Rejecting Political Violence: A Call to Examine Ourselves

The shocking assassinations of Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and the shooting of Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, confront us with a sobering truth: the civic fabric of our society is being worn dangerously thin by partisan fury and ideological tribalism. Dehumanizing rhetoric has given license to real harm. We cannot look away. 

As followers of Jesus, we must reject violence in every form—but we must also examine what role each of us may have played in allowing this environment to fester. And we must ask God: what is our part in changing it? 

In Ezekiel 47, the prophet describes a vision of a stream flowing from the temple of God—bringing life wherever it goes. It nourishes the desert. It turns the acidic waters of the Dead Sea into fresh, living water teeming with life. That stream is a picture of the healing presence of God entering a broken and lifeless world. Today, we—God’s people—are called to be that stream. As our lives interact with the world around us, we are to bring healing, renewal, and life. 

How do we live this out? 

The breakdown of civic life will not be healed by pointing fingers at others. As in Ezekiel’s vision, renewal begins when the people of God bring change to their surroundings. 

So we must begin by examining our own hearts. Where have seeds of anger, contempt, or division taken root? Have our words contributed to ideological hostility? Have our attitudes allowed partisan tribalism to persist? Have we diminished the dignity of others simply because they align with “the other side”? These things have no place in the way of Jesus. The Gospel calls us to something higher. 

Let us become the people of God who live differently, shaped by the Holy Spirit and flowing out into a fractured world with a presence and posture that carries the power of God’s healing stream, transforming bitterness into mercy and lifeless places into flourishing ones. 

• First, let us change the tenor of our words. No more cutting jabs or demeaning labels—only speech that builds bridges and honors the image of God in every person. 

• Second, let us model civil discourse: listening before speaking, seeking understanding before judging, and extending grace when opinions clash. 

• Third, let us hold our leaders accountable—not by mimicking their divisiveness, but by modeling a better way. Let them be shaped by the example we set: the way of peace, justice, and dignity for all. 

At Transform Minnesota, we believe this is the witness the Gospel demands of us. May our lives flow like the stream from the temple in Ezekiel—bringing life to dry places, hope to fractured relationships, and healing to a bitter world. 

Carl Nelson originally shared this message at the 2025 Juneteenth Worship Gathering. View his original message below.