When I was thinking about the title of our gathering, Faithful Responses for Churches and Individuals, I thought of different populations – Latino churches, Anglo churches, Venezuelans in exile, and people in Venezuela. And I realized that the same narrative doesn't fit all. There is a lot of pain, frustration, fear, hunger, and hunger for justice that need to be respected and held with compassion. Following Ezekiel's wisdom of a time for everything, the reality is that different people are interpreting this time from different perspectives. There are people with whom I cannot have a reasonable conversation yet, from all sides. But for those who are seeking discernment and clarity in the midst of a very chaotic developing situation, there are a few things that I think we can all keep in mind. One is that most Venezuelan people want a prosperous Venezuela. How we get there and what it means is a matter of debate.

I have seen several posts that point out, or comment on, the Christianity of Renée Good’s assassin Jonathan Ross. I think that some have done this to point out the apostasy, heresy, and hypocrisy of Christians murdering civilians by shooting them in the face. But more often, the point in pointing out his faith and religious identity seems to be a “gotcha” about the ways in which Ross (and his propagandists JD Vance and Kristi Noem) fully embody the “white Christian nationalism” which has fully fused itself with the domination-system of powers and principalities, against which the Bible urges us to wage spiritual war in Ephesians, chapter six.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration removed the “Faces of Gun Violence” memorial from the ATF and made it easier to access machine gun–like weapons. We refuse to let this moment go unchallenged.

Our latest statement centers survivors, recommits to this sacred work, and invites you to take action with us.

Read the full statement + join the movement