From missionary to alleged murderer: Vance Boelter and the deadly cost of religious extremism
The Minnesota man's sermons, ideology, and violent actions show the dangers of unchecked religious radicalism
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Vance Boelter, a Minnesota man with extensive ties to conservative Christianity, has been apprehended and charged in the murders of Minnesota lawmaker Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and the attempted murders of her colleague Sen. John Hoffman and his wife. He also faces federal charges that could result in the death penalty.
By now, you’ve likely heard the tragic details. Boelter posed as a cop and went to the homes of those two elected Democrats (and apparently others before them), shooting them after they came to the door. He was found after a massive manhunt nearly two days later. While he has yet to enter a plea or explain his motivation in his own words, the signs suggest he’s a conservative extremist who believes eliminating Democrats (in a legislature where the balance of power is split roughly evenly) would be good for his agenda. He was a registered Republican when he lived in Oklahoma and was a “strong supporter” of Trump, whom he voted for more recently.
But as much as this has been called a “politically motivated” shooting, it’s worth looking into the role religion may have played.
Boelter is a preacher who spent time in recent years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A few clips of his sermons are still online, and while much of it is boilerplate Christianity, some of it looks damning in hindsight.
For example, in one 2023 sermon, he claimed that God would “raise up apostles and prophets in America… to correct his church… And those that are connected to the body… they will come through this mess… and they will be strong again.”
In that same sermon, he also said “America is in a bad place” and that many churches were “so messed up… they don’t know abortion is wrong.” (His victims had voted in support of abortion rights and Boelter’s “hit list” was full of other politicians who had done the same—along with abortion clinics.)
It never crossed his mind that we’re in a “bad place” because of people like him and the way they try to force their harmful views upon everyone else.
In yet another sermon, he claimed America was so corrupted by Satan, that some people “don’t know what sex they are… They’re confused… The enemy has gotten so far into their mind and their soul.” Which is to say: Trans people exist, but Boelter refuses to understand them.
Out of context, those seem extreme. In context, they’re par for the course for any conservative Christian preacher. The sermons reek of utter disdain for everyone who doesn’t already accept his beliefs and total ignorance about the people who don’t fit his traditional mold. In fact, one of Boelter’s neighbors and close friends said “he really hated abortion” in the 1990s but hadn’t heard Boelter talk about the topic recently. (The sermons show otherwise.) There’s also less of a need to talk about a topic when you’re fully convinced you’re on God’s side, no longer interested in changing anyone else’s mind, and think the only way to promote “pro-life” policies is by murdering people.
Boelter’s ties to conservative Christianity aren’t limited to the preaching either. He’s been a religious radical for decades:
On the now-defunct website for Revoformation, a nonprofit apparently founded by Boelter, a biography said that he was ordained in 1993 and had attended Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, a charismatic “Spirit-filled Bible School,” according to its website, that helps develop ministry skills.
The biography said that Boelter had spent time in Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, where, it says, “He sought out militant Islamists in order to share the gospel and tell them that violence wasn’t the answer.”
That school promotes New Apostolic Reformation, a theology that says apostles and prophets will be restored to help Christians take over everything, including government, via the Seven Mountains Mandate. If you thought a person who graduated three decades ago might have mellowed out on those beliefs since then, Boelter’s sermons show he hasn’t changed at all.
And then there were the “likes”:
A Facebook profile under the suspected shooter’s name was briefly viewed by WIRED before it was taken down. His profile had shown him “liking” several evangelical missionary organizations, as well as pages honoring Reinhard Bonnke, a German pentecostal evangelist known for missions in several African countries, and Smith Wigglesworth, a British evangelist who was influential in the pentecostal movement. He also “liked” the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal advocacy organization known for its hardline stances against abortion and LGBTQ rights.
As far as I can tell, none of these Christian groups or schools has said anything substantive about the shootings. And while I don’t think it’s fair to blame the groups for what a former graduate or supporter did, it’s fair to ask what role those radical beliefs had in Boelter’s actions. How many evangelical pastors are going to tell their congregations that supporters of abortion rights shouldn’t be treated as zealots, much less murderers, despite their disagreements? (None, obviously.)
If Boelter believed that God was on his side, and that he would be forgiven for anything he did to advance God’s agenda—even if that meant murder—with no rational thought ever offered for why people might have different views on these subjects, at least some of the blame should be placed on those extremist Christian views and the people who continue to perpetuate them. They’ve dehumanized supporters of bodily autonomy so much that one of their followers may have felt justified to kill in order to advance those policy goals.
To hell with the Ten Commandments and “Thou shalt not kill.” Christians like Boelter believe they’re obligated to follow God’s laws… except for the ones God told Moses to literally etch in stone.
Some people online have joked that it’s always the ones you absolutely suspect. Boelter made this easy. He’s a right-wing, anti-abortion nutjob who believes his mission in life is to spread the Gospel to Black people as part of an effort to take over the world for his God. He was spurred by Christian leaders who keep insisting their way of life is the only way for everybody. It’s not that they told him to kill. It’s that they told him anything was worth the cost if it advanced the kingdom of God. He was deluded. And then he acted on those delusions.
UPDATE: Christ For The Nations Institute has issued this press release that includes context for their founder’s bizarre slogan, “Every Christian should pray at least one violent prayer a day.”
… We are absolutely aghast and horrified that a CFNI alumnus is the suspect. This is not who we are. This is not what we teach. This is not what we model. We have been training Christian servant leaders for 55 years and they have been agents of good, not evil.
CFNI unequivocally rejects, denounces, and condemns any and all forms of violence and extremism, be it politically, racially, religiously or otherwise motivated. Our organization’s mission is to educate and equip students to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through compassion, love, prayer, service, worship, and value for human life. These core Christian values and principles, which we highly esteem and embrace, are in stark contrast to the hateful beliefs, behavior and actions now being attributed to Mr. Boelter.
Due to queries and different online sources misinterpreting and misrepresenting Christ For The Nations’ founder’s “every Christian should pray at least one violent prayer a day” slogan, we thought it important to clarify this issue. Known for a devoted life of prayer, Gordon Lindsay, who passed away in 1973, often shared this slogan privately and at public Christian gatherings. By “violent prayer” he meant that a Christian’s prayer-life should be intense, fervent, and passionate, not passive and lukewarm, considering that spiritual forces of darkness are focused on attacking life, identity in God, purpose, peace, love, joy, truth, health, and other good things.
… CFNI has had no contact with Mr. Boelter since his time as a student 35 years ago. We are completely unaware of what led to this kind of mental, emotional, social, and spiritual bankruptcy since he left CFNI.
We extend our condolences and deepest sympathies to the immediate families, friends, coworkers and acquaintances who have been affected by this tragedy. We continue to lift up Democratic State Senator John Hoffman, and his wife Yvette who were both wounded, and are undergoing medical care. This should have never happened!
Not a drag queen. Not an immigrant. Not transgender.
Tells militant Islamists that violence isn't the answer and then murders people and attacks others while planning more such attacks.
Disconnect, much?