Twisted

The apostle Paul was someone who, in his religious fervor, desired to do great harm to those who followed Christ. He participated in the stoning of a follower of Jesus named Stephen. Yet, Jesus Christ transformed him and used him to write a significant part of the New Testament. In the book of Philippians, chapter 3, he says:
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things.

Paul recognized the human condition and pointed out those who were characterized as "enemies." They did not reflect this forward movement of which he spoke earlier in the chapter.  He cautioned people to not be like the "enemies" of Christ.  We have to recognize that we have, as he wrote in Galatians, been crucified with Christ. But, we have to continue to fight the flesh, to resist temptation, to "put off" the old, as he wrote in Ephesians, and "put on" the new.  We run into spiritual danger if we are just coasting along in our Christian experience. 

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The Bible clearly teaches the principle of sowing and reaping. If we have been born again, we have been set free from the power of sin; yet, in the flesh, we have the capacity for disobedience and destruction. Gone unchecked by the Spirit, we become vulnerable to doing the enemy's bidding. Paul taught in Galatians 6:
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

It's been over six months since a young woman, who apparently identified as a man, walked into a private, Christian school in Nashville and killed six people, including three students, and then shot herself. At the time and since, it was an important aspect of the incident that the shooter was transgender and that could have been a contributing factor.  

For months, we have been told that the shooter had written a manifesto, but the content has not been released.  A group of parents has even gone to the legal system to keep this information secret.  

Recently, three pages of this manifesto were leaked out. The Christian Post reported:

The Nashville Police Department has suspended seven detectives amid an ongoing investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of documents written by Nashville Christian school shooter Audrey Hale in which she vowed to "kill those kids."

The suspension, which began Wednesday, seeks to determine how the documents came to be in the hands of Steven Crowder, a conservative commentator, who released them Monday, according to a report from local station WSMV.

Certainly I do not support the release of information via a leak.  But, now that it is available publicly, it can be discussed and the public can hopefully learn from it. The article goes on to say: 

Hale's writings expressed a strong bias against white individuals, particularly those seen as privileged, and left a detailed schedule of the day of the shooting.

The excerpted material made reference to people, "...going to private fancy schools with those fancy khakis and sports backpacks, with their daddies [sic] Mustangs and convertibles." Laced with profanity, the material referenced by the Christian Post repeatedly contained words expressing the shooter's desire to kill those associated with Covenant School.

Tyler O'Neil at The Daily Signal writes:

These remarks echo the Left’s ideological talking points on “white privilege” and reveal a disdain for others based on their skin color. This hatred of white people echoes the Marxist claim that America is institutionally racist, so justice demands stripping whites of their “privilege” and elevating racial minorities rather than securing a level playing field for all races.

Other statements reveal the shooter’s emotional state—a steely determination despite strong anxiety.

“Can’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m ready … I hope my victims aren’t,” she wrote. “God let my wrath take over my anxiety.”

O'Neil explores another angle, saying:

This anger, resolve, and hatred hint at something the coroner would not confirm—it seems likely that Audrey Hale had taken cross-sex hormones, probably testosterone, before the shooting.

Although female mass shooters are extremely rare, if a female who thinks of herself as male takes testosterone, it likely will embolden her. This drug does not excuse her evil massacre, but it can help explain why a female would commit such heinous murders.

After all, as he notes, "According to the Justice Department’s research, published in February 2022, 97.7% of mass shooters in the U.S. have been male." He notes that this incident "...should open up a debate about the wisdom of prescribing these experimental, life-altering drugs based on a person’s claimed gender identity."

Writing for The Federalist, Evita Duffy-Alfonso notes:

Google and Facebook have reportedly censored news of the manifesto’s leak. This censorship is reminiscent of X’s actions back in March, when the social media company mass-suppressed reports on the “Trans Day Of Vengeance,” which was originally scheduled to take place the same week as Hale’s attack. Federalist CEO Sean Davis was among the censored, and his X account was locked for simply sharing a poster about the scheduled event.

Unfortunately, the racist screeds of Audrey Hale are an extreme version of what we see in culture on an almost daily basis.  It is wrong to typecast a group of people and to show partiality based on a person's immutable characteristics.  Period.  Engaging in crimes and other harmful actions toward other people because of the color of their skin is blatantly immoral, and quite frankly, unbiblical. It is simply not a mark of an orderly, functioning society to brand others as your enemy and falsely label someone due to skin color. 

And, it opens our eyes to the violent efforts of people who hold views that do not line up with God's Word. I don't want to paint with a broad brush, but I do believe that sinful beliefs can lead to other sinful behavior.  A warped, sinful view of sexuality has birthed the "Transgender Day of Violence."  While the act of abortion is a deplorable act of violence, supporters have embraced other violent actions, such as hundreds of attacks on churches and pro-life pregnancy centers.  Protests on college campuses supporting terrorists in the Middle East have erupted in violent acts and the typecasting and threatening of Jewish students. 

The Bible says if you sow to the flesh, you will reap. If a heart is intent on lawlessness concerning a cause, it could breed further lawlessness.  That's why each of us must examine our hearts and make sure that our motives and intents are pure and consistent with Scripture.  Anger is a powerful emotion, and the seed of anger must not be allowed to fester.  The enemy's destructive tendencies will set us up - it's easy to point at the Audrey Hales of this world - and certainly this is a young woman who needed Jesus and was in tremendous need of spiritual help, but we must also be sensitive to our own tendencies, born of the flesh, which cloak the desires to be obedient to the Lord in the Spirit. We must be people who reflect the stability of the Word and the overpowering presence of Christ.