USA (MNN) — Police and the National Guard remain on high alert in Washington D.C. and in state capitals around the country after the storming of the Capitol building two weeks ago. Thankfully, this weekend only saw small protests and no violence.
The FBI continues to monitor potential unrest ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration tomorrow. Additionally, several people who took part in storming the capitol have since been detained. Many were caught on videos subsequently uploaded to social media.
Damage from inside the Capitol building following the riot. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
The January 6th riots put on full display some of the darkest corners of American history. White supremacist symbols dotted the crowd and someone waved a confederate flag inside the Capitol building itself. Five people died, and dozens of police officers were injured.
Rex Rogers, President of SAT-7 USA, urges Christians to pray for peace. “We want to pray for those who are in authority, we want to pray for the safety of law enforcement people who are put out there. That’s somebody’s sons and daughters who are in the middle of all this.”
How can Christians respond?
Rogers says Christians in the U.S. can learn how to handle times of political unrest by watching their brothers and sisters from other countries around the world. “Christians there have long since understood that they cannot look to government, or regimes, or political leaders, or ideologies, or parties, for their protection and salvation, so to speak. Actually, to do that is idolatry. They’re amazingly resilient in their commitment to Christ and Christianity. We should be doing the same thing.”
Pray Christians would love each other during this turbulent time without confusing politics with identity in Christ. Rogers says, “You do that? You’ve just reduced the prophetic power and voice of your faith.”
Header photo: New Jersey National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from 1st Battalion, 114th Infantry Regiment, 508th Military Police Company, 108th Wing, and 177th Fighter Wing arrive near the Capitol to set up security positions in Washington, D.C., Jan. 12, 2021. National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from several states have traveled to Washington to provide support to federal and district authorities leading up to the 59th Presidential Inauguration. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Matt Hecht) (The National Guard, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
