Published September 17, 2024
WORLD Opinions
Two assassination attempts. Two.
Not since President Gerald Ford had two attempts on his life in 1975 has our nation broached similar territory.
How extraordinary—and appallingly sad—that another column on a second assassination attempt is warranted.
There was, after all, an attempted assassination on the life of former President Donald Trump back on July 13. The media may have moved on from this already, but a little more than two months ago, our nation came within millimeters of uncharted political territory.
This all speaks to the current chaos and volatility of our political moment. It comes down to the temptation to normalize the exceptional. We are living in an incredibly historical moment. It is hard to know when one is living in history while in the present tense. But let me assure you, we are. In the last three months, we have had as much political instability injected into our political ferment as anything in recent American history. A sitting president stepped away from a reelection campaign after a horrendous debate appearance. Then came the first assassination attempt. A historically unpopular and untested vice president was anointed by the Democratic Party as the second coming of Barack Obama while avoiding any substantive interaction with the press. Now, a second assassination attempt.
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EPPC Fellow Andrew T. Walker, Ph.D., researches and writes about the intersection of Christian ethics, public theology, and the moral principles that support civil society and sound government. A sought-after speaker and cultural commentator, Dr. Walker’s academic research interests and areas of expertise include natural law, human dignity, family stability, social conservatism, and church-state studies. The author or editor of more than ten books, he is passionate about helping Christians understand the moral demands of the gospel and their contributions to human flourishing and the common good. His most recent book, out in May 2021 from Brazos Press, is titled Liberty for All: Defending Everyone’s Religious Freedom in a Secular Age.
