For Immediate Release: September 29, 2025
Contact: Heather Cabral, 202-550-6880, hcabral@faithinaction.org 

National Faith Leader Calls for Courageous Action Following Latest Mass Shootings, Violence Across the Country

Faith in Action urges more than thoughts and prayers after a weekend of escalated violence 

WASHINGTON  – Following violent attacks and mass shootings in Michigan and North Carolina and increased state-sanctioned violence in communities across the country, Bishop Dwayne Royster, executive director of Faith in Action, is calling for people of faith and goodwill to stand for peace and take courageous action: 

“The time for thoughts, prayers, and insincere platitudes is long past. Christian scripture tells us our faith must be matched with action. As a people of faith, we say with moral clarity – the violence is not inevitable. The horrific mass shootings and violent attacks in Michigan and North Carolina were not inevitable. They are a symptom of a society that allows easy access to weapons of war while tolerating the reckless rhetoric of political leaders who stoke fear, division, and resentment. 

“When those in Congress and the administration turn a blind eye to violence perpetrated against the residents and citizens of this country, they are stoking the very culture of violence they claim to abhor in the wake of these tragedies.

“Jesus reminds us that ‘those who live by the sword will die by the sword.’ We are summoned instead to beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks—to build not just a safer society, but God’s beloved community, where justice and peace embrace and every child can grow without fear. The time for excuses is over. The time for courage, compassion, and action is now.”