We are writing as local pastors of Kalispell-based evangelical congregations. As much in our public discourse these days is intentionally divisive and argumentative, we hope this letter has the opposite posture. Nothing in this letter comes from a position of declaring a moral high ground or an attempt to speak to the current debate between pro-life and pro-choice.

The vandalism that occurred to the clinic run by Susan Cahill is deplorable. Whatever the ideology or intention of the perpetrator, we as Christ followers disapprove of the trauma and violence that Ms. Cahill has had to endure. Our hope in writing this letter is to participate in the public discussion of how civil discourse should take place. Whether this was a random act of vandalism or a targeted attack based on an ideology, this was a crime.

Those in our community who embrace the teachings of Jesus must always measure actions through the core value of love. How we deliver our belief system into the public forum speaks as much about the integrity of the message as the actual message itself.

Ms. Cahill, we are truly sorry that your clinic has been vandalized and for the trauma this has caused you. It was wrong and we desire our community to know where we stand on this kind of behavior for any reason.

We realize that to many readers this might seem like an obvious statement. In light of how much aggression has been thrown into the conversation between those who are pro-choice and those who are pro-life, we thought it might help to publicly state the obvious.

—Dan Sandler, pastor of the the Dwelling Place Church; Lloyd Pierson, pastor of the Faith Covenant Presbyterian Church; and Jamie Woods, pastor of Glacier Church. (Sandler is also president of the Kalispell Ministerial Association.)