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16
Jul '24
America The Violent
16
Jul '24
What the events of last Saturday remind us of, and what the official narrative misses entirely, is that America is indeed a nation that tolerates, encourages, and celebrates violence. It is for this reason more than any that the shots fired were ultimately unsurprising, and it is why the incessant pearl-clutching of the elite rings so hollow.
Several days ago, as all are well aware, a would-be assassin attempted to take the life of former president and current presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump. The larger-than-life politician dodged death by mere centimeters, turning his head toward a chart as the bullet grazed through his right ear. This monumental event, captured on live TV and producing truly astounding images, has understandably set an already tense nation into pandemonium. Particularly for us here in the south hills of Pittsburgh, less than an hour away from where the shooting took place and right in the neighborhood of the shooter, the event hit remarkably close to home.
There is presently no shortage of news coverage and new talking points to ruminate on and debate, from the apparent security failures to the effect this has on the presidential race moving forward. Yet, while emotions are understandably high and the nonstop news cycle can easily captivate us and mold our minds to a particular narrative, we, as Christians, must seek to maintain perspective as we process and respond to this atrocity.
Far More Than Rhetoric
Both as citizens and Christians, we are, of course, justified in our immediate reaction of righteous anger, shock (if not surprise), and a somber recognition of the state of our nation. For the political class and the mass media, this assassination attempt—which, of course, resulted in the murder of at least one bystander—has become almost entirely about heated and careless political rhetoric, about the need to turn down the volume and come together with unequivocal condemnation of all political violence. This, of course, is coming from many who, for the better part of a decade, have painted President Trump as a Hitlerian fascist bent on destroying our nation; now, these very same are feigning shock and dismay that somebody actually took them seriously.
The almost universal message of the narrative-makers is that both sides must use this as a catalyst to reign in the inflammatory language, return to civility, and ponder how American politics has descended to such lowly depths. Only time will tell how sincere these calls are, and as Christians, we may grant that there is a legitimate point to be made here; we, of all people, understand how meaningful and influential words are (James 3:5-12).
Yet this assassination attempt is about far more than rhetoric, than loose play with the facts and outright disdain for the truth. What the events of last Saturday remind us of, and what the official narrative misses entirely, is that America is indeed a nation that tolerates, encourages, and celebrates violence. It is for this reason more than any that the shots fired were ultimately unsurprising, and it is why the incessant pearl-clutching of the elite rings so hollow.
A Deep-Seated Epidemic
The constant refrain of politicians and pundits alike at this time is that “there is absolutely no place for violence in politics.” Yet precious few, if any, actually believe this. Every one of us can quickly recall the justification of racial violence and widespread rioting over the past ten years, particularly in 2020. All are privy to the current violent crime statistics and have seen examples of law enforcement systemically failing to prosecute such crimes. Mass shootings at least seem to be on the rise, violence at the border is increasing, and there is a general mood of fear and anxiety among the population. All of these are serious, and all must be addressed. Yet these are merely outward and visible manifestations of a deep-seated epidemic.
I refer, of course, to the scourge of abortion, or more accurately, child sacrifice, which plagues our nation. All who claim that violence has no place in our political order, Republican and Democrat alike, prove themselves to be nothing but hypocrites so long as they support the continuation of the child sacrifice undergirding our current political order. This nation, as it exists today, is built on child sacrifice.
In order to obtain the wealth, success, and ease to which we all have become accustomed, the price has been the blood of untold millions of children. To grow the economy, to sell the ever-swelling levels of higher education to a population at peak fertility, to keep women in the workforce, and to justify unprecedented immigration, abortion has been the necessary and untouchable offering to the gods who promise these “blessings.” This agenda has been and continues to be pushed by both sides of the political aisle, and it is a most violent means to their desired political ends.
However, because this violence is largely invisible to our eyes, it is altogether ignored. While it may not be what we mean when we refer to an assassination attempt as “political violence,” abortion indeed fits the bill: it is violence that is politically allowed in order to achieve a political end. Therefore, all who decry the rise in “dangerous rhetoric” and political violence while supporting the continuation of the abortion regime are being dishonest, whether they understand this or not.
The Hidden Violence of Modern America
We are warned in Scripture: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). Be it an individual, a family, a church, or a nation, one cannot go on sinning in secret without it being reaped in full view. In our case, a country that is deeply invested in gruesome violence perpetrated in the privacy of the womb will see that violence inevitably rises to the surface.
The hidden violence of modern America has been brought to light in fleeting moments before, not only in the rioting and crime mentioned earlier but even more quickly brushed past and casually dismissed was the revelation that Planned Parenthood engages in the sale of murdered babies’ body parts, as well as the discovery of five nearly full term aborted babies in a DC dumpster just two years ago. On Saturday, we saw a particularly pronounced and very public expression of the prolific violence that boils just under the surface of American politics.
Do Not Be Deceived
None of this is meant to downplay the attempted murder of President Trump. It was indeed a grimly historic moment and truly a low point in a political degradation now decades in the making. It was abhorrent and horrific, and there ought to be a severe political backlash in its wake. However, political violence in our nation will not end by toning down the rhetoric and engaging with more civility. So long as our political system and way of life continue to depend upon the prolific violence of abortion, we will only see more and more violence across our communities and throughout our political process.
The sad reality is that both parties, both candidates, support abortion. No doubt they do so to differing degrees and for different reasons, but for both Republicans and Democrats, child sacrifice is counted as necessary to win elections. As Christians, we must not be deceived into thinking that a political platform or leader who is tolerant of abortion will bring any healing at all to our nation or diminish the threat of political violence. These will only occur when there is repentance from the bottom up, beginning with the horrific bloodshed of abortion.
Anything short of this is doomed to failure.
Luke Griffo is an elder and member of leadership at Redeemer Church of South Hills in West Mifflin, PA. Click here for more RCSH Blog posts.
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