On Saturday morning, I toured the home of Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th President. The National Park Service preserves his three-story house in Oyster Bay, New York. It served as a family retreat, summer White House, and venue for global negotiations. The walls are lined with art, hunting trophies, numerous bookcases, and charming reminders of a lively home for a loving couple with six children.
I recently read Edmund Morris’ three volume biography on the man the nation knew as Teddy. This weekend’s tour fulfilled my history-nerd desire to get even closer to this leader I admire. He was a devoted family man, a no-nonsense executive, and a gigantic personality. TR was NY Police Commissioner, Governor, Vice President, and eventually a two-term President. Along the way, he commanded the Rough Riders on San Juan Hill, preserved millions of Western acres as national parks, led America to secure the Panama Canal, negotiated peace between Japan and Russia, wrote more than thirty books, oversaw critical military preparation before World War I, and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
On Saturday afternoon, former President Trump was almost assassinated. Those horrific events bring to mind one of my favorite stories about Roosevelt. While campaigning in 1912, a would-be assassin shot Roosevelt in the chest at close range just as Teddy exited his car. After bystanders tackled and subdued the shooter, TR insisted on carrying on with the speech. Look at his opening words to the crowd (courtesy: The History Channel):
“Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible.” His second line, however, was a bombshell. “I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot.” The horrified audience in the Milwaukee Auditorium gasped as the former president unbuttoned his vest to reveal his bloodstained shirt. “It takes more than that to kill a bull moose,” the wounded candidate assured them. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a bullet-riddled, 50-page speech.
Holding up his prepared remarks, which had two big holes blown through each page, Roosevelt continued. “Fortunately I had my manuscript, so you see I was going to make a long speech, and there is a bullet—there is where the bullet went through—and it probably saved me from it going into my heart. The bullet is in me now, so I cannot make a very long speech, but I will try my best.”
Bleeding and a little short of breath, Teddy went on to speak with courage and passion for a full ninety minutes.
Wow.
As a student of history, I recognize the iconic nature of the photo from former President Trump’s assassination attempt. Brave protectors. A bloodied, but courageous and determined candidate. The flag—still there.
It was a terrible day. A retired fire chief lost his life, others were injured, and many were traumatized for life. It was terrible because hate took action, attempting to stop a candidate, attempting with bullets to bypass and blaspheme our democratic process.
Elections with robust campaigns are foundational to our democracy. Candidates step forward, and ideas are put forward—with passion. Then, the voters decide.
Yes, the process has been broken for a long time. What happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, is the fruit of what we have allowed—disagreement turning into hate and declaring rivals to be enemies.
This has been simmering toward a boil for a while now. We have lost the ability to respectfully disagree. We see only red or blue. On Saturday, a young man saw the party, positions, and rhetoric more than he saw a person. On Saturday, a young man thought it was a good idea to take a life because of politics.
I am thankful that President Trump is okay. His resilient, courageous, inspiring, Rooseveltian reaction will live on in history.
We came very close to exponential disaster—millimeters close, fractions of a second head turn close. We were not just close to losing this specific candidate. We were close to igniting the flammable national tension, perhaps leading more people to take up arms against their neighbors.
If you need fresh evidence of God’s providence, it can be measured in the millimeters of a perfectly timed turn of the head.
We are citizens of a better Kingdom—one that is to come. Yet, while we wait, we endeavor to do good in the name of Jesus and to announce the good news of the Kingdom—to all.
Political violence has no place. Hatred of political rivals has no place-especially among the people of Jesus.
Our hope is in Jesus, not a candidate.
Let’s pray for our leaders and ask God to glorify himself in an election process that still has months to go. Let’s pray for Mr. Trump and his family. Let’s pray for Mr. Biden and his family. Let’s pray for the families of the other victims at Saturday’s rally.
Let’s take inspiration from Mr. Trump’s incredible courage and determination to carry on—to continue serving—despite the dangers. TR would be proud.
Let’s do our part to dial down the tone and temperature attached to our opinions and positions. Let’s pray that our children and the next generations of politicians learn from these moments.
Let’s continue to seek God, to cling to him, and to reflect Jesus in all that we say, and do and post.
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