Christian Nationalism is a force that justifies violence in our world to get ahead. At the time of this writing it is unclear if the shooting on July 13th was motivated by politics or a senseless mass shooting that has become all too common. Regardless of the actual motivations, it is clear that some want to use this shooting to justify hate and division in our world.
When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
Luke 22:49-51
Regardless of your politics, violence only begets violence. The leaders of the Temple were able to garner protection and authority from their allegiance to the Roman Empire. Jesus’ proclamations of justice, love, and compassion threatened that order. In reality, Jesus’ ministry was largely grounded in the act of calling out political violence in the world that was directed at the most marginalized. But when political violence was done on Jesus’ behalf against the Empire, he did not condone it. In fact, Jesus healed the ear of his enemy that was damaged in the attack.
While we don’t know yet the facts of why the shooter climbed onto that roof with an AR-15 style weapon and shot at former President Trump, we do know that people in partisan circles are looking to blame and vilify their opposition because of it. Thankfully, many top voices in government immediately rebuked these acts and discouragement against further violence or vigilantism.
THE FUSe has already been set…
Violence in this election cycle was entirely predictable and will likely continue, because the fuse of division has already been set. We need intentional efforts by community leaders to actively extinguish it. A fire only puts itself out when there is nothing left to burn. The divisions in our world will destroy us if we don’t actively work to address them. Being passive on this issue will allow those who are already throwing gasoline on this fire to get away with enflaming emotions, instilling fear, and watching violence erupt and profiting from the destruction.
There are already people making t-shirts, social media images, and more to paint this event in a political light. They will profit over divisive tactics that will likely contribute to multiple ‘acts of retaliation.’ That will disproportionally harm LGBTQIA+ individuals, BIPOC neighbors, and others. Remember, we don’t know the motivations of this youth, but everyone will assume they do.
DISAGREEMENTS DON’T NEED TO BE DIVISIVE
We can disagree about policy solutions to our communities’ most pressing needs, but we should all call out political strategy that requires division and hatred toward our neighbor, the political violence begins in the politics of divide and conquer.
To be Disciples of Christ, our call is not to pick up our swords and defend ourselves, but to stand in solidarity with the marginalized and the oppressed. To proclaim PEACE in a world that proclaims VIOLENCE. Our politics cannot win by ‘beating the other’ instead, our politics wins by building justice and peace for all.