'A broken nation': Columbus church leaders call for unity after Trump rally shooting

Pastors at several Columbus churches, preaching for the first time since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump that occurred Saturday evening, reflected on the role of faith in U.S. political life and called for prayers for an ailing nation Sunday.

Executive pastor Todd Marrah, preaching at the nondenominational Rock City Church in Hilliard, called for God to unite the nation that was "this far away from civil war," he said, using his fingers to mark "about one inch" of distance.

The former president was injured in his right ear when a sniper, later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire on a Trump rally in Butler Pennsylvania Saturday, wounding Trump along with seriously injuring two people and killing one. Secret Service agents killed Crooks shortly after he opened fire.

Trump said in a Truth Social post that he was "shot with a bullet that pierced the upper right part of my ear."

Marrah ascribed Trump's survival to God during his sermon Sunday, which The Dispatch watched via livestream.

"Father, I thank you for your protection over President Trump. I think you must have somehow, in ways I couldn't see, supernaturally intervened," he said.

According to a March 2024 Pew poll, 67% of white evangelical Protestants had a favorable view of the former president. When it comes to Protestants in general, 48% said they had a favorable view of Trump.

Pastor Dean Fulks of Lifepoint Church in Lewis Center asked his congregation to pray for U.S. leaders, first responders and the Secret Service agents who protected Trump by shielding him with their bodies. He said their selflessness is a reminder of the Bible's teachings.

"God, will you remind us that we are light in the middle of darkness, that evil is at work in the world, but God, we have the opportunity, we know truth, we have answers, we have hope," Fulks said in his sermon, which The Dispatch watched via livestream.

The Rev. Jack Sullivan Jr., the executive director of the Ohio Council of Churches, a cross-denominational partnership composed of 4,000 congregations and two million members, said faith provides guidance when national events leave believers shaken.

"(Faith) helps us to gain clarity concerning the values and the vision of God for humanity, which has to do with flourishing and abundant living and does not include any acceptance of violence," he told The Dispatch. "And so, people should be able to express their perspectives and their views on politics and life in general without violence and intimidation. And that goes for everybody."

At World Harvest Church in Columbus, Ashton Parsley, the daughter of pastor Ron Parsley, filled in for her father while he rested his voice. She said the church condemns "any and all acts of violence, period, but political violence in particular."

She then asked the congregation to create a "prayer covering" for the U.S. and those affected by the assassination attempt.

"As intercessors and believers as the body of Christ, we are called to pray," she said in the sermon, which The Dispatch watched via livestream.

Pastor Eric Pickerill at Vineyard Columbus called the assassination attempt "heartbreaking" during his sermon.

"I just am heartbroken for my own kids and the young generation and what they're witnessing right now in our country," he said.

He also called for his congregation to resist the "angry and hateful rhetoric on the left and the right" and to commit themselves to peace.

"We, as followers of Jesus, are peacemakers. That is the gospel that Jesus brought, the gospel of peace. Jesus is the ultimate peacemaker, and he calls us to be peacemakers. And what that means is that as followers of Jesus, we condemn all forms of violence all the time. Violent speech and violent action," he said in his sermon, which The Dispatch watched via livestream.

Catholics make up a less sizable chunk of Trump's base, with only 42% of them saying they have a favorable view of the former president. Bishop Earl Fernandes of the Diocese of Columbus asked Columbus Catholics to pray for those affected by the shooting in a post on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

The FBI is still searching for a motive for the shooting Sunday. Crooks' father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN Saturday evening that he was trying to figure out "what the hell is going on" and would "wait until I talk to enforcement" before sharing details about his son, USA TODAY previously reported.

NHart@dispatch.com

@NathanRHart

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Trump shooting: Columbus church leaders call for unity, fear civil war