Christ for the Nations Institute, the alma mater of the Minnesota shooting suspect Vance Boelter, has issued a statement disavowing any links between its faculty and programs and Boelter’s violent actions, speaking out shortly before Boelter was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder for shooting and killing Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband.
For context, Vance Boelter, the 57-year-old man who has been accused of shooting a Minnesota state legislator and her husband on Sunday, June 14, is an alumnus of Christ for the Nations Institute (CFNI), a Bible college in Dallas, Texas. After Boelter’s arrest, CFNI issued a statement condemning his actions and making it clear that the school has had “no contact” with Boelter since he graduated from a two-year program in 1990.
In its statement, which was published on June 14, 2025, a CFNI spokesperson wrote, “We are absolutely aghast and horrified that a CFNI alumnus is the suspect.” The school’s statement continued, “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.”
Continuing, the statement clarified that its 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.” The spokesperson added, “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.”
In addition, the spokesperson responded to an apparent controversy that had arisen from news outlets ‘misrepresenting CFNI’s founder’s ‘every Christian should pray at least one violent prayer a day’ slogan.” The spokesperson continued, “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.”
Adding further clarity to dispel the controversy, the spokesperson explained, “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.”
Near the conclusion of its statement, CFNI’s PR department stated that the school “strongly” disavows “any attempt to align Mr. Boelter’s ungodly thoughts and actions with our biblical teachings.” The statement continued, “We do not wish for our good name, transformative programs, teachers, students, alumni, staff, and global Christian impact of 77 years to be intentionally or unintentionally contextualized, and consequently misinterpreted as a contributing factor to this kind of evil behavior.”
Moreover, CFNI stated that it has had “no contact” with Boelter “since his time as a student 35 years ago,” adding, “We are completely unaware of what led to this kind of mental, emotional, social, and spiritual bankruptcy since he left CFNI.”
Featured image credit: Mugshot, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office