“Forgive me God, this act will be inglorious.”
So reads the second to last journal entry that Audrey Hale wrote just hours before she blasted through the doors of The Covenant School on March 27, 2023. Proceeding down the halls of the private Christian academy in Nashville, Audrey first killed the school custodian, Mike Hill. She then walked up to the second level where she shot three 9-year-old children (Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney) and a substitute teacher (Cynthia Peak), pausing briefly to put more bullets into their still bodies. She rounded a corner in time to run into the head of school, Katherine Koonce, and promptly gunned her down as well. Within 14 minutes of her entry into the school, Audrey Hale was also lying dead, neutralized by a rapid response from the Nashville Police Department.
While the massacre itself manifested an intense degree of horror, the actions and reactions of countless citizens, politicians, and media outlets following the attack displayed a profoundly disturbing clarity to conservative Christians across the US: In an unprecedented turning point, widespread empathy rested not with 9-year-old murdered children, but with the shooter, Audrey Hale.
No Concern for Christians
The evidence for this travesty is clearly evident in the timeline of events. While the bodies of the slain were still warm, media outlets jumped to discussions about “misgendering” Hale. Within three days of the incident, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, without a word about the fact that the massacre was carried out on a distinctly Christian institution, said that “the trans community has been under attack.”
Much of the local media frenzy following the massacre centered on a favorite leftist deflection point: the need to “prevent gun violence.” This was especially true in Tennesee, where several state legislators (known as the “Tennesee 3”) grandstanded with MLK-styled speeches in the State Capitol building. “Save Our Children” protests were held in and out of the Capitol, some attended by parents whose children attended Covenant. But nationally, a different narrative was being spun.
As the week of March 27 moved on, a torrent of news stories about the “fear of backlash” in the “trans-community” filled airwaves, news sites, and social media. Blatantly leftist media sources ran pieces along the lines of: “The Right Is Using the Nashville Shooting to Declare War on Trans People.” In Austin, Texas, Kelsea Ballerini performed her latest single alongside drag queens a mere 6 days after the massacre in solidarity with “the transgender community.”
Again, in all this time, almost no attention was given to the fact that the attack was perpetrated on a Christian institution. Outside of explicitly Christian/conservative outlets and institutions, no solidarity with Christians was to be found. When President Biden was asked less than 48 hours after the attack whether he “believed Christians were targeted,” he said, “I have no idea.” When it was mentioned by a reporter that Republican Senator Josh Hawley believed Christians had been targeted, Biden replied, “Well then I probably don’t then.” He then chuckled and said, “That’s a joke.”
Though avoided directly, the implication was clear: “If a transgender decides that Christians need to die, we’re on the side of the transgender.”
Leaked Manifesto
On November 6, conservative commentator Steven Crowder announced that he had received several leaked pages of Audrey Hale’s “manifesto.” The few pages were published and spread across the internet. More concern of “backlash against trans people” was heard, but perhaps most notable was the incredibly strong rhetoric from Brent Leatherwood, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s ERLC (Ethics and Religious Liberty Council). Leatherwood, who had three children at Covenant at the time of the shooting, spoke publically to whoever leaked Hale’s journal: “You are a viper… You have now allowed this woman who terrorized our family with bullets to be able to now terrorize us with words from the grave.”
Leatherwood’s interest in keeping the manifesto from being released (along with many other prominent political/Christian leaders) was and continues to be a somewhat strange facet of the entire incident. If a school, one that his own children attend, was targeted for the fact it was a Christian, wouldn’t this be relevant information for those whom he supposedly serves (Southern Baptist Christians) to know? As of September 4th, 2024, Leatherwood nor the ERLC has had anything to say about the release of 90 pages of Hale’s journal by the Tennesee Star.
What’s in the Manifesto
The 90 pages made available by the Tennesee Star on September 3rd were legally obtained in June of 2024 (this is after the FBI was ordered to release the manifesto by a federal judge in March 2024). Rather than an ideological treatise, Hale’s notebook is a collection of freewriting, journal entries, poems, and even prayers. After combing through all 90 pages, here are some specific details that the journal provides:
- “I was born wrong.” (Page 2) – This is a near-constant theme throughout all of Hale’s writing. She comes back to this idea on nearly every page.
- “Religion won’t save.” – (Page 2) Audrey’s writings frequently appeal to God but are generally dismissive of her particular religious upbringing.
- The journal contains many references to autism, which Audrey claimed to have. This has never been officially confirmed by her family, but a former friend of Audrey’s maintained that she was “high-functioning autistic.” On page 17 she writes, “Love cannot be real if my autism is.
- “Brown love is the most beautiful kind.” – There are many references to a specific girl who is brown, as well as a general longing for “brown girls,” and their superiority (much of this plays into her sexual fantasies). She mentions “white privilege” in another entry (page 39).
- Audrey writes several entries about frustration in her work endeavors, from being unable to wake up on time each morning to being satisfied with how much and how well she sold her own art (She was a graduate of Nossi College of Art and Design in Nashville). She writes several entries about being a failure in her freelance work.
- There are several explicit entries that describe her sexual fantasies (in which she’s a male), accompanied by explicit sketches. There’s no need to go into detail, but it’s clear that she was profoundly influenced by pornography.
- Hale dedicates several entries to expressing her hatred for her father.
- Two dominant themes of Hale’s writings are her desire to die (because she’s been born into the wrong body) and her infatuation with an unspecified “brown girl.”
- Hale references God numerous times, usually positively (“God is love, so are you.” – Page 13). She also frequently references Heaven and seems to have had the idea that it was waiting for her when she died.
- She alludes to having planned an attack on Covenant School since at least 2021 and appears to have gotten cold feet on January 17, 2023, after which she set a new date (March 27).
- By far, the most disturbing part of the journal is the last entry. Hale writes about the heinous act she’s about to commit as if she’s preparing to go on a trip (“I’m a little nervous but excited too.” Her chilling last written words: “I hope I have a high death count. Ready to die, haha”).
Key Points and Takeaways
Logical Consistency: Right-wing outlets, commentators, and politicians have been referring to Audrey Hale as “crazed,” “psycho,” “nutjob,” “monster,” etc., while sources on the left have tended to use terms like “disturbed,” “angry,” “depressed,” or “tormented.” What all sides have in common is constantly labeling Hale as “mentally ill.” While all of these adjectives describe Hale to one degree or another, it’s worth noting that her actions were actually somewhat sensible considering her twisted view of the world. The message that she was constantly force-fed (as we all are) was that Christians, specifically those who hold to basic biblical truths about gender and sexuality, were the chief reason she was tormented in her mind. One of her complaints in her journal is her inability to receive what is commonly called, “gender-affirming care” as she knew her parents wouldn’t pay for it. Audrey Hale actually acted with a fair amount of logical consistency.
Progressivism is Deadly: From all indications, Audrey Hale grew up in a fairly standard Christian home. At one point she was “just another youth group kid.” But her environment was not enough to halt the havoc caused by her own sinful heart and the voices constantly affirming it. We don’t know all the specific trauma she may have experienced in her life, but it’s clear that pornography, wokeness, and LGBT propaganda absolutely warped and mangled her mind and morals. These are the aspects of her story that will almost never be addressed, but they’re the most important parts. What we often write of as “progressive politics” or “liberalism” can result in horrifying outcomes.
A Hostile Society: The knee-jerk reactions after the massacre to “defend the trans community” expressed by local politicians and media outlets, all the way up to national organizations and the executive branch demonstrate that Christians have moved into the crosshairs. Specifically, Christians that adhere to the most basic of biblical teachings, (i.e., that “God created them, male and female”) need to be aware that they are seen as the villains of the story by a not insignificant portion of the American population, and especially the media. Progressive Christians have nothing to worry about. Their rainbow-flag-donned Episcopal churches have nothing to fear, at least until Muslim immigration swallows up their communities. Thus biblical Christians need to prioritize building or relocating to anti-fragile communities that can subsist, if need be, apart from the hostile culture at large.
The Trans-Autism Connection: The connection between autism and transgenderism is vital to understand, especially for Christian parents. The rise in autism across the world defies the imagination (from 1 in 88 to 1 in 36 in just 10 years). Official studies have indicated a 3-6x higher rate of transgenderism among autistic individuals (a number that is probably much higher), but anecdotal data alone is sufficient to recognize that autistic are particularly vulnerable to trans-ideology. The feeling of “not fitting in” typical among those with autism makes them favorite targets for trans propaganda. While parents can do their absolute best to keep their autistic children from these destructive ideas, the internet can bring them in through the back door. Likewise, most school systems (which many parents heavily rely on for their autistic children) will either do nothing to prevent the permeation of trans-ideology, or more likely, actively encourage it. Parents of autistic kids must remain absolutely vigilant, even into adulthood. Trans-ideology is deadly.
Hold Leaders Accountable: It’s completely reasonable for Christians to expect their leaders to look out for Christian interests. Brent Leatherwood chose not to make waves by calling out the murderous ideology that threatened the lives of his own children, instead choosing to make waves by lashing out at the anonymous source who leaked Hale’s journal. Russell Moore, also a Nashville local, editor of Christianity Today and a “public theologian” apparently never saw a purpose in identifying the demonic agenda that motivated Hale to murder 9-year-olds, at least not publically. Many Christian publications more or less avoided the central reality of the shooting: that a trans-identified person purposely targeted a Christian school, opting instead for vague appeals to unity and gun control. The timidity is understandable, given that one must stand against what has become the official State religion, but without courage, leadership is of little value. Christians should hold their leaders to higher standards, or find more courageous leaders.
Remain Vigilant: The State of Tennessee passed legislation in May of 2024 allowing teachers to be armed in schools across the state, pending district approval (at the time of this writing no district has yet implemented any specific plans). Tennessee already has required police officer presence in its public schools. The willingness to deal with tangible threats at the state level is admirable, and more states should do the same. But the state can much less effectively guard against threats that come in as corruptive ideas rather than physical dangers. This will be the job of the church, both through individual Christians and collective action. Keep an open dialogue with your family and your church about these issues. Make sure other Christians realize the gravity of the situation. Be on the lookout for signs of ideological infiltration. Look out for one another.
Rescue the Perishing: We are facing a world where many around us will be affected by the same poisonous ideas and patterns of thinking that motivated Audrey Hale. This will be an intrepid existence and may require some tactical avoidance, but these people will also be our mission field, and we’re equipped with the biblical antidote for their sickness. Our God can rescue anyone, including those captured by trans-ideology.
Pray for the Families: Finally, though it’s been over a year, the reentrance of the Covenant massacre into the news will be incredibly painful for those whose loved ones were murdered. Pray for their endurance and comfort. Pray that they would be able to praise and honor God, even through their pain.
