This Didn’t Come Out of Nowhere

A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble

“Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” — Ephesians 4:26

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Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images

This past weekend, a man tried to break through security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, intending to harm the President and others there.¹

Things could have turned to mass violence, but they didn’t—and that’s important. Still, we shouldn’t see this as just a one-time event. We need to consider what kind of environment makes something like this possible.

This didn’t happen without reason. We live in a culture where anger is often stirred up, grievances are rewarded, and people with different views are not just disagreed with but diminished, mocked and treated as enemies. This isn’t just a problem for one group; it affects everyone. It shapes Trump’s supporters, and it shapes those who oppose him. It influences how we see the world and what we think is possible.

Leadership plays a central role in this. When a leader consistently uses language that dehumanizes, ridicules, and frames conflict as domination, it does not remain at the level of rhetoric. It begins to shape the emotional life of a nation. It lowers the threshold for what feels acceptable. It teaches people how to express their anger.

So when violence erupts, we cannot only ask who acted. We have to ask what kind of moral environment made that action feel possible.

The President was asked by a reporter why there have been repeated attempts on his life. He responded that being a force for impact makes you a target.² That explanation is too simple. There have always been leaders who brought significant change without cultivating a culture of contempt. There have been leaders who faced deep opposition without encouraging dehumanization. We have to be more honest about what is happening.

We’re not just seeing political fights. We’re seeing our shared sense of right and wrong break down. When people stop seeing each other as human and deserving of respect, violence becomes easier to imagine. It’s not certain to happen, but it starts to seem possible in new ways.

This is where the theological work begins. Our faith traditions don’t deny anger. Anger can be a faithful response to injustice. It shows that something is wrong and harm is happening. The prophets spoke from that place. Jesus acted from that place when he overturned the tables in the temple. People remember that moment for its force, but it wasn’t random or out of control. It was focused and called out a system that turned devotion into exploitation.

But these traditions also set limits, even if we don’t always see them clearly.

Anger that is not formed becomes destructive. It narrows our vision and reduces the complexity of human beings. It begins to divide the world into those who are right and those who are wrong, those who belong and those who do not. Over time, it tempts us to believe that harm is justified if it serves our side.

Scripture is clear about where this leads. In the story of Cain and Abel, anger doesn’t stay inside; it changes how Cain sees the world. God tells Cain that sin is “crouching at the door,” and he must learn to control it.³ The warning isn’t about anger itself, but about what happens when anger takes over. Cain stops seeing Abel as his brother and starts seeing him as the problem. When that happens, violence becomes possible.

This is the pattern we see.

Anger that starts as a reaction to injustice can, if not shaped, become a reason to harm others. It can make us believe someone else isn’t fully human or doesn’t deserve restraint. It can make things that once seemed unthinkable start to feel necessary.

That’s the deeper danger we face now—not just that violence happens, but that it starts to make sense in the way we think.

We’re not separate from this. We take part in it. The way we talk, what we repeat, what we support, and how we treat those we disagree with all shape our environment. This isn’t about blaming ourselves for someone else’s actions. It’s about seeing that we’re all shaped by something, and we all help shape it too.

Our job isn’t just to stop violence. It’s to become people who don’t see violence as an answer to the world’s problems. That takes discipline, restraint, and a real commitment to seeing others as human, even when we strongly disagree with them.

This doesn’t mean we ignore harm. It means we refuse to become people who act in the same harmful ways.

What happened this weekend should make us pause, not just because of what almost happened, but because of what it shows about the world we live in. The real question now is not just how we respond, but who we are becoming as a result.

That’s where the real work is.

We are in this together,

Cameron

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Reflection Questions

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1. Where do you notice anger shaping the way you see other people right now?

2. When does your anger move from naming harm to reducing someone else’s humanity?

3. What helps you stay grounded when strong emotions begin to take over?

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A Prayer for the Day

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A Prayer For the Formation of Our Anger

God,

you know the anger we carry.

You know what we have seen and what we cannot ignore.

Do not take our anger away,
but do not leave it unformed.

Teach us how to hold it without letting it take over.
Teach us how to respond without causing harm.

Help us see others clearly, even in conflict.
Help us remain grounded in what is right, not just what is reactive.

Shape us into people who can face what is broken
without becoming part of the damage.

Amen.

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Spiritual Practice

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Staying Present with Anger

Today, when you feel anger rise, pause before you respond.

Name what you are reacting to. Be specific. Let the anger point to what matters to you.

Then ask yourself a second question: What would it look like to respond to this without causing harm?

If you are in conversation, slow down. Listen carefully. Resist the urge to escalate.

If you are alone, write down what you are feeling. Notice where your thoughts move toward judgment or dismissal.

Choose one response that reflects your values rather than your reaction.

Return to this practice throughout the day.

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Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…

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My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.

May 27, 2026, 12pm ET - FREE WEBINAR - I will be hosting an online experience titled “Reclaiming the Power of Imagination: A live experiential webinar with Jackie Sussman." Jackie, a psychotherapist, author, and leading expert in Eidetic Image Psychology, has spent over forty years helping leaders and individuals unlock creativity, uncover hidden strengths, and move through limiting patterns. During this session, she will lead a live Eidetic process shaped by mythic imagery, offering a direct experience of the work. REGISTER HERE.

On July 19-24, 2026, I’ll be leading a Women’s Wellness Retreat in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming, and I’d love to extend the invitation to you. We’ll spend five days off the grid, riding horses through wide open landscapes, sharing meals, and creating space to slow down enough to hear ourselves think again. This retreat is about returning to yourself, settling your nervous system, letting go of what you’ve been carrying, and getting clearer about what matters now. The group will be small (no more than 10 women), and we’ll move at a steady, spacious pace, with plenty of room for both conversation and quiet. I hope you’ll consider joining us.

I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.

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Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…

I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.

My colleagues at The Hartford Institute for Religion Research released new findings Friday showing American congregations have made measurable gains since the pandemic — but the picture is complicated. The report, “Signs of Rebound Amid Uneven Recovery: The Changing Congregational Landscape,” draws on a national survey of 7,453 congregations conducted between September and December 2025.

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I am very lucky to collaborate with the great team at Church Anew in a number of ways. We are dreaming up a preaching conference and wonder who you might like to learn from (if you are a preacher-type). If you have a moment, fill out this form.

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My colleague, the amazing Rev. Anna Golladay, is hosting another online training in Protest and Action Chaplaincy. This course offers a framework for providing compassionate, grounded spiritual care during protests, advocacy gatherings, and social movements. Drawing from a variety of faith traditions and critical social justice theory, it equips chaplains, pastors, and spiritual leaders to respond with integrity, purpose, and preparedness. LEARN MORE HERE.

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If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.

1. https://apnews.com/article/white-house-correspondents-dinner-trump-gunman-3cd1911ecc8a4f7d208ba5eb071fc715

2. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-portrays-shooting-proof-his-presidencys-power-2026-04-26/

3. Genesis 4:7 (NRSV) - “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”