On Aug. 12 we saw a display of racism, hatred and vile bigotry in Charlottesville, Virginia. While it would seem that the white supremacists who descended upon the city had no intention for violence, things did not remain that way.

And that is the problem; hatred always leads to violence.

In Matthew 5:21-22, we see the recorded words of Jesus, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” Whether or not you believe in Jesus is irrelevant to this truth: if you hate someone, you are murdering that person in your heart.

That is what we saw in Charlottesville and, sure enough, that hatred turn to murder as a 20-year-old man plowed his car into a crowd of counter protesters, killing a 32-year-old woman and injuring nearly 20 others in the process. This man’s anger – his hatred – toward his fellow man did not stay within his heart; he acted upon his hatred.

That is what happens everysingletime. We can see this truth played out from the beginning – Cain and Able; the Spanish Inquisition; slavery; Nazi Germany; the Soviet Union; Che Guevara; Lee Harvey Oswald; James Earl Ray; John Hinckley; Saddam Hussein; Osama bin Laden; ISIS; and, now, the Alt-Right.

The Alt-Right white supremacists aren’t the only group currently spreading hate, but they are the most recent to have that hatred take an outwardly violent turn.

Sadly this will not be the last show of violence we see in America. This will not be the last instance of racism. Hatred comes in many forms, and the Alt-Right is the newest incarnation.

Until there is a heart change in American culture, when the Alt-Right, Antifa and various other groups can focus their efforts on building up rather than tearing down, the cycle of hatred and violence will continue.

Hopefully the time of building up is coming sooner, rather than later. America’s future depends on it.