The Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris has been granted a rare special dispensation to host a wedding for a carpenter who helped rebuild it after the devastating 2019 fire.
Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich granted special permission for the ceremony to thank Martin Lorentz for devoting his time and talent to helping rebuild the cathedral, per <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/blog/notre-dame-dream-wedding">The National Catholic Register</a>.
Notre-Dame is not a parish church, so weddings aren’t usually allowed and require special dispensation from the archbishop. The last known wedding was in 1995, the outlet noted. Dispensations for nuptial ceremonies have only been granted a few times in the cathedral’s 860-year history.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Notre-Dame hosts rare wedding for carpenter who helped rebuild it • FRANCE 24 English" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FH7DRpf27HY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Lorentz married Jade on October 25 in the renowned cathedral he helped restore, as 500 guests looked on, including other carpenters who worked on the project.  
“I just want to say that this is the best day of my life. I don’t think I can say anything else,” the groom told reporters after the ceremony, per a translated news <a href="https://www.franceinfo.fr/culture/patrimoine/incendie-de-notre-dame-de-paris/reouverture/notre-dame-de-paris-le-mariage-d-exception-d-un-charpentier-et-sa-compagne-celebre-dans-la-cathedrale_7575280.html">article</a> published on France Info. “I want to share my love, our love, with the whole world, with everyone who needs it.”
Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire.com/Subscribe</a> to join now.
“It’s incredible to see this happen,” a fellow carpenter who attended the event told the outlet. “It was a wonderful moment to end like that, to get married in our cathedral, which is a bit like home to us.”
Notre-Dame reopened on December 8, 2024, with Archbishop Ulrich presiding. The ceremony with French President Emmanuel Macron featured 1,500 guests, including major world leaders like then-President-elect Donald Trump, then-First Lady Jill Biden, Prince William, Elon Musk, and others. 
The massive restoration process reportedly cost more than $700 million.
French authorities have said they suspect the fire started due to a lit cigarette or a faulty electrical connection, but The New York Times noted in 2024 that the investigation was ongoing and the cause “may never be determined.”

Notre-Dame Cathedral

From Restoration To Celebration: Notre-Dame Cathedral Honors Carpenter With First Wedding In Decades

Notre-Dame Cathedral Hosts First Wedding In 30 Years For Carpenter Who Helped Rebuild It

Church

France

Notre Dame Cathedral

Paris

Religion

World

Virginia State House Speaker Don Scott, a Democrat, took to the pulpit at Mount Calvary Baptist Church on Sunday, where he cautioned members of the congregation not to be “distracted” by apparently insignificant details like text messages in the lead-up to an important election.
The reference was obvious, as Scott’s impassioned speech came just 48 hours after Jay Jones — the Democratic nominee for attorney general in his state — found himself at the center of a text scandal of his own making. In resurfaced messages from 2022, Jones had openly advocated for the assassination of a political opponent — and had said that he’d attend the funerals of Republican lawmakers to “piss on their graves.”
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Here is the current Speaker of the House in Virginia, in a church pulpit, telling congregants to ignore Jay Jones&#8217;s call for the assassination of the prior Speaker and murder of his kids because…politics. Where is The Bulwark? Where are Dem leaders? <a href="https://t.co/titRtnAmIt">pic.twitter.com/titRtnAmIt</a>
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) <a href="https://twitter.com/EWErickson/status/1974907347920474517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“So we need to understand something,” he said from the pulpit. “We have to be mature in our thinking and how we vote. We can’t get distracted ’cause they want us to get distracted by the text messages here, or something else — stay focused!”
Critics were not impressed with Scott’s performance and said so.
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“When Speaker Johnson quotes Bible verses or when Senator Rubio shares the gospel, the usual suspects warn of a dangerous new theocracy. But stuff like this happens all the time in leftist churches and it’s crickets,” one posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
When Speaker Johnson quotes Bible verses or when Senator Rubio shares the gospel, the usual suspects warn of a dangerous new theocracy. But stuff like this happens all the time in progressive churches and it’s crickets. I talk about this in my new book: <a href="https://t.co/Y696LDdF8v">https://t.co/Y696LDdF8v</a> <a href="https://t.co/ENcsHp7OV4">https://t.co/ENcsHp7OV4</a>
— Daniel Darling (@dandarling) <a href="https://twitter.com/dandarling/status/1974917680521199863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“I don’t know what to make of how radical the @vademocrats are. We are a purple-ish state. We have a Republican governor. Our legislature has a lot of Republican members. You can ‘what about Trump’ all day long. I didn’t vote for him over comments that are FAR less disturbing than calling for corrective political violence directed at children. No part of this is okay,” another posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I don’t know what to make of how radical the <a href="https://twitter.com/vademocrats?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vademocrats</a> are. We are a purple-ish state. We have a Republican governor. Our legislature has a lot of Republican members. You can “what about Trump” all day long. I didn’t vote for him over comments that are FAR less disturbing than… <a href="https://t.co/30DWHFpyGM">https://t.co/30DWHFpyGM</a>
— Corie Whalen (@CorieWhalen) <a href="https://twitter.com/CorieWhalen/status/1974934714223038801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Absolutely wild that he calls the messages (and subsequent phone calls) where Jay Jones doubles down on bloodlust ’a distraction.’ Don&#8217;t get &#8216;distracted&#8217; by a guy relishing a mother holding her dead child. &#8216;Stay focused,&#8217; he says. This is nauseating,” another said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Absolutely wild that he calls the messages (and subsequent phone calls) where Jay Jones doubles down on bloodlust &#8220;a distraction.&#8221; Don&#8217;t get &#8220;distracted&#8221; by a guy relishing a mother holding her dead child. &#8220;Stay focused,&#8221; he says.
This is nauseating. <a href="https://t.co/rh35e4l7a0">https://t.co/rh35e4l7a0</a>
— Rachel Bovard (@rachelbovard) <a href="https://twitter.com/rachelbovard/status/1975213172169801839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Don’t get distracted by a Democrat’s stated desire to murder a Republican and his children, he preached from the pulpit,” Guy Benson summed it up.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Don’t get distracted by a Democrat’s stated desire to murder a Republican and his children, he preached from the pulpit <a href="https://t.co/OBT1atqMlI">https://t.co/OBT1atqMlI</a>
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) <a href="https://twitter.com/guypbenson/status/1974928099818238167?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

RICHMOND, VA – MARCH 8: Don L. Scott Jr. (D-Portsmouth) listens

Virginia House Speaker Uses Church Pulpit To Double Down On Jay Jones

Virginia State House Speaker Uses Church Pulpit To Double Down On Jay Jones

Democrats

Elections

Jay Jones

Political Violence

Politics

Virginia

Federal authorities believe that the 40-year-old man accused of opening fire at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and killing four worshipers in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, on Sunday &#8220;hated people of the Mormon faith,&#8221; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends.&#8221;
During an interview on Monday morning, Leavitt said that based on her conversations with FBI Director Kash Patel, &#8220;All they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith, and they are trying to understand more about this, how premeditated it was, how much planning went into it, whether he left a note.&#8221;
&#8220;All of those questions have yet to be answered, but certainly will be answered by the FBI,&#8221; Leavitt added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
FOX NEWS ALERT: <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> reveals the suspect in the Michigan church shooting “hated people of the Mormon faith.” <a href="https://t.co/IriLn85r0H">pic.twitter.com/IriLn85r0H</a>
— FOX &amp; Friends (@foxandfriends) <a href="https://twitter.com/foxandfriends/status/1972645008907051221?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Authorities have not said whether any writings or information point to a specific motive in the attack, but Leavitt said that the FBI is executing &#8220;multiple search warrants at the residences and family homes&#8221; of the suspected shooter.
The suspected gunman was identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, a U.S. Marine veteran who was deployed to Iraq for nearly seven months in 2007. The 40-year-old man had no criminal history and lived in Burton, Michigan, which borders Grand Blanc Township. The pickup truck the alleged shooter used in the attack had two American flags displayed in its bed. In a photo uploaded to Facebook in 2019, the gunman was pictured wearing a &#8220;Trump 2020&#8221; shirt that read, &#8220;Make Liberals Cry Again,&#8221; NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/what-we-know-thomas-jacob-sanford-suspect-michigan-church-shooting-rcna234309">reported</a>.
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The attacker was carrying explosive devices when he drove his Chevy Silverado into the church building on Sunday, but authorities said it was unclear if he used them. Officials believe that the gunman used gas to start a fire in the church, a blaze that engulfed the entire building. The 40-year-old veteran allegedly opened fire on congregants with a semiautomatic rifle. Two people were killed from gunshot wounds, and two more people were found dead in the church after first responders arrived. Another eight people were wounded in the attack.
Police responded to the shooting within 30 seconds and pursued the shooter to a parking lot behind the church, where the suspect was shot and killed.
On Sunday night, the FBI asked anyone with information about the attack to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit <a href="https://tips.fbi.gov/home">tips.fbi.gov</a>.

US-SHOOTING-CHURCH

Feds Believe Michigan Church Shooter ‘Hated People Of The Mormon Faith’

Crime

Karoline Leavitt

kash patel

Mass Shooting

Michigan

Mormonism

U.S.

Folks, I hope you spent a meaningful weekend with friends and family.
I hope you went to church if you are Christian or synagogue if you are Jewish, spent some time with God, with your family, and with your community — because that’s what Charlie Kirk would have done had he not been assassinated last week.
There has been an amazing, uplifting reality in that millions of people are coming together to honor the memory of Charlie Kirk. Over $5 million was raised for Charlie’s family. Turning Point USA, which is Charlie’s organization, according to the New York Post, received 18,000 new chapter requests in less than 24 hours after his widow, Erika, spoke out about the assassination of her husband.
It’s all heartbreaking and horrifying in every way except that Charlie’s legacy is going to be that millions of people went to church yesterday who wouldn’t otherwise have gone to church. Tens of thousands of people are going to get politically involved with TPUSA. Millions more are going to take inspiration from Charlie.
This outpouring for Charlie is truly incredible. I hope that it’s some comfort to Charlie’s family.
Morgan Wallen <a href="https://x.com/WallStreetApes/status/1967087630757359929">paid tribute</a> to Charlie Kirk at his concert in Canada. NASCAR driver Christopher Bell <a href="https://x.com/nicksortor/status/1967071738271043918">dedicated</a> his win to Charlie over the weekend. Chris Martin of Coldplay, whom I have been critical of, did <a href="https://x.com/CNviolations/status/1966952491557556453">something</a> similar. A wide variety of NFL teams also paid <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1967287551682830365">tribute</a> to Charlie Kirk over the weekend.
One of the results of the tragedy is that mainstream people are coming together around the idea that the core values of the West include things like this: “I disagree with you, and we have discussions, and we don&#8217;t murder one another.”
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2280?contentProgram=The%20Ben%20Shapiro%20Show&amp;contentType=ShowEpisode&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;location=Home%20Tab&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Home%20Featured%20Carousel">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
I still can’t even imagine. I cannot even imagine. Two young kids who are three and one, a young wife, married less than five years.
Erika Kirk released <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/well-never-surrender-erika-kirk-gives-emotional-fiery-address-following-husbands-assassination?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=30&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=%E2%80%98We%E2%80%99ll+Never+Surrender%E2%80%99%3A+Erika+Kirk+Gives+Emotional%2C+Fiery+Address+Following+Husband%E2%80%99s+Assassination">a video</a> — which was truly hard to watch — of herself seated by Charlie’s casket holding his hand. She also sent an inspiring message in which she stated, “The evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done. They should all know this: if you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea what you just unleashed across the country and this world.”
Erika Kirk is very involved in the Christian community, in giving. She’s been politically involved as well. For her to pick up Charlie’s mantle would not only be appropriate but an excellent thing for her to do.
Notably, the reaction to Charlie’s death has been gigantic memorials and more people going to church — and unlike the Left when they feel someone has been martyred — no violence. I would imagine that Sunday churches were packed; that’s the report I was getting from all my Christian friends. I will say that at my synagogue on Saturday, not only was it packed, but every synagogue that I know, every single synagogue that I know, had a prayer specifically for Charlie, or a speech specifically about Charlie, talking about what he meant to the country.
Charlie is not here anymore, but he’s here so long as you pick up the microphone. We all have to pick up the microphone and we all have to carry on with his message.
The best thing is that tons of people went to church, connecting with God and looking for community. That’s something Charlie would have wanted.
Tons of people are getting involved. That’s something Charlie spent his entire life building.
Charlie’s tragic death may be the turning point for America to return to faith.
And as Erika Kirk stated, “Our God is so good. So incredibly good. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose.”

US-POLITICS-HOMICIDE-MASS-MEDIA-CRIME

Churches Were Packed, Synagogues Prayed: The Awakening Charlie Kirk Always Believed In

Ben Shapiro

Charlie Kirk

Faith

Family Values

Marriage

Opinion

Synagogue

Our nation just witnessed the tragic shooting of Charlie Kirk, who was not only a leading voice for conservatives but was a bold believer and passionate advocate for faith in Jesus Christ and a Christian worldview. It’s been barely two weeks since a mentally ill individual terrorized the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring 18 others.
Unfortunately, these two incidents are just the most recent examples of how religious persecution, once a threat continents away, has arrived on the doorstep of faithful Americans.
Over the past several years, religious persecution has risen sharply worldwide. Last year, <a href="https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/">380 million Christians</a> around the world faced “high levels” of persecution. According to <a href="https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/">Open Doors</a>, that number is up 15 million from the previous year. That is the highest number ever recorded. But Christians are not the only religious group facing a steep surge in hostilities. Jews around the world are experiencing a dramatic increase in victimization as well after Hamas’s grisly attack against Israel on October 7. <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/report/top-5-global-antisemitic-trends-october-7-one-year-impact-report">Antisemitic incidents skyrocketed</a> around the globe, particularly in Europe, where reports of antisemitism rose by <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/report/top-5-global-antisemitic-trends-october-7-one-year-impact-report">1,000% in some countries</a>. 
According to the <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/us-antisemitic-incidents-skyrocketed-360-aftermath-attack-israel-according">Anti-Defamation League</a>, antisemitism has jumped 361% in the United States. That trend began in 2013 but has dramatically increased in the months and years following the October 7 attack. Hostility has also surged against Christians and churches. A report published by the <a href="https://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF25H55.pdf">Family Research Council</a> found that incidents of violence against churches have gone up 740% since 2018.
The data alone shows a concerning rise in hostility against people of faith, but people of faith themselves are also feeling the effects. A recent American Jewish Committee <a href="https://www.ajc.org/AntisemitismReport2024/GeneralPublic">survey </a>of American Jews revealed that more Jews in America feel the threat. In the survey, 92% of the participants expressed that antisemitism had increased over the past five years. Among the general public, the survey found that 71% of the participants believe that antisemitism is a growing problem.
Christians are feeling the pressure, too. Over the past 16 years, the Survey Center on American Life has tracked Christians’ feelings of discrimination. In <a href="https://www.americansurveycenter.org/newsletter/why-most-evangelicals-say-they-face-a-lot-of-discrimination/#:~:text=Daniel%20A.,less%20than%20they%20used%20to.">2009</a>, the survey found that most evangelical Christians rejected the notion that they were experiencing discrimination, with only about four in ten (42%) saying Christians faced “a lot of discrimination.”
Over the next decade, that number had rapidly shifted. By <a href="https://www.americansurveycenter.org/newsletter/why-most-evangelicals-say-they-face-a-lot-of-discrimination/#:~:text=Daniel%20A.,less%20than%20they%20used%20to.">2023</a>, most Christians said they were experiencing discrimination. The number jumped to 60% when asked if they had experienced “a lot of discrimination.”
I’ve spent years working and ministering in the most dangerous places in the world for Christians to live. I am acutely aware of what religious persecution looks like and what it is like to live under religious oppression. In Northern Nigeria, a place where more Christians are killed for their faith than anywhere else in the world, I see the impact of persecution every day.
Persecution doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a slow, gradual process that takes time. It begins by marginalizing people of faith, rendering them lower-class citizens. We saw this in Nazi Germany when the propaganda against Jews portrayed them as less than human. We can see it today in how people of faith are portrayed in modern mainstream media. Christians and Jews are often portrayed in a negative light and are labeled as traditional oppressors who want to stunt culture’s inevitable evolution. 
These sentiments, in turn, create general hostilities toward people of faith. And when hostilities happen (like the recent Annunciation Catholic School shooting or the Covenant School shooting in 2023), the mainstream media largely ignores them or misrepresents the motives behind the attacks. As hostilities grow and aggressors feel they can get away with acts of discrimination and violence, the cycle continues to spiral to a fever pitch.
I’ve seen this cycle play out time and again in Northern Nigeria. In just 10 short years, Nigeria has become the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian.
What is often not accounted for, however, is the positive effect that persecution can have on the faith community.
Persecution often produces an indelible resolve among people of faith. When experiencing persecution, people of faith can become more resilient and deepen their faith. Tertullian said it this way, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Throughout history, this phenomenon has been observed in both Christian and Jewish cultures. The more they are persecuted, the more resolute they become, growing not only in faith but in numbers as well. The key for people of faith to endure the persecution of our day is to use the hostilities, discrimination, and violence as a motivation to stand firm in their beliefs.
All of us in the faith community should realize that acts of hostility only validate the legitimacy of our Judeo-Christian values and the spiritual battle we are in. Scripture teaches us that true believers will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12, Matthew 5:10). It also encourages us to stand up in those times and resolve never to back down, no matter the cost (Ephesians 6:12).
* * *
<a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/ourfounder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brad Brandon</a> is the founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Across Nigeria</a>. Since 2018, he has been actively serving in predominantly high-risk, highly persecuted areas like Northern Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Church memorial for the mass shooting victims that killed two children and injured 21 people in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Why Christians And Jews Are Facing A New Wave Of Hostility

Annunciation Catholic School

Anti-Semitism

Christians

Jewish

Jews

Nigeria

This summer marked the end of an era in American Christianity. Within weeks of each other, pastor John MacArthur and psychologist James Dobson, two of the most influential evangelical leaders of the past half-century, passed away. MacArthur died on July 14 at the age of 86, followed by his friend Dobson on August 21 at 89. Their distinct but complementary approaches to faith and culture reshaped churches, families, and politics in profound ways.
Both men launched their ministries into the national spotlight in 1977, debuting radio programs at a time when evangelical broadcasting was entering a golden age. MacArthur’s verse-by-verse exposition of Scripture with &#8220;Grace to You&#8221; and Dobson’s biblical counsel on marriage and parenting with &#8220;Focus on the Family&#8221; would eventually reach tens of millions of households across the globe.
Troy Miller, president of the National Religious Broadcasters, told The Daily Wire that both men not only mastered radio but also foresaw the digital transition. “They were pioneers in adopting MP3s, moving into podcasts, and building digital platforms,” Miller said. “Grace to You and Focus on the Family became models for how to keep Christian teaching at the center of new technologies. And part of the legacy that these two men are going to leave was their insistence on being quality communicators, whatever the medium. Both of them worked very hard at their communication skills, whether it be preaching, speaking at conferences, or on the radio. They set the bar.”
<h3>Two Vocations, One Foundation</h3>
Although their ministries often intersected, MacArthur and Dobson took distinct paths to engaging culture. While the two men held the same positions on life, marriage, and sexuality, MacArthur avoided joining political coalitions, famously declining to sign the Manhattan Declaration, a 2009 statement that affirmed the sanctity of life and traditional marriage, because of his doctrinal differences with some of the statement’s authors.
Dobson, in contrast, leaned into politics. Not only was he one of the Manhattan Declaration’s most prominent signatories, in 1995, he also founded the Family Research Council, a Washington-based policy group that quickly became a central voice in the religious right.
Miller said the difference came down to vocation, not conviction. “John MacArthur understood he was a pastor,” he said. “That was his primary calling in life. And as a shepherd, his deepest desire was for people to understand the Word of God better. His expository preaching and teaching, his commentaries, his books were all meant to bring people closer to God. Dr. Dobson understood he was a psychologist. So he was concerned about culture and where culture was headed as a psychologist. They took these two different approaches, but behind both of them was a biblical foundation.”
Grace to You executive director Phil Johnson, who worked closely with MacArthur for more than 40 years, echoed that assessment. “John was always clear that he wasn’t opposed to political involvement by Christians and that there are Christians who are called to all sorts of vocations, including politics.” 
Dobson used his political vocation to tremendous effect.
Political science professor Hunter Baker, who first met Dobson while working as a religious liberty lobbyist, pointed out that by the late 1990s, the radio host had begun to eclipse the influence of the Moral Majority’s Jerry Falwell and the Christian Coalition’s Pat Robertson, in part, due to his academic credentials.
“Robertson and Falwell were essentially televangelists, and they had their influence. But then comes James Dobson. And a lot of people don&#8217;t remember this, but Dobson had an appointment at the USC Medical School as a child psychologist. He was there for 14 years in a very prestigious sort of position.” That credibility allowed Dobson to gain a hearing with audiences that would be less likely to tune into Robertson’s 700 Club or Falwell’s Old-Time Gospel Hour.
After he grew Focus on the Family into a cultural juggernaut, his mobilization of his Christian listeners helped secure the Republican Party’s transformation into a staunchly pro-life party.
“People want to think the Republican Party has always been this great pro-life party,” Baker said, “but Ronald Reagan was really the first one to decisively move in that direction. Yet his advisors were constantly wanting him to take pro-life rhetoric out of his speeches. And so that&#8217;s the Republican Party that Dobson was dealing with in the 90s. And in the late 1990s, Dobson, in his frustration, said, ‘I&#8217;m going to leave this party and I&#8217;m going to take as many people with me as I can.’ That was a threat that could not be ignored.”
<div id="attachment_969125" style="width: 898px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-969125" class="size-large wp-image-969125" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-74058688-888x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON - MAY 03: Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family (L), shakes hands with U.S. President George W. Bush (R) as Dobson's wife, Shirley Dobson, looks on during the National Day of Prayer ceremony at the White House May 3, 2007 in Washington, DC. The program included prayers and meditations from Christian and Jewish leaders and a performance by the US Army Chorus. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)" width="888" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-74058688-888x576.jpg 888w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-74058688-300x195.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-74058688-768x498.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-74058688.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 888px) 100vw, 888px" />Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images</div>
After Dobson took his stand, Baker said, the GOP was forced to commit to the sanctity of life as a key issue. “I would argue that was really decisive. In 2008, even though he was the tremendously popular former mayor of New York City and viewed as a hero of 9/11, Rudy Giuliani got nowhere in that Republican primary process. Why? Because he would not become pro-life in order to run. Then, in 2012, Mitt Romney, who had previously been pro-choice, ran as a pro-life Republican. And I really put all of that at the feet of James Dobson more than anybody else.”
In 2016, Dobson would endorse Donald Trump at a time when few Christian leaders were willing to, helping to shore up Trump’s evangelical support that was vital to winning the election.
<h3>Standing Firm in Cultural Storms</h3>
Though MacArthur resisted joining formal political movements, when politics encroached on the church, he, too, did not hesitate to take a stand.
In 2018, when social justice and critical theory were infiltrating churches and ministries, MacArthur, just as he’d done when he publicly opposed segregation in the 1960s, spoke out. At the time, many nationally known pastors were <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/black-lives-matter-southern-baptist">promoting</a> Black Lives Matter and its <a href="https://x.com/JonathanLeeman/status/1269646035095375874">mission</a>. MacArthur, in contrast, <a href="https://statementonsocialjustice.com/">joined a statement</a> against the Marxist ideology the movement is based on, explicitly rejecting “any teaching that encourages racial groups to view themselves as privileged oppressors or entitled victims of oppression.”
<div id="attachment_138416" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-138416" class="size-full wp-image-138416" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/08/IMG_1038.jpg" alt="John MacArthur" width="640" height="480" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/08/IMG_1038.jpg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/08/IMG_1038-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />Courtesy John MacArthur</div>
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he <a href="https://www.gracechurch.org/news/posts/2254">openly defied</a> California’s restrictions on in-person worship, telling his congregation, “Whatever this virus is, it does not overpower First Amendment rights.” One of his final public acts came in 2022 when he sent a <a href="https://www.gty.org/blogs/B220928/an-open-letter-to-governor-newsom">scathing letter</a> to Governor Gavin Newsom addressing his use of Scripture to promote abortion:
<blockquote>[Y]ou revealed to the entire nation how thoroughly rebellious against God you are when you sponsored billboards across America promoting the slaughter of children, whom He creates in the womb (Psalm 139:13–16; Isaiah 45:9–12). You further compounded the wickedness of that murderous campaign with a reprehensible act of gross blasphemy, quoting the very words of Jesus from Mark 12:31 as if you could somehow twist His meaning and arrogate His name in favor of butchering unborn infants. You used the name and the words of Christ to promote the credo of Molech (Leviticus 20:1–5). It would be hard to imagine a greater sacrilege… My concern, Governor Newsom, is that your own soul lies in grave, eternal peril.</blockquote>
Johnson said both stances were consistent with MacArthur’s lifelong approach. “He believed the church must keep its focus on the gospel. And the letter to Newsom is a classic example of that because though he&#8217;s addressing a political leader, like John the Baptist did, with a very strong &#8230; gospel appeal.”
<h3>Generational Impact</h3>
Perhaps the clearest measure of MacArthur and Dobson’s legacies lies in the generations they shaped.
MacArthur’s influence can be seen in pulpits across the country. Thousands of pastors trained at the school he founded, The Master’s Seminary, or influenced by his preaching, now carry forward his model of expository preaching. Johnson shared that in his hometown of Tulsa, he once struggled to identify churches that offered sound, biblical preaching. Today, he said, he can point to many who trace their roots to MacArthur’s ministry. “All of them are connected somehow to John MacArthur. And that&#8217;s just one city. I think the whole country has benefited from the men who&#8217;ve been sent out from Master’s Seminary and men who&#8217;ve been influenced by people who&#8217;ve been influenced by John MacArthur.”
Thirty-two-year-old Nashville pastor, Jonny Ardavanis, is one such man. He recalled MacArthur’s advice when asked how to “pick your battles.” MacArthur’s answer was simple: “I pick every battle where gospel clarity and biblical authority are at stake.” Ardavanis said that principle continues to guide his ministry, and he believes the many comparisons to Charles Spurgeon that poured out on social media at news of MacArthur’s death were apt.
“Spurgeon is known as the prince of preachers, and John MacArthur is known for championing the authority and the sufficiency and the inerrancy of God&#8217;s word. That&#8217;s one of the things that John MacArthur really pushed on to the next generation of preachers—open up the Word of God and let it speak. It&#8217;s living and active…Both fought off the liberal drift of their day. Spurgeon was known for the downgrade controversy, where, at the time, the union was drifting in regards to the inerrancy and authority of God&#8217;s word. He stood staunch against that. MacArthur was known for the lordship debate, saying ‘Hey, you can&#8217;t call Jesus your savior without calling him your Lord,’ meaning that it was a rejection of cheap grace. And so both were known for preaching, but for standing firm on issues of doctrinal clarity.”
For Dobson, too, controversy was the cost of conviction, with critics frequently accusing him of turning from family counseling to the culture war. But Baker rejects that assessment. “People say Dobson spoiled his legacy by getting political,” he said, “but what if the issue had been slavery or segregation? We wouldn’t fault someone for standing up against those. Dobson saw abortion in that same category—a fundamental issue of justice.”
As Phil Johnson put it, “[MacArthur and Dobson] were both trying to stand astride the progress of history and say, ‘Wait a minute.’ They saw that a lot of what passed for progress was actually destructive, and they weren’t afraid to fight it.”
<div id="attachment_969131" style="width: 833px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-969131" class="size-large wp-image-969131" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-56542928-823x576.jpg" alt="PHILADELPHIA - JANUARY 8: Dr. James C. Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, gestures while speaking at the Justice Sunday III rally on January 8, 2006 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by the Family Research Council, the rally was held one day before the start of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)" width="823" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-56542928-823x576.jpg 823w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-56542928-300x210.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-56542928-768x538.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-56542928.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 823px) 100vw, 823px" />Jeff Fusco/Getty Images</div>
<h3>A Shared Legacy</h3>
Since their deaths, many of MacArthur and Dobson’s listeners have expressed a measure of fear over what will happen to American Christianity now that the men they viewed as lions of the faith have gone. But Johnson feels that’s a failure to remember what both men taught.
“I understand,” he said, “because it seems like a string of men who we respect and trust, whose voices we want to hear have died. Yet I comfort myself with Christ&#8217;s words that he&#8217;s going to build his church and the gates of hell are not going to prevail against it. So he&#8217;ll raise up new voices and new people with new courage, people who actually are standing on the shoulders of these men. We lament the loss of their voices, but we also understand that all of them believed in the sovereignty of God, that they didn&#8217;t die by mistake, and that their time is in God&#8217;s hands and their shoes will be filled by someone who maybe we don&#8217;t even know yet that the Lord will raise up.”
Their voices may now be silent, but the pastors filling pulpits trained under MacArthur and the activists inspired by Dobson testify that their influence endures.

MixCollage-05-Sep-2025-09-55-AM-3515

Lions Of The Faith: The Legacies Of John MacArthur And James Dobson

The Legacies Of John MacArthur And James Dobson: Giants Of The Faith

Bible

Christianity

Focus on the Family

James Dobson

John MacArthur

Obituaries

Pro-Life Movement

Religious Liberty

Republican Party

In 2020, as state authorities across the country were closing down churches and dictating worship practices — No singing! No more than fifty people! — my editor at a Christian magazine offered me an assignment. Would I interview renowned preacher John MacArthur, who at that time was making national headlines for opposing California Governor Gavin Newsom’s shutdown orders?
I could not have said &#8220;yes&#8221; faster.
My editor was unaware, but from the time I became a Christian some 20 years earlier, no public figure’s work had meant more to my life. No ministry had shaped me in greater ways than his international radio and podcast ministry, Grace to You. Like millions of other Christians around the world, his daily teachings had been the backdrop of mundane domestic tasks, long car rides, and sleepless nights. His books were the first resources I turned to when dealing with a crisis or trial. When I received a Stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis, his messages on suffering and prayer played through the wee hours, comforting me until I could catch a few hours of rest. When he sent me a message of personal encouragement, I told him that someday, it would be like showing my grandchildren a note I’d received from Charles Spurgeon. I laughed as I said it, but I wasn’t really joking.
They say you should never meet your heroes, the idea being that it will lead to inevitable disillusionment. I had the opposite experience with John MacArthur.
As we continued to correspond, my estimation of him grew deeper and richer. The man I spoke to privately was the same man whose public ministry I had followed so closely for so many years. His concern was always for faithful application of Scripture to any situation. And for souls. After I took a job with a conservative media company, every call I had with him included his urging me on to love and good works, especially to act as a Christian witness to any unbelieving coworkers and friends around me.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-tribute-to-john-macarthur-a-lion-who-was-my-friend?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Ben+Shapiro&amp;category=Opinion&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=A+Tribute+To+John+MacArthur%2C+A+Lion+Who+Was+My+Friend">BEN SHAPIRO: A Tribute To John MacArthur, A Lion Who Was My Friend</a>
Whether in debates on The Larry King Show or preaching from his pulpit, he never watered down the truth of Scripture to appeal to a general audience. His adherence to sound doctrine never wavered, and he never showed an ounce of reticence to preach the Word, clearly and plainly. Even in the bright glare of the secular media, he never equivocated on issues that are biblically true, but culturally unpopular.
So his staunch opposition to a government that thought it could claim jurisdiction over the practices of the church was no surprise. Nor was the open letter he wrote to Newsom, calling him to repentance.
Now, at his death at age 86, I cannot help but feel we have seen the last of the great lions pass out of the world. But I know, as Pastor John would’ve taught me, that the Lord does not leave himself without a witness. And He will raise up more teachers like Johnny Mac, as his dear friend, the great theologian R.C. Sproul, another of the great lions, used to call him.
On that note, I smile now to imagine the two of them reunited, their races now complete.
I thank the Lord for MacArthur’s legacy and that he now has the full joy of his salvation. And I live in the reassurance that, due in large part to his ministry, I will one day hear the words he is surely hearing now: well done, good and faithful servant.

The Great Lion Enters Into His Rest

COVID

A man reportedly looking for his wife at a Lexington, Kentucky, church gunned down a grandmother of eight and her daughter after shooting a state trooper near the city’s airport on Sunday. The gunman also shot the two women’s husbands, one of whom is the pastor at the church, before police responding to the emergency shot and killed him.
The suspected shooter, Guy House, 47, shot a state trooper outside Blue Grass Airport before fleeing, then carjacked a vehicle and headed to Richmond Road Baptist Church, the Lexington Herald Leader <a href="https://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crime/article310590260.html">reported.</a> The small church is comprised mainly of families related to one another, Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/13/us/kentucky-shooting-lexington-church-ky">said</a>.
Beverly Gumm, 72, and her daughter, Star Rutherford, were cooking lunch in the basement of the church on Sunday afternoon when House barged in and asked for his wife, the mother of their three children, who is Gumm’s daughter and Rutherford’s sister. When they informed him she wasn’t there, he said, “Well, someone is gonna have to die, then,” and started shooting, Rutherford told the Herald-Leader, which added, “Gumm, 72, ducked and avoided the first shot, but the second hit her in the chest, killing her. The man then went outside and shot and killed another of Rutherford’s sisters — Christina Combs, 32 — and injured two others: Gumm’s husband and the longtime pastor of the church, Jerry Gumm, and Combs’ husband, Randy Combs.”
Another daughter of Gumm’s, Rachael Barnes, said Combs had five children, including a 6-month-old baby, and had plans to graduate from nursing school in December. Of her slain mother and sister, she said, “They were both fantastic moms.” She said Jerry Gumm and Randy Combs were in critical but stable condition. The injured trooper is reportedly also in stable condition.
Star Rutherford said she held her mother as she died. Gumm’s surviving daughters said she was a “faithful member of the church who loved God,” and her “love language” was feeding “homeless people, drug addicts, strangers.”
“In 2022, the Lexington Police Department and Madison County Sheriff’s office featured House as the Crimestoppers ‘Wanted Person of the Week,’” Fox 56 r<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKEVJXLCGec">eported</a>. “He was wanted for wanton endangerment of a police officer.” Other charges against House included theft of a vehicle, fleeing and evading, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, and receiving stolen property.

Shooting In Kentucky Leaves State Trooper Injured And Multiple Victims At Baptist Church

Gunman Opens Fire At Kentucky Church After Shooting State Trooper, 2 Dead

Kentucky

Murder

Part of my job as a corporate engagement strategist is to read what’s on corporate ballots at American public companies. Reading these agendas reveals a stunning amount of blatantly anti-business proposals from corporate activist groups, from pushing Lockheed Martin to divest from Israel to pressuring Starbucks to make oat milk free to fight racism (yes, that’s real). But the other day, I came across perhaps one of the worst examples of corporate activism that’s not only anti-business, but arguably directly at odds with values of the organization pushing the proposal. The proposal? Supporting employee access to abortion. The proponent? The largest Presbyterian denomination in America.
The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (PCUSA) is one of the biggest Presbyterian denominations in America, with more than a million members in its ranks despite <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/pcusa-may-drop-below-1-million-member-mark-by-end-of-2025-report.html">losing</a> almost 50,000 members in 2024 alone. Earlier this year, the denomination shuttered its missionary program after almost two centuries, citing declining giving and church membership. But, while the international mission field may be a lost cause for PCUSA, financial struggles haven’t stopped them from pursuing other goals like making sure American employees can kill their unborn children. The PCUSA recently sponsored a <a href="https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001646972/7d526ba6-e36b-41a6-bd6a-9c4833529da6.pdf">shareholder proposal</a> for supermarket chain Albertsons, urging the company to report on the effects of state-level restrictions on abortion in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade. Even though the proposal came from an organization representing thousands of Christians, it’s a masterclass in pro-abortion virtue signaling. “[Employees] who cannot access abortion when needed are three times more likely to leave the workforce, and four times as likely to slip into poverty.” Conveniently, the stats on unborn children go unmentioned.
PCUSA’s demands are clear: “support abortion, or you’re not acting in the best interests of your shareholders or employees. By the way, we’re a church.” PCUSA’s slide into backwards orthodoxy, rejecting virtually every tenet of the historic Christian faith, is <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/stances-of-faiths-on-lgbt-issues-presbyterian-church-usa">well-documented</a>. But from a business perspective, there is an important question to ask: Is supporting abortion access a fiduciary responsibility of publicly traded companies? In my view, no. And there are at least two reasons. 
First, opining on divisive issues from abortion to ‘gender-affirming care’ is rapidly becoming the reddest of flags to both American consumers and businesses seeking to maintain their bottom line. All one needs to do is look at Target, Bud Light, &amp; Disney to see how politicized business becomes bad business. 
Second (and it’s a wonder we don’t talk about this more), companies that support abortion are literally supporting the killing of future customers. As my firm Bowyer Research wrote in a <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1996368/000109690625001103/bowy_px14a6g.htm">recent SEC filing</a>, urging shareholders to vote against the PCUSA’s proposal, “For a company like Albertsons, whose long-term success depends on serving growing families and communities, policies that suppress birth rates may ultimately shrink its future customer base.”
That takes us to another common pro-abortion talking point in corporate America: that businesses operating in pro-life states are going to see <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/no-people-are-not-fleeing-states-with-strong-pro-life-laws/">worker shortages</a>. That’s by no means a definitive statement. Albertsons is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Through a pro-abortion lens, companies in red states should be deeply concerned about the exodus of workers leaving for pro-abortion states. The reality? Idaho’s one of the <a href="https://boisedev.com/news/2025/01/27/idaho-2-million/">fastest-growing states</a> in America, with many of those new residents coming from pro-abortion states such as California, Oregon, and Washington. It’s almost as if population growth is more complicated than merely looking at a state’s abortion stance — if anything, pro-life Idaho seems to be winning the population growth war. It’s another reason that it simply makes no sense for a company like Albertsons to support abortion to appease corporate activists — especially when those activists come from the church.
This isn’t Christian corporate engagement, no matter what the Denethor-esque stewards of the PCUSA may tell you. But it is instructive as to how Christian organizations drift Left. While the PCUSA may be an infamously liberal denomination, that doesn’t mean that abortion advocacy is what many of its tithing church members, many of whom are conservative, and pensioned clergy want. You may be the most conservative PCUSA <a href="https://x.com/IsaacWillour/status/1940207329770897890">churchgoer</a> alive but they can still use your tithes to lobby for abortion.
This should be a wakeup call for all Christians on just how bad things are getting in mainline denominations. If you’re part of a church or Christian ministry, it’s time to get answers about who’s stewarding your finances and <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/06/13/the-results-of-christian-mutual-proxy-voting-analysis-leave-significant-room-for-improvement/">what they’re doing</a> — how are “you” voting on these sorts of proposals? Christian organizations have fallen asleep at the wheel when it comes to their finances reflecting their faith.
What can be done to remedy this particular situation? A good place to start is making sure that your church is never in the arena advocating for the killing of unborn children. And right now, the PCUSA’s doing just that.
* * *
Isaac Willour is an award-winning journalist focusing on race, culture, and American conservatism, as well as a corporate relations analyst at Bowyer Research. His work has been featured at outlets including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Opinion, C-SPAN, and The Daily Wire. He is a member of the Young Voices contributor program and can be found on X <a href="https://twitter.com/IsaacWillour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@IsaacWillour</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Blurry background speaker on conference stage with projector in America

A Major Church Just Advocated For Abortion At A Shareholder Meeting

Abortion

Business

Corporations

Police identified the man who was shot and killed by a security guard after targeting CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan, on Sunday.
Officials named Brian Anthony Browning, 31, from Romulus, Michigan, as the suspected gunman, The Detroit News <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2025/06/23/police-id-suspected-gunman-fatally-shot-at-wayne-church/84315724007/">reported</a>. Browning was the son of a woman who is a member of the church, and he attended two or three services at CrossPointe in the past year. He might have been suffering from a mental health crisis, investigators said, adding that there is no evidence to suggest his alleged actions had any connection with the conflict in the Middle East.
Wayne Police said that the suspect was driving erratically outside the church building before exiting his vehicle and firing his AR-15 style rifle at the church. Browning was also armed with a semi-automatic handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. He was reportedly struck by a Ford F-150 driven by a church deacon, giving the security team time to take out the shooter.
Authorities obtained a search warrant for Browning&#8217;s home in Romulus, which is just south of Wayne. At the residence, law enforcement found more rifles, handguns, and ammunition, according to The Detroit News. Browning had no criminal history or previous run-ins with Wayne Police.
Police said that the church&#8217;s security team acted quickly after the gunfire erupted, locking the doors to protect congregants and then engaging with the alleged shooter. One of the security guards was injured after getting shot in the leg. The wounded security guard is in stable condition after undergoing surgery, according to authorities.
&#8220;We are grateful for the heroic actions of the church&#8217;s staff members, who undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting,&#8221; said Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong.
Around 150 people, many of them children, were in attendance for the Sunday morning service. CrossPointe was holding a special vacation Bible school service, a summer program many churches put on for young children, when the shooter opened fire.
A livestream video of the service showed the Christian worshipers ducking for cover after a security guard told them to evacuate as shots were fired outside the building.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: People fleeing at Crosspointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan after shooting. <a href="https://t.co/jJXi1GXeWR">pic.twitter.com/jJXi1GXeWR</a>
— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) <a href="https://twitter.com/AZ_Intel_/status/1936828501694300423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said on Sunday that the bureau&#8217;s &#8220;leadership and support teams are on the ground, at the scene, in Wayne, Michigan providing assistance and investigative support.&#8221;

Michigan Church Shooting

Police Identify Suspected Gunman In Michigan Church Shooting

Police

Shooting

A shooter was shot and killed by a security guard after opening fire at a church in Wayne, Michigan, while worshipers were gathered for a service on Sunday.
The assailant was stopped before he could make it inside CrossPointe Community Church when one of the church&#8217;s deacons hit him with his Ford F-150, giving the security guard time to shoot the attacker, according to Senior Pastor Bobby Kelly Jr., The Detroit News <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2025/06/22/security-guard-kills-active-shooter-at-crosspointe-church-wayne-police-say/84307435007/">reported</a>. The security guard was also wounded in the shooting after taking a bullet to the leg, but no one else was injured.
There were around 150 people in attendance when the shooter targeted the church, which is located around 25 miles west of Detroit. A livestream video of the service showed the Christian worshipers, many of whom were children, ducking for cover after a security guard told them to evacuate as shots were fired outside the building. CrossPointe was holding a special vacation Bible school service, a summer program many churches put on for young children. While the shooter was stopped from making it inside the church, he fired multiple shots into the building.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: People fleeing at Crosspointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan after shooting. <a href="https://t.co/jJXi1GXeWR">pic.twitter.com/jJXi1GXeWR</a>
&mdash; AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) <a href="https://twitter.com/AZ_Intel_/status/1936828501694300423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to Wayne Police Deputy Chief Finley Carter, the shooter was a 31-year-old man. Kelly said that the man did not appear to be a member of the church.
Local, state, and federal authorities are on the ground investigating the shooting. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino <a href="https://x.com/FBIDDBongino/status/1936841401464947034">wrote</a> on X, &#8220;Our leadership and support teams are on the ground, at the scene, in Wayne, Michigan providing assistance and investigative support.&#8221;
Kelly said that the church started a security team around 10 years ago in response to threats to churches across the country, according to The Detroit News. The pastor added that before Sunday, CrossPointe had not received any threats of violence.
&#8220;We are sitting ducks to someone who wants to come and do harm,&#8221; he said.

Michigan church shooting

TRAGEDY AVERTED: Shooter Targeting Michigan Church Taken Out By Security Guard

An American missionary in South Africa who was kidnapped during a church service last week was rescued by authorities following a deadly shootout on Tuesday.
After searching for Josh Sullivan, 45, for five days, police received a tip that the missionary was being held in a safe house in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha, which is around 20 minutes away from Sullivan&#8217;s church. When authorities approached the house on Tuesday, they saw multiple suspects inside a vehicle who opened fire on police, according to a <a href="https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/selnewsdetails.php?nid=60329" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the South African Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS).
&#8220;The officers responded with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded,&#8221; the statement added.
Following the deadly shootout, Sullivan was found inside the vehicle &#8220;miraculously unharmed,&#8221; according to authorities. He was later assessed by medics and is in &#8220;excellent condition.&#8221;
While the South African authorities did not share the name of Sullivan in their statement, Pastor Tom Hatley, who oversees Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee, where the Sullivans were previously members, shared the news of the missionary&#8217;s rescue.
&#8220;Josh has been released. I just got &#8216;the go ahead to let it be known,'&#8221; Hatley wrote on Facebook, adding, &#8220;Thank you for your support and prayers. Please do not stop praying for The Sullivans. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!&#8221;
Sullivan, a husband and father of six children, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/american-missionary-kidnapped-at-gunpoint-during-church-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was taken at gunpoint</a> by armed men while he was preaching a sermon at Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, just outside the city of Gqeberha, last Thursday. Around 30 people, including Sullivan&#8217;s family, were at the church service when Sullivan was kidnapped, but no one was harmed.
The captors reportedly knew Sullivan&#8217;s name when they entered the church, and Fellowship Baptist Church was the target of threats last year, according to human rights group International Christian Concern, sparking concern that Sullivan was taken because of his faith. However, Reverend Jeremy Hall, who also pastors in the Gqeberha area, said the kidnapping was likely “financially related.”
South Africa has experienced a massive spike in kidnappings over the past decade, jumping 264%. From 2023 to 2024 alone, there were more than 17,000 kidnappings in the country.

Josh Sullivan

‘Miraculously Unharmed’: American Missionary Rescued In Deadly Shootout After Gunpoint Kidnapping

Rescue

South Africa

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