A powerful message by Franklin Graham, the influential religious leader, has gone viral after a tragic shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville. The incident, which claimed several lives, was described by Graham as an act of evil, perpetrated by an individual with a dark heart and mind.
In the statement, he also praised the bravery of the law enforcement officers and first responders who responded to the incident, risking their lives to save others. While mourning the loss of loved ones, Graham’s message emphasized the hope and victory offered by Jesus Christ’s resurrection.
We’re surrounded by evil in this world—and that’s what we saw walk into that Nashville elementary school yesterday—evil. The evil certainly wasn’t in the weapon, but it was in the heart and mind of the one who came to kill and destroy.
I want to praise the law enforcement officers and first responders who rushed to The Covenant School at 10:13 Monday morning, not knowing what they would encounter. They didn’t hesitate—they ran into the fire, risking their own lives to save lives. Within 15 minutes of the initial shots, the killer was taken down. We applaud them for their bravery, and I thank God for each one of them.
We mourn along with those who have lost their loved ones in this horrible tragedy, but the Bible tells us that we do not grieve as those without hope—because our resurrected Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, has defeated death, sin, and Satan through the Cross.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).