Cole Tomas Allen, the man who sought to kill the President at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last week, was clearly motivated by the leftist smears and attacks against President Trump. However, most shockingly, he also claims to have been motivated by his Christian faith.

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CBN recently covered Allen’s faith-based motivations in an article and video. Both Billy Hallowell and Raj Nair attempted to break down the shooter’s claims in a note he authored, seeking to understand how he came to such questionable conclusions. You can watch the video here.

Throughout his note, Allen cited many Christian principles that he claimed motivated his attack. In one instance, he wrote about Christ’s command to turn the other cheek. Addressing this, Allen wrote, “Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. Turning the other cheek when someone else is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes.” Therefore, in his mind, attempting to kill the President was not just permissible, it was the moral, Christian thing to do.

Allen preemptively addressed several objections to his actions in his manifesto. In doing so, he spun Scripture in such a way as to justify himself, reconciling his violent actions with the Word of God. He was and is, of course, mistaken. As intercessors, we know that the Bible does not command us to assassinate our political enemies. However, Allen’s justifications should remind us of an important and sobering truth: Christ’s church has been corrupted, infiltrated by those who seek to spin the Word to fit their political biases.

IFA has covered this corruption countless times. Marxism and leftism have mixed with the gospel in many churches across America, creating a toxic brand of Christianity that views President Trump as the ultimate evil and “love,” “tolerance,” and “diversity” as ultimate forms of good. In the minds of the believers who attend these churches, many of which can be easily identified by the pride flags flying out front, Christ didn’t come to earth to die for our sins; He came to earth to challenge oppressive, authoritarian leaders and to protect minorities.

We can see this brand of Christianity for exactly what it is: a false gospel. And yet, despite this, “progressive Christianity” has captured the hearts and minds of countless Americans. While the rest of us tune into weekly sermons preached straight from the Word, these Americans tune into political speeches masquerading as sermons, where preachers in rainbow stoles rage against the evils of the Trump administration. In the minds of those who attend these churches, it is the duty of all who stand for Christ to oppose the President at any and all costs.

Perhaps this is why Allen was so desperate to justify himself. At one point in his manifesto, he wrote, “And if anyone is curious how doing something like this feels, it’s awful. I want to throw up. I want to cry for all the things I wanted to do and never will. For all the people whose trust this betrays, I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.” Allen writes about profound reluctance and hesitance. He clearly regretted the fact that the assassination attempt would effectively end his life as he knew it. And yet, he reiterated his “rage” toward the administration. Despite his reluctance, he was compelled by a deep rage, rage that was likely misplaced.

In the CBN video, Nair explains his belief that the media is dividing people, forcing them into increasingly extreme echo chambers. Unfortunately, this division is not exclusive to just the media. It may seem impossible to think that a Christian would take up arms against the President of the United States, but Cole Tomas Allen proves that this extremism has entered the church as well.

The left may attempt to use his manifesto to prove that Christians are violent. As believers, let’s strive to prove this characterization wrong by modeling biblical love and Christ-like tolerance, not the fake versions of love and tolerance preached in progressive churches. And as intercessors, let’s pray for an end to the violence and spirit of assassination in our nation!

How are you praying for truth and against violence in America? Share your prayers in the comments.

(Nathan Tabler is IFA’s Communications Manager)