Speaking out against political violence

This weekend witnessed the latest act of violence toward a public official. While Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept in their beds early Sunday morning, an arsonist broke into the governor’s mansion. The perpetrator was caught on surveillance footage breaking into the home, and a suspect was later arrested. He has been charged with attempted murder, arson, and terrorism.

Fortunately, Pennsylvania state troopers rescued Shapiro and his family around 2:00 a.m. Earlier on Saturday evening, the Shapiros, who are Jewish, celebrated the first night of Passover by hosting a seder with other members of Harrisburg’s Jewish community. At this time, it is unclear if the arson was motivated by political animus, anti-Semitism, or both. Authorities continue to investigate the incident.

In his remarks following the attack, Shapiro referenced his Jewish faith and the importance of religious freedom. He also had pointed words about political violence.

This type of violence is not OK. This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society. And I don’t give a d--- if it’s coming from one particular side or the other, directed at one particular party or another or one particular person or another. It is not OK, and it has to stop. We have to be better than this.

Shapiro is a Democrat who became widely known last fall when he was considered as a potential running mate for Kamala Harris. But as he referenced in his remarks, political violence is no respecter of parties.

In 2011, Democratic Congresswoman Gabby Giffords of Arizona was wounded during a mass shooting at a public event in Tucson. Eighteen people were shot that day, six of whom died. In 2017, another mass shooting took place during practice before the annual Congressional Baseball Game in Alexandria, Va. Four people were wounded, including Republican Steve Scalise of Louisiana, who was serving as House majority whip. In 2020, a plan to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan was foiled by the FBI. Thirteen people were arrested in the conspiracy.

On Jan. 6, 2021, some supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to protest the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Hundreds of elected officials and their staffs hid within the building, fearing their lives might be in danger. More recently, Donald Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt last summer during a campaign rally in Shapiro’s Pennsylvania. Two months later, another would-be assassin was arrested at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., where the candidate was golfing with a donor.

In a deeply polarized nation, it comes as no surprise that politics sometimes turns violent. Partisans try to paint their opponents as uniquely depraved. Progressives argue frequently that too many conservatives have violent tendencies, and many maintain that Trump provokes violence. Such critiques are also often tied to larger concerns about gun violence and a progressive agenda related to gun control. Progressive rhetoric reached a fever pitch in the months following the Capitol riot.

For their part, conservatives counter that there are plenty of examples of left-wing violence toward Republican officials. It was Trump, after all, who was the subject of two different assassination attempts during the 2024 presidential election. Conservatives often connect their concerns about the progressive proclivities for violence to urban riots and vandalism of crisis pregnancy centers.

This temptation to embrace “whataboutism” is perfectly natural if politics is a zero-sum game and scoring points against your rivals is of paramount importance. But as Christians, we mustn’t be driven by partisan preferences or tribal resentments. Scripture teaches that all humans are created in the image of God and possess inherent dignity. Murder and other forms of sinful violence such as physical and sexual assault are always wrong because they ignore the imago Dei and reject human dignity. Because of our common humanity, neither conservatives nor progressives have greater value than the other.

Scripture also teaches that all humans are sinners both by nature and by choice. We all sin in countless ways, and if we are honest with ourselves, we know that we are all capable of far greater sin. While those of us who are conservatives might have legitimate concerns about left-wing expressions of political violence, we must never justify, ignore, or even downplay right-wing political violence. Because of the fall, neither conservatives nor progressives are immune to the corrupting and corrosive effects of sin.

As Christians, our posture toward political violence must be rooted in Scripture. We should denounce unequivocally the attack against Gov. Shapiro and his family. We should praise God that he spared their lives. We should express heartfelt thanks that the arsonist has been apprehended. We should reject all forms of political violence, regardless of the partisan dynamics. And we should champion human dignity, because all people bear the image of God.