More Mass Shootings

In Galatians 3, we get a picture of the body of Christ and its unity that God intends for us to walk in.
The chapter says:
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

In Christ, He alone reigns supreme.  No one has privilege, because we have surrendered that to Him.  In Christ, we surrender the concept of racial division and racism, because we are of one race, of "one blood," as Paul outlines in the book of Acts.  When we concentrate on outward factors, such as appearance and status, we end up exalting ourselves above others and denigrating those with whom we disagree.  Our identity is in Christ, not identity politics.

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In Ephesians 6, there is insight into spiritual warfare; that is not something that as Christian believers, we can merely ignore; no, were are called to put on our spiritual armor. We read:
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

It was certainly a weekend that brought sadness and even outrage to many across our land.  Two mass shootings - one in El Paso, Texas and another in Dayton, Ohio, resulting in the combined loss of over 30 lives, two-thirds of them at a Wal-mart in El Paso.  The shooter there is in police custody, the Dayton shooter was shot and killed at the scene.  Initial media reports about the Texas shooter's motive centered on his belief of preventing more immigrants from coming to America, using the reference "invasion," but as John Fund points out at National Review, neither shooter's motivations "neatly fit into a Right-–Left paradigm."

For instance, as Fund points out, making the case for free speech and allowing Americans to read the material directly from these individuals, rather than depend on the media's interpretation:

How many Americans know that the El Paso killer also made it clear that he hates automation and corporations, and blames them for a stagnant economy even while he blames Hispanics for environmental degradation? His solution harkens back to the most fanatical views of zero-population-growth advocates: “If we can get rid of enough people,” he wrote, “then our way of life can become more sustainable.” Ambitious left-wing projects such as universal health care and Universal Basic Income “would become far more likely to succeed if tens of millions of dependents are removed.”

We’ve already learned that the shooter who killed nine people outside a Dayton, Ohio bar, early this morning described himself as a “pro-Satan “leftist,” and that he was a registered Democrat who supported Elizabeth Warren and hated President Trump and law enforcement.

No wonder we hear much more about the El Paso shooting than the Dayton occurrence, because it fits the media narrative and gives people the opportunity to assign blame for the shooter's terrorist actions.   Let's be even-handed here: You can't blame President Trump for what happened in El Paso or Elizabeth Warren for the situation in Dayton or Bernie Sanders for the Congressional baseball game shooting.

But, there will be those who traffic in blame; and already, there is plenty to go around.  Already in our culture, there has been what I would characterize as an overemphasis on terms such as "racism" or "white supremacy."  A disagreement on racial matters?  It's "racism."  Just think about the number of practices over the past few years that have been labeled as "racist."

And, there are those in the Church who seem to have an obsession over "white supremacy."  For whatever reason, this concept has been used as a weapon of division between well-meaning believers.  According to the Capstone Report, a provost at a Southern Baptist seminary said this, "Perhaps the best thing you can do to start is to take a humble posture, recognizing that you have a racialized worldview of which you are likely unaware. Your beliefs, attitudes, and values have been formed in ways deeply informed by whiteness..."

A high-profile Christian leader who has commented on so-called "white privilege," has written these words, "Do you live, work, or worship in an environment where your race, gender, or even personality type is the majority? If so, you possess power and privilege. Don’t apologize—rejoice! You have a unique opportunity to love God and others well."

And, a familiar Bible teacher offered this comment on Twitter:

There are simply no gospel grounds for defending White supremacy. None. This isn’t theological rocket science. The Savior of the world gave Himself on the cross for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God & Father, wearing a brown body.

I agree to this recent statement by another prominent Christian voice, to a point:

Racism, white nationalism, and white supremacy all make no sense if you are a Christian. Christians literally worship a dark-skinned, Jewish savior from the Middle East. Not only is racism sinful, it is remarkably stupid for anyone who identifies as a Christian.

And, tell me again why Jesus' skin color is even relevant.  To me, that ranks up there with those who claim Jesus was a refugee.  Or an illegal immigrant.  To push an agenda.

There is a suspicion of white supremacy in the Church - do you see how divisive this is?  Yet, the Southern Baptist Convention, in a moment of confusion at the end of its recent Birmingham annual meeting, affirmed that philosophies that divide people along the lines of victim and victimizer and oppressed and oppressor, Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality, are "analytical tools" that can be used in submission to Scripture, rather than philosophies that contradict Scripture.  When we are suspicious and accusatory toward one another and view our brothers and sisters in Christ through these harmful lenses, it is counterproductive to Christian unity and fellowship.  Satan is using an unhealthy concentration on our physical differences to divide us.

This is not to minimize true white supremacy and true racism.  But, to throw around those terms and rhetorically weaponize them to characterize people with whom you disagree, lessens the meaning and potential impact of them.  We should be slow to speak and slow to engage in name-calling and placing derogatory labels on those with whom we disagree.

These are issues in our culture, and the first thing we need to do is pray.

CBN News had an article featuring comments from Faith Radio programmer Greg Laurie, as well as prominent pastor Jack Graham and his brother - in the Lord - Franklin Graham.  The article says:

Laurie, the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, said there are two issues. First, there's evil in the world and man is basically sinful. Second, Jesus makes it clear that Satan is the one who "comes to steal, kill and destroy."

Laurie and Jack Graham released a video related to the weekend shootings. Laurie adds, "It really seems to me...that we really need to be praying in our nation for a spiritual awakening because we're seeing more and more of these acts of violence and so many other problems in our country as well."

The article also states:

Graham, the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, explains, "All of us are involved in some kind of a spiritual battle -- a warfare that's going on increasing. A battle that is getting hotter and hotter right now and predictably so. In fact, the Bible tells us in the final hours of human history that perilous times will come. Difficult, dangerous times will come."

Graham laments people who want to "minimize prayer," saying that's the "most important" thing that people can do.

The article also quotes from Franklin Graham, who posted online:

"...The number of victims of the mass shootings is much higher than the headlines reveal, because each mother, each father, each sister and brother, each wife and husband, is also a victim—a victim of the heinous and senseless evil unleashed by two murderous gunmen. Their loved ones have been stolen from them."

"As we mourn with these families and communities, let's continue to sincerely lift them up in prayer before the Lord," Graham reminded his followers. "He is the only one who can comfort and wholly heal their broken hearts."

Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains have been sent into the two areas. 

So, while it is appropriate to call out white supremacy in an examination or discussion of the El Paso tragedy, it's important that Americans don't turn on one another.  That is a point that the President made in his address on Monday, according to CBN News:

"In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy," Trump said, specifically addressing the apparent motive behind the El Paso massacre.

Speaking from the White House, Trump gave a broad assessment of the root causes behind America's ongoing problem with mass shootings, saying, "Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun."

It was posted in the story that CBN's Ben Kennedy tweeted out: "'We must seek a bipartisan solution,' @POTUS outlined his plan..."

That included:

1. Act on early warning signs
2. Stop glorification of violence (video games)
3. Reform mental health laws
4. Those who pose a grave risk to public safety dont [sic] have access to firearms

And, one further thing: pray for our President that he will show leadership, especially in his Twitter activity.  He can tweet out words and messages that are firm and strong, certainly, but he can improve in his tone - the way that he relates his content.

Finally, as the two pastors enunciate in their video, we have to recognize the dynamics of the spiritual warfare that is occurring.  I would submit that this is more about principalities and powers than politics.  The Dayton shooter was reportedly forthright in declaring his allegiance to Satan, the El Paso shooter was dealing in Satanic philosophy.  The enemy is poisoning minds, using a variety of tools, and we are not powerless to stop him in Christ.