When the discussion on Joan Esposito's Chicago talk show on WCPT this afternoon turned to Vance Boelter, the suspect in the assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and shooting of state senator John Hoffman and his wife, one of the callers noted that if the Christ for the Nations Institute, which Boelter attended, and from which he graduated, had been a mosque, and his victims Republican politicians, federal investigators would have been swarming all over the place by now. The fact that this is not the case is proof that, far from being persecuted or discriminated against, Christians of all branches and denominations are still treated with privilege and deference in the United States, over those of other religions.
The claims of Trump and of the sycophants around him that Christianity is discriminated against and persecuted in the United States are patently false, and this is just one example among many. We'll see where this goes. But it is highly likely that Boelter will not, in any way, receive the same treatment or sentence that any radicalized Muslim in the United States would receive for doing exactly the same thing.
Wanna bet on it?
Religious Liberty Commission Repeats Evangelical Grievances
Let's observe, carefully, exactly how this specific conservative Evangelical, Vance Boelter, who is now the prime suspect in a political assassination which also included the homicide of a spouse, two attempted murders, one a political assassination, and a conspiracy to commit more assassinations, will be treated. The lies and distortions, and defending what he did, are already pouring out of the far right. Let's observe how his religious background is handled, and whether terms like "radicalized" are tossed around by the media. Ultimately, the test will be the plea deal that he makes with the prosecution, and how they will handle this particular case, compared to what we have seen in similar situations where the defendant has not been white, or Christian.
I am going to conclude, in advance, based on observation of the world in which we live, that the grievances of the Evangelicals referenced in the Baptist News Global article linked above are completely bogus and false. The premise for which Trump's religious liberty commission exists is that Christians are discriminated against and marginalized in American society, and that is an absolutely false contention. White Christians are the single most privileged group among all Americans, and while the decline in their numbers, and some court rulings from the sixties pushed back against that, it is still a fact. And this incident, and the manner in which the media is already handling it, is proof of that.
First Amerndment Lessons
This is not an indictment of Christ for the Nations Institute, nor is it intended to assign blame for this horrific political assassination and attempted assassination to this school, or to the faction of American Christianity with which it is affiliated, and where it fits theologically and doctrinally. My purpose here is to point out that white Christians in the United States have privileges and are given the benefit of the doubt in deference to their numbers and presence in the culture, over those of other religions, and over those who claim no religious practice.
Christ for the Nations Institute has issued a press release regarding these political assassinations, acknowledging the fact that the shooter, Vance Boelter, was in fact a student there, and graduated with a diploma in Practical Theology in Leadership and Pastoral. The press release can be found here:
Press Release from Christ for the Nations Bible Institute on the Minnesota Political Assassinations
CFNI is a Bible college that serves a constituency which is heavily influenced by a pseudo-Christian heresy identified as the New Apostolic Reformation. This is a movement that has grown out of the Pentecostal/Charismatic branch of far right wing conservative Evangelicalism and which combines a very skewed and false perspective of "end times" predictions with other heresies including white supremacy, Christian nationalism and the prosperity gospel. The more extremist elements of this heretical, pseudo-Christian cult were involved in the leadership of extremist groups that attacked the Capitol during the Trump Insurrection of January 6th, and there were CFNI alumni and former students among those extremists.
It is unfair to judge an educational institution by the conduct of a select few of its alumni. We would object to making judgements about the character of the University of Pennsylvania or the George Washington University Law School based on the actions of one of its alumni, Michael Avenatti, or criticizing the Catholic Church and St. Anselm College because Caroline Leavitt graduated from there, or claiming that the University of Georgia is responsible for producing crazy conspiracy theorists because it is Marjorie Taylor Greene's alma mater.
It isn't unfair to give close scrutiny to the theology, doctrine and practice of CFNI in order to gain an understanding of the extremist right wing politics that somehow, because of various circumstances, motivated and prompted Vance Boelter to conspire to murder politicians because of their political views. Their leadership has acknowledged this by putting out their own public statement, acknowledging that Boelter was a student there who earned a diploma from them, but also defending their mission and purpose, and condemning his actions as being completely inconsistent with their beliefs and convictions.
The first amendment protects their right to religious liberty, and to base their theology, doctrine and practice on their interpretation of the Bible. It also protects their critics, who are going to ask legitimate questions about any potential connections between Boelter's motivation and what he was taught at CFNI, especially if he is found guilty, or confesses to his crimes.
I happen to think the comparison made by the caller on the talk show is a legitimate one. Would the circumstances, and the outcome, be different if Boelter had been Muslim, and instead of a Bible institute, had gone to an Islamic educational institution known for a more literal and radical approach to the interpretation of the Koran and how to relate to non-Muslims? Would the first amendment be applied the same way?
We will have the opportunity to observe this over the next days and weeks and see if this is the case. It certainly is a legitimate question.
But, Be 100% Certain of the Fact That Murder, From Any Christian Perspective, is a Sin
There is no circumstance in Christian theology, doctrine or practice for which murder is justified. There are some arguments that can be made for self-defense, but murder is clearly defined and interpreted in the Bible as the taking of another human life. It is sin, and it separates the sinner who commits it from God.
Those who try to justify it by pointing to examples where those identified in the Old Testament as having killed "enemies of God" are barking up the wrong theological tree. Those Old Testament mandates, examples, passages and laws were part of the covenant agreement between God and Israel. But Jesus, who claimed to be the Son of God and whose purpose in coming was to reveal the identity and will of God to humanity, and then to die as the sacrifice required for all humanity's sin, noted that he came to fulfill the law and the prophets [Matthew 5:17]. And he did so by replacing the law with his own atonement for sin, and in fulfilling the prophets by interpreting the law in the Christian gospel.
And there is no place in the gospel of Jesus Christ where taking the life of another human being can be justified.
Being a Democrat is not a sin. Taking a political position which supports the first amendment, even though that may allow another human being to do something with which I do not agree, or which I might consider sinful, based on my own religious beliefs, is not sinful, nor is it morally wrong. According to the Christian gospel, each human being is accountable to God for their own behavior, and that includes deciding if they've done something requiring forgiveness or not.
There is absolutely nothing in the Christian gospel that justifies what Vance Boeltner did.
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