The Washington Examiner reports on the latest cultural trench war ignited by a horrific shooting at a Catholic church and school in Minneapolis. Children were literally praying when the shooter opened fire, and yet the tragedy became another excuse for Democrats to sneer at the very idea of prayer.
Jen Psaki blasted on X that “prayer is not freaking enough,” Gavin Newsom scolded, “don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers,” and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey dismissed faith as a dodge. Conservatives pushed back: JD Vance asked why anyone would attack grieving families for turning to God, while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the anti-prayer rhetoric “utterly disrespectful” to millions of Americans who believe prayer works. Like me.
The Bullet Point Brief
- A Minneapolis church-school shooting sparked another round of the “thoughts and prayers” debate.
- Democrats like Psaki and Newsom mocked prayer as useless, while others demanded new gun bans.
- Conservatives like JD Vance defended prayer as comfort in grief and respect for faith.
- The divide is clear: secular Democrats put their faith in government action, while millions of Americans believe in God’s power.
- Even Obama, usually quick to call for gun laws, struck a softer tone, posting prayers for grieving families.
My Bottom Line
I will repeat this until I’m blue in the face: America does not have a gun problem, it has a mental health problem. And when leaders sneer at prayer, they reveal a deeper rot. Romans 1 lays it out: when people replace God with idols, judgment follows. Half this country has replaced God with government, and now they worship the state as if legislation can heal hearts. Government cannot change a heart or restore a soul. God can.
We will always worship something. For some, it’s the Lord Almighty; for others, it’s Washington, D.C. And look where that misplaced worship has gotten us: a nation fraying at the seams, where “prayer” is mocked while the worship of bureaucracy is praised. Our problem is not too little government – it’s too little God. We need prayer now more than ever, not as a substitute for action, but as the starting point for action rooted in truth, humility, and hope.
