus Christ rather than Native American rituals, such as the Northern Arapaho Tribe’s Sun Dance ritual,” Liberty Counsel reported.
Tribal members said they were offended.
When the fight developed, the food bank corporation abruptly ended its relationship with the church’s food pantry, which had provided assistance to more than 2,000 people every month.
Liberty Counsel, on behalf of the church, responded with a demand letter explaining under federal law the food bank cannot discriminate against faith-based groups in USDA-funded food programs.
It cited the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Indian Civil Rights Act and the Code of Federal Regulations administered by the USDA.
“[The Food Bank] has no authority to condition food distribution to [the church’s] food pantry on [the church] foregoing its religious beliefs, teachings or expression,” the letter charged, even if the tribal “business counsel” was angry.
The food bank then missed an August 4 deadline to provide relief or a response, so the federal complaint was filed.
WorldNetDaily had reported when the Northern Arapaho tribe business council essentially voted to impose its religious faith on outsiders.
That was by adoption of a new policy demanding that ministries and charitable groups get tribal authorization for their work.
Days after a religious clash exploded on the Wind River Indian Reservation, the Northern Arapaho Tribe’s government says it has adopted a new policy requiring ministry and charitable groups to get tribal authorization for their work on the reservation.https://t.co/iRI6hhTq8N
— Cowboy State Daily (@daily_cowboy) July 21, 2026
The Cowboy State Daily report noted the constitutionality of the tribe’s actions is debatable, as the First Amendment bars governments from prohibiting the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech or the freedom of people to assemble peaceably.
And Congress specifically imposed many of those government restrictions on Indian governments through the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968.
