I have abstained from commenting on the abominable and anti-American tragedies that have occurred back-to-back recently, as my indignation has tempted me to speak unkindly and unhelpfully. But now that I have had time to allay my anger, pray for wisdom, and contemplate the biblical, historical, and national ramifications of what I believe has changed the United States overnight—for better or worse—here are a few observations:

1. This is not the America I want—not the America any of us want. The humanity, morality, and decency we possessed following the catastrophe of September 11, 2001 has largely diminished. And I want it back. I yearn for the America of yesteryear when politics was a take-it-or-leave it issue, seldom dividing everyday Americans.

2. Contrary to popular belief, religion has not become increasingly political—politics have become more religious. The political realm has invaded and usurped fundamental matters of morality, to our detriment. For decades, the federal government has encroached upon marriage, sexuality, and human life at its most precious stage. And know this—its futile attempt to redefine, and thereby undermine, these societal cornerstones has brought us to this moment. These tragedies are symptoms of a moral disease.

The United States cannot and will not exist so long as these erosions continue. As John Adams said, “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” This is not Christian nationalism. I am not even saying our laws must necessarily follow the Bible. But, a moral society cannot survive when it jettisons basic truths—truths found most of all in the Scripture—truths such as:

– God-ordained marriage is between one man and one woman for life.

– You are the gender your chromosomes say you are.

– Children in the womb should not be slaughtered—but protected by the law.

– Those who take human life should be penalized to the highest extent of the law.

– The government’s job is to inflict terror upon evildoers which, therefore, allows morality to flourish on its own.

3. You have the right to vehemently disagree with my views on these matters. And I would die for your right to speak freely and dissent. I will stand beside you as an American, regardless of your political affiliation. You are my neighbor, and I love you. But no bullets should be fired because we disagree.

4. Politics has evolved into a god many are willing to die and even kill for. This golden calf must be smashed to smithereens. Vote how you will vote, speak freely about what you believe, but leave it at that.

5. We must devise a way to legislate political terrorism out of existence, while preserving free speech rights. Freely expressing opinions and even rigorously criticizing a politician or party is one thing, but demonizing a demographic simply because of their beliefs, justifying violence against them, even encouraging it, I believe, ought to be classified as hate speech, and therefore, punished. Criticize and critique whom you will, but it is carelessly irresponsible and inhumane to call any politician “Hitler,” to classify millions of Americans as “a basket of deplorables,” and it is reprehensible to call for violence against your political opponents such as Rep. Maxine Waters who said years ago,

“And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.”

This is not entirely one-sided. It is not even two-sided because most Americans do not speak this way. But the fringe fanatics do—regardless of their party—and their extreme rhetoric, which tones down following a tragedy and amps up a week afterwards, may require punishment from the law to curb it. I will admit, I do not know the solution to this, but we have to find a way to eradicate it from public discourse.

6. None of us are invincible. Neither Iryna Zarutska, Charlie Kirk, nor the children who lost their lives in recent shootings anticipated the day they tragically passed. I do not diminish the gravity and severity of their awful deaths, but all of the living should take this to heart: death is inevitable and often sudden. It is inescapable. Therefore, I plead with you: repent and believe in Christ Jesus. Only He can grant everlasting life. And no excuse for not doing so is not worth losing your own soul.

7. We all must do better. We have no other choice. We must engage in healthy and in-person dialogue more often, and learn to agree to disagree and move on. And believers in Christ, we must not retreat into the shadows. More than ever, we must expose the works of darkness and bring Christianity back into the public square.

Frankly, we cannot afford for even one day more to sit on the sidelines and seal our lips about the moral erosion of our culture. We must speak the truth in love much louder. We must love harder than ever before and proclaim the gospel of Christ bolder than ever. And we must elect and support lion-hearted and constitution-following men and women who possess unbreakable moral backbones, and refuse to settle for anything less.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.