Amid Trump assassination attempt, political division, Asheville's clergy call for healing
ASHEVILLE - In the wake of an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13, many of Asheville's faith leaders during Sunday services called for a moment of healing and "prayer for our nation."
Finding comfort in times of unease and violence calls for more than a condemnation of violence, it requires that we love one another, said Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church Rev. Douglas Bynum.
"We have to love each other," Bynum told the Citizen Times. "We have to respect each other."
Bynum said that he mentioned the assassination attempt briefly during his July 14 service and noted that their denomination has been impacted by radical acts of political violence before. In 2015, a 21-year-old gunman killed nine Black churchgoers attending Sunday service at the Emanuel AME Church, also known as “Mother Emanuel," in Charleston, South Carolina.
"We recognize that our land is in need of healing. You see it in the face of political violence. You see it in the face of how we treat the foreigners that are within our gates at the border and how we have left out those that are disenfranchised among us," Bynum continued.
During the July 14 service at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, Rev. Audette Fulson called on all to reject political violence after the shooting that injured candidate Trump and killed a rally attendee in Butler, Pennsylvania, and called for love to be "at the center of who we are and what we do."
"We reject political violence and pray for those affected by it, those who are harmed by it, whose words and actions incite it," Fulson said, hoping that the nation can "reweave its fabric" by "folding love into every warp."
More: Photos: Bloodied Trump rushed off stage after assassination attempt at Pennsylvania rally
Pastor Mack Dennis of First Baptist Church of Asheville called for healing during his Sunday sermon and told the Citizen Times that "it's a dark mystery and scandal" that a Christian or member of another faith would call for "retribution or revenge" in light of political violence.
"Reconciliation is key," Dennis said.
South Carolina-based Pastor Clayton King, who was delivering the sermon for Biltmore Baptist Church, addressed the assassination attempt at the beginning of his livestreamed sermon. Before dropping to his knees in prayer, King asked that "God bring unity to our nation" and that "we would be peacemakers at a time where everybody seems to be at each other's throats."
Recent prominent instances of political violence and extreme rhetoric in the U.S. include the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol in Washington, the shooting of U.S. Congressman Steve Scalise and the brutal attack on the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
North Carolina and Asheville have also experienced political violence and extreme rhetoric in recent weeks.
On June 29, an alleged assault at the West Asheville Library apparently stemmed from political disagreements during a presentation about Palestinian Resistance during the war in Gaza. Just a day later, gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson stated that "some folks need killin'" during a campaign fundraiser at Lake Church in Bladen County.
The July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, an act that drew comparisons to the 1981 attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan, has been condemned by Republican and Democratic politicians, including President Joe Biden who called on everyone to take "a step back" from harsh political rhetoric.
"We cannot, we must not go down this road in America. We travelled here before throughout our history. Violence has never been the answer," Biden said during a July 14 address from the oval office.
Before their fellowship breakfast on July 14, Grace Episcopal Church Rev. Milly Morrow said the congregation shared a moment of silence and felt the ongoing violence in the world requires "leaning into love and not leaning into fear."
"I believe my faith tells me that this moral arc does bend towards justice—that love does conquer all," Morrow said.
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Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at [email protected] help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: After Trump assassination attempt, Asheville's clergy look for healing
