A Statement from CCPL’s President
Dear Friends
At the time of this writing, we do not know the motives of the individual who shot former President Donald Trump last evening in an apparent assassination attempt. I am praying for Mr. Trump, his family and his staff. I am glad Mr. Trump is safe, and according to his campaign, “fine.” I mourn the tragic loss of life and injuries sustained by individuals who were participating in our democracy by attending a campaign event.
In Matthew 5, Jesus teaches those who had gathered around him, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.”
It is not just the act of violence, but the spirit of violence that must be opposed. It is not just the action to harm another which must be opposed, but the desire that harm would fall to another.
If we do not have the courage to pursue a politics of love, our political heart will become consumed by hate.
This morning, millions of Americans gathered in churches across the country to pray and worship and serve. Among them, there are profound differences in background and theology and politics. And yet, they all shared in the act of raising their sights to consider God.
This is an important moment for our country. It is an important moment for the church in America. We should heed the warning of this moment, and recognize in it the opportunity to change our thinking. We do not have to go further down this road of antagonism. We cannot wait until the election to decide what kind of politics we want to have, and what kind of people we want to become.
On April 4, 1968, the evening Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Senator Robert Kennedy stood on the back of a pickup truck to tell a crowd reeling from the news of the assassination:
“[W]hat we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another…”
Although 1968 was a presidential election year, like 2024, and Senator Kennedy was running to serve as his party’s nominee, I do not believe Kennedy believed that those needs would or could be met by the outcome of an election alone. Kennedy’s plea was for that moment, and it was in that moment that it would first be answered. The circumstances then were different in critical ways from what we face today, but we still have a choice to make about the direction we will take as a people and as a country.
In remarks at a conference in April, I said the following:
"My friends, as important as elections are, and I think the elections this November will be consequential, I am less concerned about what happens this November than I am about the damage we’ll do to our own souls and the souls of others on our way to Election Day. I beg you to choose a different way…
"Too many of us are dreading what this election, what our politics will do to us, to our communities, as if we are just passive actors, as if the Holy Spirit is not with us. Division and political strife in our churches, in our communities, is not inevitable, but it will not be avoided without effort. We must contend for something different. We must contend for hope. We must contend for love."
Will you contend for hope today? Will you contend for love?
This is what we need. To keep praying for peace, to keep seeking the well-being of others, to keep looking for ways to find common ground. This is what our politics needs. And we need it now.
Share this statement with a friend.
Michael Wear is the President & CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life.