When Love Grows Cold: The Rise of Political Violence

When Love Grows Cold: The Rise of Political Violence

Written by David E. Smith

The growing political violence in the U.S. is a serious concern that threatens both the stability of our republic and the safety of its citizens. What we’re witnessing today is not merely partisan animosity, but open hostility — a clear sign of our culture’s moral and spiritual decline, which undermines the very foundation of a civilized society.

Just look at the violent mobs that recently targeted ICE offices and federal agents — torching vehicles, smashing windows, and assaulting officers who enforce our nation’s immigration laws. These aren’t peaceful protesters; they are radical activists driven by rage and emboldened by politicians and media outlets that excuse or minimize their lawlessness.

To make matters worse, several officers have been doxed — their names, addresses, and family information publicly released online as part of coordinated harassment campaigns designed to intimidate and silence law enforcement. Even more disturbing, reports have surfaced that Mexican drug cartels have created “hit lists” targeting American law enforcement officers working along the southern border. There are even open calls for murder from rally speakers.

And now comes news that the U.S. Secret Service discovered a hunting stand with a direct view of where former President Donald J. Trump exits Air Force One near Palm Beach Airport — a chilling reminder that hatred in our politics is no longer just verbal or virtual. It’s physical. It’s dangerous. And it’s escalating.

It is clear that the rule of law itself is beginning to crumble.

A Pattern of Violence

From the 2017 congressional baseball shooting that nearly killed U.S. Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA) to the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk, the pattern of politically motivated violence is undeniable. The Washington Examiner has documented a disturbing timeline showing how such attacks have steadily increased over the past decade.

These are not isolated crimes; they are the symptoms of a deeper sickness — a critical spiritual condition. A nation once founded on biblical truth and grounded in civil debate and persuasion is now descending into intimidation and aggression.

Political violence in America has been fueled by the reckless and inflammatory rhetoric of politicians and pundits who routinely dehumanize their opponents — calling them “Nazis,” “fascists,” or “jackbooted thugs” on social media and in public settings. This kind of language poisons public discourse and fosters an environment where hostility becomes normal and aggression feels justified.

On the Left, radical organizations like Antifa and their affiliates — including groups such as the Zizians and the John Brown Gun Club — openly promote armed resistance against so-called “fascist threats.” Their message is clear: if persuasion fails, intimidation and violence will do. In some cases, activists have even distributed flyers on college campuses with phrases like “Hey fascist, catch this,” illustrated with images of bullets marked with threatening slogans — a chilling visual of how deeply this poison has spread.

What begins as rhetorical hyperbole at the top trickles down into the streets. Dehumanizing language encourages dehumanizing behavior. When leaders and influencers treat their opponents as enemies to be destroyed rather than citizens to be persuaded or won over, they give license to violence.

And once violence becomes politically acceptable — once it’s seen as a tool for “justice” or “change” — no one is safe. The result is a nation on edge, where the seeds of contempt sown in speech bear their bitter fruit in bloodshed.

A Culture Where Love Has Grown Cold

Jesus warned that “because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). What we’re seeing today fits that description all too well. Lawlessness is no longer hidden — it’s celebrated, justified, even weaponized. We shouldn’t be surprised, the Apostle Paul warned in 2 Timothy 3:2–5 that in the last days, people would become

“lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

Does that not describe the spirit of our age? We’ve cultivated a generation that values self-expression over self-control, outrage over humility, and vengeance over virtue.

As The Federalist recently observed, political violence is no longer confined to the fringes — it’s being normalized and encouraged. Some activists and influencers now openly suggest that silencing or even harming opponents is acceptable if it advances their cause. That mindset is toxic to a free society.

Every act of violence is ultimately a rejection of the truth that human life is sacred. The willingness to destroy human life for ideological or partisan gain reveals just how godless we’ve become. When we forsake God’s moral order — the command to love others as ourselves — the result is predictable: chaos, fear, cruelty, bloodshed, and death.

The tragedy is not just that Americans are attacking each other — it’s that many no longer even see their opponents as fellow image-bearers of God. Political idolatry has replaced moral sanity — and with it, the fear of Almighty God.

A Call to Christians

This is where Christian Citizens must stand apart. We cannot mirror the world’s rage or adopt its methods. We must be salt and light — both preserving what is good and exposing what is evil.

The antidote to violence is not passivity; it’s an overt righteousness lived out before an unbelieving world. We must speak truth, model Christian love, and remind our neighbors that our ultimate hope is not in politicians, but in Jesus Christ — the Prince of Peace. Only when hearts are changed and minds renewed by the Holy Spirit can a culture of life and love be restored to our republic.

America’s political divide has become a moral chasm. Unless we return to God’s ways — to a love that does not grow cold — that chasm will only widen until it swallows us whole.

We must reject lawlessness, restore respect for life, and remember that our political opponents are not our enemies, but souls in need of the same grace that saved us. In truth, they are prisoners of war — held captive by the father of lies.

Because when love grows cold, freedom dies. And when we lose our regard for life, we lose the very heart of what it means to be human — and the divine purpose for which we were created: God’s glory and everlasting fellowship with Him.