I'm pretty sure everyone has heard the tragic news coming out of Nashville, I'm not exactly sure why, but this most recent school shooting affected me more than others. Maybe it is because it was a transgender individual who targeted Christians. In other words, it was an act of terrorism against Christians and is likely a sign of what's to come.
Or maybe it was because I watched the body cam footage of the heroic police officers. I don't usually like to watch graphic videos like that, but something about this instance led me to watch it. I'm both glad and sad that I did.
I'm sad because it was so hard to watch what those police officers had to do to neutralize the threat. All I could think about as they shouted to each other and kicked in doors as alarms were blaring in the background was that there were innocent children cowering in fear in some of those classrooms. My heart breaks that they were forced to endure such trauma that will likely affect the rest of their lives, and I pray that God would surround each of the survivors with His supernatural peace.
I'm glad because it was a good reminder that the world is full of heroes. Tragedies like what took place at the Covenant School in Nashville showcase both the best and worst of humanity. It is good to remember that there was ONE evil person, and a whole slew of heroes stepped up to the plate to eliminate the threat.
It was more than the officers. In the body cam footage, the officers arrived and were greeted by a woman who calmly let them know the details of the situation. I was so impressed with her ability to clearly communicate in a way that allowed the officers to immediately get moving. They did not have to stop to ask questions of a hysterical woman in order to assess the situation. I imagine that it is possible that her coolness under pressure might have saved some lives.
There is more good than evil in this world, but sadly the evil is strong and loud.
I wasn't sure whether I should add my thoughts to the noise that always follows school shootings. So many others have already said what I feel, but I feel led to share some questions that I personally am asking myself and that I think would be good for everyone to think through.
What is the root cause?
In my opinion, it is absurd to blame the current epidemic of mass shootings on guns. From our founding, our nation has always valued the 2nd amendment. We have always had a large amount of gun owners. The violent misuse of guns has increased exponentially in recent history.
What has changed?
Some will say it is fatherlessness and the breakdown of the nuclear family. Others will blame social media and the unnatural amount of information and news that we are exposed to. Some might blame mental illness and the misuse of pharmaceuticals particularly psychotropic drugs.
I believe that all of those and more are contributing factors that can be summed up to one root cause. We are a nation that has turned its back on God and are now reaping the natural consequences that come with straying from His path.
Let's make sharing the gospel in word and deed a priority. Shine His light in these dark days.
Is it always good to just "do something"?
Have you heard of the SS Eastland?
It is a passenger ship that rolled over onto its side in Chicago while at dock killing over 800 passengers and crew member. There were several contributing factors including the Seaman's Act that was passed in the wake of the tragic sinking of the Titanic. Sadly, "doing something" in this case caused more harm. Requiring lifeboats for every passenger contributed to the ship tipping over as the weight of the lifeboats was too much.
Not everything will have the desired results. Sometimes doing nothing is better than the wrong "something."
We are all heartbroken and want to fix the problem. However, we must be very careful to make sure that there are not unintended negative consequences to the action that we take.
How are we contributing to the state of our culture?
We are a nation deeply divided. We have lost the ability to disagree respectfully. Instead of calmly and rationally engaging in logical discussions to figure out solutions to problems, too often, we name call and accuse the other of ill intent.
Part of the reason why can not be helped. You can only disagree respectfully with someone when you share values. Sadly, too often, we no longer do.
It is impossible for a person who believes in abortion on demand no matter the motive and a person who believes every life from the moment of conception must be protected to have a good faith discussion. Likewise, a person who believes gender is binary and that you can not transition your sex will get nowhere with someone who believes that gender is a social construct.
So what are we to do?
We must speak up only whenever and wherever it is possible to do so in a truthful and loving manner with both gentleness and respect. We should not contribute to the noise by engaging with those who are operating in bad faith. That means we must employ discernment. We must discern when it is time to "shake the dust off our feet" and "not cast our pearls before swine."
It is very tempting to be drawn into arguments that are not fruitful and that further contribute to the divide. We should pray for the wisdom to know when it is time to walk away from a conversation.
Should we make decisions when emotions are high?
No. We should never make hasty decisions.
Proverbs 19:2 is a good verse to guide us when it comes to decision making. I like the way the NLT version puts it.
"Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes."
Haste makes mistakes.
Our emotions urge us to rush to fix the problem, but in our haste we will likely make mistakes because we do not have all the knowledge to rationally evaluate the best path forward.
One thing I will say is that if you -like me and everyone I know - want to solve the epidemic of gun violence/tragic school shootings and you put your faith in legislation of any kind, I am sorry to tell you that you are going to be sorely disappointed.
I plan to focus on showing love and fostering community in my own backyard because no law can do what must be done, soften the hearts of those lost to evil. Only the Holy Spirit working through us can do that.
Is it appropriate to enter the cultural debate that always takes place directly following the tragedy of a mass shooting?
I really wish that we could simply mourn for the community and pray for peace, but that is no longer an option in my opinion.
The left is motivated by the Saul Alinsky's principle of never letting a crisis go to waste. They absolutely do not waste time rushing to their platforms to loudly state their case, hoping to prey on the emotions of the people.
Proverbs 18:17 says, "The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him."
Part of the reason we are where we are is because too often we don't "examine" the other side.
We are in a cultural battle right now which means that we are going to have to start doing things that make us uncomfortable, including pushing back on a narrative at a time when all we want to do is retreat and mourn for the hurting families.
If you believe like I do that more gun control will only result in more violence, it is necessary to speak up when an opportunity presents itself, but we must always do it lovingly and with gentleness and respect.
If you notice, I omitted the word "truth" here. I usually speak of love combined with truth, but we must be humble enough to realize that there are some things that we will not fully know the truth this side of heaven. I believe passionately that my opinion when it comes to the second amendment is correct, but I also recognize that there are people of good faith on both sides who make compelling arguments.
I hope this helps you think through this issue. I would like to end this post with a prayer.
Lord, help us all to remember Your goodness even during tragedies and help us to shine Your light in this dark time that You have chosen for us to live in.
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