A Moment With Pastor Fred

This year alone there has been nearly 70 mass shootings in the USA. The events at MSU linger in our hearts. Georgia Senator Ben Watson said, “In the face of evil and tragedy be not weary in well doing. Never cease to be moved by the suffering of    others. Mourn with those who mourn.” My brother-in-law who pastors in Wisconsin wrote a response to such violence. I borrow heavily from him. 

First, we need to be honest, there are no simple answers. After each mass shooting self-appointed experts flood social media with solutions. Many are quick to blame guns, yet many mass shootings happen in places with the strictest gun controls in place. No one is ignoring genuine mental illness, but let it be said loud and clear, violent crime is a vertical problem. The core solution to reducing violence isn’t another law. That’s not to say we shouldn’t use common sense. But the real problem is the heart. Violence happens because of the evil inside us. We’re also living in a culture of death. When society fails to value the image of God in others, then murder is a tragic by-product. The main problem though isn’t weapons, bad parenting, poverty, etc. The problem is we’re estranged from God and in need of redemption.

The only true hope is found in the gospel. Only Jesus can reconcile us to God and with each other. In the aftermath of great evil, as believers we must cling tighter to the gospel, realizing that we’re lost without it. We must boldly share it. If we truly are concerned with the evil in the world, we must point those around us to the only hope of solving the heart problems that births all evil. Christ.