Two prominent faith leaders are rejecting the criticisms of prayer as ineffective following Wednesday’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
After a trans-identified gunman opened fire at the Catholic school, leaving two children dead and 17 others wounded, several political figures and pundits dismissed calls for prayers in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Jen Psaki, who served as press secretary to former President Joe Biden, declared on X on Wednesday, “Prayer is not freaking enough.”
“Prayers does [sic] not end school shootings,” she added. “Prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers.”
Psaki’s comments received condemnation from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who called them “incredibly insensitive,” and Vice President JD Vance, who defended the power of prayer. Now, faith leaders are weighing in.
In a statement posted on X on Thursday, Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Ministries responded to a post shared by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which encouraged people to “pray without ceasing.” Laurie insisted that “No truer thing could be said about our nation right now than this: we need prayer.”
“Those who criticize prayer could not be more mistaken,” he added. Laurie also directly addressed one of the arguments that emerged from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and others following the school shooting: “Yes, it is heartbreaking that children were praying when they were shot in the Church in Minneapolis. Yet let us remember that Christ Himself prayed as He was crucified, Stephen prayed as he was martyred, and countless other courageous Christians lifted their voices to God in their final moments of life.”
Laurie further shared his belief that “America desperately needs a spiritual awakening” before posting the Bible verse 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
“Let’s remember to pray for our nation — no matter what the pundits may say,” he concluded.
The Rev. Franklin Graham, CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the charity Samaritan’s Purse, shared his thoughts on the debate about the effectiveness of prayer in a Facebook post Friday that specifically called out Minneapolis’ Democratic mayor for publishing a post on X that implored people, “Don’t just say we need thoughts and prayers. These kids were literally in a church praying.”
“To the Democratic mayor of Minneapolis and the other socialist left who have criticized calling for prayer in the aftermath of the tragic school shooting — your words do not change or diminish the power and importance of prayer,” Graham wrote. “Because someone calls for prayer doesn’t mean bad things aren’t going to happen or that the emergency is going to disappear, we all know that. But prayer is our opportunity to communicate directly with the God of Heaven and take our petitions to Him.”
After expressing certainty that “God does see, God does hear, and God can intervene,” Graham shared the Bible verse Hebrews 4:16, which states, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Graham added, “The Bible tells us that Jesus Himself prayed fervently when He was facing death on the cross.”
“In the case of these students who were shot and killed while praying, God can give comfort and peace to the families who have been devastated. The god of this age is Satan — he is the one who wants to steal, kill and destroy.”
Identifying Satan as “the author of all lies and the turmoil and violence that ensues — like this senseless shooting,” Graham explained how “the Bible teaches that one day Jesus Christ will return and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.” Graham vowed that “He will wipe away every tear, and peace will come upon this world, because He is the Prince of Peace — He is the embodiment of peace, truth, and righteousness.”
“He will judge those who are alive and those who are dead. Yes, we pray, and I will continue to encourage people to pray. Satan would like nothing better than to thwart the most vital tool Good has given us: prayer,” Graham proclaimed before delivering a message to Frey: “I hope that you will come to know the price that was paid for your sins and that you will understand the value of prayer in your own life.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
