Crossroads: God, Providence and the Trump bullet

Michie · Jul 20, 2024

The New York Times spots a religion ghost and runs away from a serious discussion

I don’t have solid poll data backing me up on the following.

But, in my experience, if you walk up to church-going, scripture-quoting evangelical Protestants and Pentecostals and say that you are trying to think of a Bible verse defined by “6:11” many, if not most, will say, “You mean Ephesians 6:11?”

That would be the following (and I have included verses 12-13, as well):

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

There is no mention, however, of brave believers shaking their fists and shouting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

That said, glance through these Google search results — “Trump,” “assassination,” “Ephesians”— and read some of the chatter about Americans who truly believe they saw the hand of God in this dramatic event. Needless to say, connections of this kind showed up in this week’s “Crossroads” podcast.

Yes, the term “conspiracy theory” pops up in that Google search. I guess that’s what happens when people believe God has the ability to affect what happens in real life.

Here is one statement of this thesis. A veteran, and very media-savvy, evangelical pastor that I know (from a blue zip code) sent me an email after my Rational Sheep post about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and the niche-news business models that shaped the news coverage. This pastor responded with:

Last Saturday, 6:11 PM. What happened?
To really know what happened, read Ephesians 6:11.

Continued below.