On Wednesday, August 27, 2025, a deadly attack unfolded at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis when Robert Westman, a transgender-identifying gunman, opened fire during a back-to-school Mass.
The assault, which authorities are investigating as anti-Christian domestic terrorism, claimed the lives of two children, aged eight and ten, and wounded 17 others as Westman fired through stained-glass windows into the church filled with families.
While the sorrow of this horrific act is inescapable, Pastor Jamie Bambrick of Northern Ireland has argued that the event points to something deeper: the spiritual and demonic roots of the transgender movement itself.
"Our hearts truly go out to the families of those who lost children," Bambrick said, acknowledging the unbearable grief. "I personally have young children and can't imagine anything worse than sending them off for their first week of school and them not coming back." He reminded believers of Jesus' words: "Let the little children come to me and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
But Bambrick's reflection did not stop at grief. He turned to the deeper issue: "I think the brutality of what went on here exposes something of the spiritual war in which we currently find ourselves, and in particular the demonic forces that lie behind this entire movement."
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Westman left behind a disturbing 11-minute manifesto video. In it he flaunted his weapons, scrawled with phrases such as "Kill Trump now," "Burn Israel," "I'm the wokest," and perhaps most chillingly, "6 million was not enough." He affixed an image of Christ's face to a target and riddled it with bullets - a clear symbol of animosity toward Christianity itself.
Bambrick stressed that the attack was no accident. "This clearly wasn't random," he explained. It was, he said, driven by hatred of God, hatred of Christians, hatred of Jews, and above all hatred of Christ Himself. The targeting of a church, he added, was deliberate. "They are attacking Christianity. They are attacking Christendom."
Bambrick noted that it is almost always Christians who are targeted: "It's never Muhammad, it's not Buddha, it's not Krishna. It is always Jesus and His people. And while Protestants and Catholics may disagree on theology, the devil makes no such distinction. He will attack Christ wherever He is lifted up."
He also pointed to the shocking online reaction from parts of the transgender community, where some posts celebrated the slaughter of Christian children: "Your kids are legitimate targets." "More dead Christians, lol." "Heroic." "Future religious extremists dying isn't a bad thing."
Bambrick described these responses as revealing the true nature of the movement: "This is the so-called 'love is love' crowd - celebrating the deaths of the children of their political opponents. This is not isolated. This is what animates this ideology."
From there, Bambrick pivoted to the spiritual roots:
We need to recognise the demonic nature of this ideology and in fact the demonised state of people that hold it. As the Bible says, our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Bambrick stressed that his analysis is not an attack on individuals, but a confrontation with the demonic ideology driving them.
Westman himself admitted in his writings to feeling "controlled" by some higher force and claimed that words appeared in his mind that he had not thought of himself. "This man was possessed by demons," Bambrick concluded. "And the movement itself is being driven by demons."
Bambrick traced this connection through history, noting that in pagan cultures like Mesopotamia, men cross-dressed in worship of Ishtar, performing erotic rituals. The Canaanite cults were infamous for orgiastic rites and sexual perversions. He further explained:
From the very beginning, Satan's goal has been to erase God's created binary - Creator and creation, light and dark, male and female. Christian worship honours this God-ordained binary, but pagan worship rejects it. All biblical worship affirms the Creator; all pagan worship seeks to erase Him. Transgenderism is simply one modern expression of this ancient rebellion.
This rebellion has devastating consequences. Bambrick highlighted research showing that 82% of transgender-identifying individuals contemplate suicide and 40% attempt it. They are also disproportionately affected by autism and other mental health challenges.
And yet, instead of offering truth, Western countries today offer mutilation and chemicals. "They are told to take puberty blockers like Lupron, a drug used for chemical castration, and when that doesn't work, they are told to mutilate their bodies. And still, the despair remains."
Bambrick compared this to treating anorexia by prescribing weight-loss pills - a cruel parody of compassion that only drives deeper despair.
Westman himself grew up in a progressive family that fully affirmed his transition, even celebrating his birthday with the trans flag. He was legally renamed, hormonally altered, and applauded as "authentic."
Yet, as Bambrick observed, "his mental state deteriorated. Affirmation didn't heal him. It weaponised him. The people who affirmed him thought they were being compassionate - but their 'compassion' turned a troubled young man into a ticking time bomb."
What, then, is true compassion? Bambrick answered:
What this young man needed to hear is the same thing that anyone struggling with this needs to hear: You are not born in the wrong body. God knit you together in your mother's womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Jesus gave His body for yours. His body was mutilated on a cross so that yours would not need to be.
This is, at root, a spiritual war, he explained. Satan seeks to corrupt the minds of the vulnerable, turning them against themselves, against the truth, and against the people of God.
"It must be opposed at every turn, in every way possible," Bambrick declared. "As the church, it is our job to stand up for truth, to stand up for children, for the future of society, and even for those deceived by this ideology. This is a spiritual war, and we need to fight."
In closing, Bambrick led viewers in prayer for the victims: "Heavenly Father, we lift up those children that were lost. We pray that they would be safe in your arms. We pray for comfort and peace for their families, for restoration, and Lord, for justice to be done in Jesus' name. Amen."
Jamie Bambrick's response to the Minnesota church shooting exposes what many in the church have long discerned - that transgender ideology is not merely a cultural fad or psychological confusion, but a manifestation of spiritual warfare with ancient and demonic roots.
His call is urgent: Christians must stand firm, proclaim truth, defend the innocent, and resist the lies of Satan, for the sake of both the church and those ensnared by this dangerous worldview, whom Christ loves and came to redeem.
Watch Jamie Bambrick's video here.