1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

To Members of Congress, There is a line we should never cross—and I’m afraid some of our leaders have sprinted past it. A husband and wife were just murdered. Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota lawmaker, and her husband Mark, are gone. Two children are left behind. And instead of mourning or offering the most basic human decency, a sitting U.S. Senator—Mike Lee—chose to mock their deaths. That is not just cruel. It is a moral failure. Where is our compassion? Where is our conscience? We’re watching the soul of our country unravel as cruelty becomes a badge of honor and empathy is dismissed as weakness. I’m asking you to draw a line. Don’t let this become normal. This is not about policy disagreements or political affiliations. This is about whether we still believe in basic human decency. It's about whether our leaders reflect the values they so often preach—especially those who claim the name of Christ. To follow Jesus is to reflect His heart: one of mercy, forgiveness, and radical compassion. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” Jesus said—even while He was being crucified. Not mocked, not scorned—forgiven. If we’re going to quote the Constitution and carry pocket Bibles, we better live the values in both. If you call yourself a Christian in office, that comes with weight. You are a living, breathing representative of what Jesus looks like to many Americans. Do people look at your actions and see love, kindness, self-control, and grace? Or do they see sarcasm, cruelty, and partisanship dressed up in religious language? Please: speak out. Demand better. Show us what it looks like to disagree with courage and compassion. Lead with humility. Honor your colleagues—even in death. Let your words be so rooted in goodness that people are drawn to your faith because you live it, not because you label it. We can’t undo what was said, but we can still choose to be better than this.