Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Denison Forum

Home
Evangelical
Religion News
Suspect in apparent assassination attempt was near golf course for 12 hours

Suspect in apparent assassination attempt was near golf course for 12 hours

Last updated on: September 17, 2024 at 6:20 am by Jim Denison

Suspect in apparent assassination attempt was near golf course for 12 hours 2024-09-17T06:20:01-05:00 Jim Denison

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We’re learning more about Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump:

The suspected gunman hid near Mr. Trump’s golf course for roughly twelve hours before a Secret Service agent spotted him and opened fire.
He had a long history of criminal convictions that would have barred him from owning a gun.
His firearm’s serial number was wiped out, making it difficult for law enforcement to determine how he acquired the weapon.
The license plate on the SUV he was driving was registered to a truck that had been reported stolen.

Here’s reporting I haven’t seen in the news: the lack of reporting in the news when the event happened. I was watching football at the time and don’t remember on-screen alerts, much less reporters breaking into the telecast. When Dr. Mark Turman and I were discussing this fact, he wondered if we have become so hardened to political violence that such events don’t affect us as they once did.

I’m afraid he’s right.

As our broken culture turns down the moral “lights,” we must not allow our spiritual eyes to become adjusted to the dark. We must not allow falsehood to become normalized in our minds and hearts. If we do, we will no longer respond to it biblically and redemptively. Our “salt” will lose its “taste” and thus its transforming effect on our culture (Matthew 5:13).

Consider a case in point with eternal consequences.

“Different languages in order to arrive at God”?

Pope Francis was recently speaking to an interreligious group of young people in Singapore, where he left his prepared remarks to offer some general reflections about religion. In his extemporaneous comments, he stated: “[Religions] are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all. Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God.”

He then added:

If you start to fight, “My religion is more important than yours, mine is true and yours isn’t,” where will that lead us? There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths [to God].

There was a day when the pope’s statement would have made headlines as faith leaders voiced their disagreement. Jesus was very clear, stating of himself: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He also said of himself, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18).

After teaching world religions for three decades with four seminaries, I can tell you that Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Orthodox Judaism are similarly convinced that theirs is the right path to salvation, however they understand it. Furthermore, the various religions do not teach the same truth.

For example, while the pope rightly claimed that “there’s only one God,” Hindus recognize millions of deities. While Jews, Muslims, and Christians believe humans live forever as individuals, Buddhists and Hindus believe we ultimately become one with reality. And none but Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to atone for our sins.

Why, then, did the pope’s statement not receive more attention? Because it aligned with the “tolerance” ethic our secularized society so fully embraces. His words were not at all counter-cultural; to the contrary, he would likely have drawn more scrutiny if he had restated the orthodox Christian doctrine that faith in Christ is essential for salvation.

“He came to make dead people live”

My purpose in addressing this issue is not to criticize the pope or Roman Catholicism; in fact, many Catholics have responded to the pope’s statement by affirming the biblical necessity of faith in Christ. Rather, it is to make a countercultural argument for this countercultural doctrine.

While it may seem tolerant to believe that there are “many roads up the same mountain to God,” those who believe the Bible to be God’s Word do not have this option. We know that Jesus is the only sinless person who has ever lived (Hebrews 4:15) and thus the only person who could die to pay for our sins since he had none of his own for which to atone (Romans 5:8). We know that the God who “is” love (1 John 4:8) needed to provide only one way of salvation since this way is open to everyone who chooses it (cf. Revelation 22:17). (For more, see my website article, Why Jesus?)

So, here’s my question:

If we choose tolerance over truth, are we helping or harming those we influence?

If your doctor discovers a malignancy in your body, which do you want her to choose? If your mechanic finds a defect that will cause your brakes to fail at high speed, which do you want him to choose?

Telling people that salvation requires faith in Jesus requires courage on our part. But compassion often does. So, let us pray for the lost people we know to experience the joy of eternal life in Christ. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to open doors to our witness and give us the words and courage we need to share with them.

And let us bear in mind that their eternal destiny is at stake. My friend, Dr. Duane Brooks, is right: “Jesus Christ did not come into the world, die on the cross, and rise again to make bad people good. He came to make dead people live. Praise God, he is still doing it.”

Whom do you know who needs his saving power today?

Tuesday news to know:

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the day:

“Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe, for it sent Jesus to the cross. Only one force is greater—the love of God.” —Billy Graham

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 16, 2024

FBI investigating apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump

Next Post

September 18, 2024 Federal Reserve expected to announce interest rate cuts today

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category america biblical-living Uncategorized

Select a Month March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many people were saved from Sodom?

Select your answer to see how you score.

5 4 6 3