Last Sunday, as I preached, I was unaware of the recent shooting of Trump in the USA. Instead, I spoke about the violence in pornography that is normalizing aggression in our relationships. Unfortunately, the assassination attempt wasn’t new or even surprising in the US. Gun violence is an everyday reality there. While this isn’t the experience of most Australians, for those of us who lived in the US and had children in US schools over the past 15 years, the fear of gun violence in classrooms is a constant worry. Sadly, we’ve built a world full of violence.
“There have been at least 35 school shootings in the United States so far this year, as of July 11. Nine were on college campuses, and 26 were on K-12 school grounds. The incidents left 17 people dead and at least 39 other victims injured, according to CNN’s analysis of events reported by the Gun Violence Archive, Education Week and Everytown for Gun Safety.” Click here to read the full story.
Regarding presidents being targeted, the US has a long history. A friend of my parents, Jon Brandt, captured some of my thoughts well in his Facebook post:
“…is a bit bemused by all the U.S. politicians claiming that violent attacks on politicians are not ‘who we are’. It is exactly who we are. And have been for a long time. First assassination attempt was in 1835, against Jackson, less than 60 years after becoming a country. Next Lincoln (1865), Garfield (1881), and McKinley (1901), T. Roosevelt (1912 – attempt, not sitting president), Truman (1950 – attempt), JFK (1963), Ford (1975 – attempt TWICE!), Reagan (1981 – attempt), G. W. Bush (2005 – attempt) and Trump (2024 – attempt, not sitting president). And Robert Kennedy (1968) was assassinated while running for president. George Wallace was paralyzed (1972). There are other examples of politicians injured, like Scalise, and family members, like Pelosi, and countless threats and innuendo, including the attack on our Capitol. So please stop claiming this is shocking or unusual. We breed this.”
I’ve often argued with fellow Americans about our huge problem with gun violence, but it feels like it falls on deaf ears. Violence is so normalized that most don’t see a solution. At times, I’ve despaired and questioned where God is in all this. Why isn’t God doing more to stop it? I know that God calls us, as Jesus followers, to work for peace and promises to work alongside us as we strive towards peace. But we need to work at it!
It also infuriates me when God is used to justify a political stance and dehumanize others. Hearing people say, “God’s saved Trump” aggravated me. My father sent me an article by Shane Claiborne, who addresses this beautifully. Claiborne’s words give me hope and refocus me on what we, as followers of Jesus, are called to. He says:
“The non-violence of God doesn’t get much clearer than when Jesus interrupts the violence of one of his own disciples. As the story goes, as the authorities come to arrest Jesus, Peter impulsively pulls out his sword and cuts off the ear of one of the soldiers sent to take him into custody. Jesus’ response is brilliant. First, he scolds Peter, telling him to put his sword away: ‘Live by the sword, die by the sword,’ he says. Then Jesus heals the man’s ear. The message is crystal clear: The way of Jesus is nonviolence, even toward those who are violent to us. We do not return harm for harm. We overcome evil with good.”
I highly recommend reading the whole article! You can read it here. Claiborne has some great insights for us who claim to follow Jesus.
Is this violence just an issue in the US, or is it present here in Australia too? As I reflect on the State of Origin (Go the Blues), I recall a news article from ABC radio before the game about the rise in domestic violence around sporting events like State of Origin. Research shows a 40% increase in domestic assaults and about a 70% increase in non-domestic assaults during these events. Find the whole article here. We see our fair share of violence here too.
I love watching rugby, but seeing the fights in the game got me thinking about how our sports normalize violence. We cheer for big hits and fights, using violence for our enjoyment. Normalizing violence is pervasive.
If you were following the news last week, you heard the headline: “New research shows 1 in 5 Australians have perpetrated sexual violence in their adult lives. The true rate might be even worse.” Australia may not have the same gun violence issues, but we definitely have a problem with violence. Since my return in March, there have been many stories of male violence, including attacks in Bondi and numerous instances of men killing their partners.
On Sunday, I shared about a song by Judy Small about male violence in Montreal 1989. Many men refuse to see males as the problem. I have yet to hear a news story about a woman killing her partner. It’s time we men recognize this issue and work to fix it because our violence is killing women and children. We have our work cut out for us.
As we explore what it means to be the family of God and join Jesus in the work of reconciliation, we should examine how our culture normalizes violence and then acts shocked when people behave violently. We train ourselves and our youth to accept certain levels of violence and dehumanization, but we can change this.
As we journey to become more like Jesus, let’s start training ourselves to normalize peacemaking, radical acceptance of others, forgiveness paired with mutual accountability, and love. Let us strive for peace and rehumanise others. This is the work Jesus did and now invites us to do alongside him.
God, walk with us as we strive to be your family. May we be brave enough to face our own violence and overcome it with your love. Transform us by your Spirit to be filled with your love so we can strive for peace in our lives, our families, our church, and our country.