An ‘Affirmation of the Gift of Life’: A Christian Response to the Assassination Attempt

Life is precious and infinitely valuable. The very truth of being made in the image of God means each life has innate dignity and value. As humans, we have ambitions and emotions. We care about our lives and the lives of our loved ones. More often than not, we want what will lead to a peaceful and harmonious society. And yet, such a society seems constantly out of reach. Could it be, as tragic as it was, that the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump served as a wake-up call for the American people?

On Saturday, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks tried to murder Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. The bullet, fired with the intent of ending the former president’s life, just grazed his ear. “I attribute the preservation of the president’s life to the providence of God,” said Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, on Monday’s episode of “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins.” And “what a sobering moment” it was. But the failed assassination was more than divine intervention. Rather, as the reactions unfold and the emotions evolve, it seems there’s been a call to action, a call to change, and a call to civility. It’s time for America to consider more deeply what it is that truly matters. It’s time to start talking to each other again.

At least, that’s what Mohler and Family Research Council Action Chairman Tony Perkins discussed on Monday. Over the last few years, it seems Americans have been inching closer and closer to a breaking point. With the culture wars on LGBT ideology, abortion, national security, and foreign affairs, political tensionhas been through the roof. And Saturday’s assassination attempt appeared to be an inevitable outcome of the legacy media constantly comparing Trump to the likes of Adolf Hitler to a stressed and anxious demographic — which is why Perkins emphasized that “our nation finds itself once again at a crossroads.”

We live in “a moment,” he said, “when Americans across the political spectrum need to do some soul searching.” We can no longer proceed with such angry, hostile, and distrusting spirits. But if this is true, Perkins noted, then “how should we proceed?” How should “all of us, not just the political leadership, but each and every one of us … think about these uncertain times?”

According to Perkins, the fact of the matter is that “Saturday’s … events instantly revealed so many massive theological, moral, and essential truths [and] worldview dimensions.” Mohler agreed, stating there are “some very interesting things that” have happened in response to the attempted murder. “For instance, everyone spoke of this immediately in terms of good and evil.” This, he went on to say, would imply all the groups that suggest “it’s only conservatives who believe in an objective right and an objective wrong” have thrown that idea “out the window.” Suddenly, Mohler urged, “everyone [believes] … in objective reality and moral responsibility. I think that tells us a lot.”

But of course, as Christians, there is a moral reality front and center. Specifically regarding Trump, Perkins stated, “I’m hoping and praying this is a turning point for the president.” Mohler agreed. “I’m praying the Lord uses … the blood on [Trump’s] ear, the blood that he had on his hand,” to help him realize “how close he came to meeting his Maker.” Just as God can turn any evil for good, Mohler’s prayer is that these tragic circumstances “will be a spiritually healthy turning point in the president’s life.”

But then, what about the rest of the nation? What can these events teach us about how to move forward?

In an article published Sunday, Mohler wrote that especially after Saturday’s shooting, “The 2024 election looms large as we consider the future of our nation. Those who see no higher plane than politics are increasingly desperate. Christians cannot share that kind of desperation.” And as Mohler added, when looking back at how “Christians had to be faithful in the midst of the Roman Empire,” or “in the midst of Nazi Germany,” it becomes evident that “our political circumstances do not define whether we are called to be faithful or not.”

Indeed, he continued, it is “the existence of God” and His “rule in the universe” that serves as our anchor amid stormy seas, and these truths are “not at stake” in human elections. Which, in light of life-altering events like Saturday’s, should certainly be a comforting thought.

“I mean,” Perkins mused, “when we come to grips with our mortality, it does one of two things: It hardens our heart toward our eternal destiny or it softens it.” It’s when we’re faced with the reality of death that we then begin to understand “our total humanity and how reliant we are [on] our very next breath coming from God.”

Mohler contended, “[O]ne day each one of us will draw that last breath. And that’s a very sobering reality.” And truly, “[T]he images from Saturday are just seared in our mind. You realize how close the president came to dying. Another man did die, two others gravely wounded. And then the shooter himself … a 20-year-old young man … completely destroyed his life.” When “you look at this,” Mohler urged, what you have is “a parable of human sinfulness” and “an affirmation of the gift of life.” Much of America walked away from this weekend feeling the desire “to draw our families close and hug and pray and just be thankful for one another.”

Suffering is inevitable in this fallen world, and in God’s sovereign decree, He allows pain and losses to remind “us that we have to take the gift of life as a precious stewardship.” Considering this, Perkins stated while “a lot of programs [are] focused on the mechanics. … I want to focus on the humanity of this.”

He continued, “We should not be operating out of desperation. We should be coming from a place of confidence and truth and hope.” Which means “we should be leading the way and having conversations with those we disagree with, cooling this anger and angst that’s” plaguing society. As Mohler noted, “[W]e need to be careful with our language, because there are some people who do not understand the difference between … a political campaign … and a fighting war.”

It’s “just kind of basic civility,” as Mohler and Perkins went on to discuss, to be able to “hold fast to our convictions [of] the truth,” without compromise, while still being able to “have conversations and sit down and get to know other people.” According to Perkins, that may be “the only way we arrive at understanding and consensus in our society.” And really, at the end of the day, it’s one thing to put these current events into a political context or a social context. But as Christians, Mohler said, “[W]e have to put this in the context of evangelism.”

He concluded, “How in the world are we going to win people to Christ if we never have conversation with, say, non-Christians?” Ultimately, using the example of Paul in the New Testament, “we want people to winsomely be drawn to Christ. And we want them also, winsomely, to be drawn to our own convictions. But you can’t possibly do that without conversations, and that requires some risk and” the building of a relationship.