Tragedy in Texas

We were all shocked yesterday to hear of the shooting in a Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas that resulted in the deaths of over 20 people with that many more wounded. The shooter later died, apparently in a shoot-out with a neighbor of the church although that has not been confirmed as I write this post.

What would possess someone to enter a church and randomly shoot people, men, women, and children, as they gather to worship? As yet, officials have not given a motive for the shooting, so I will not speculate here. Whatever the reason, it certainly does not justify this cowardly act.

Responses across the country have been varied. Some in the entertainment industry, well-known for its moral superiority to the rest of us, immediately blamed Republicans, called for more gun controls, and ridiculed faith and prayer. The vast majority of people, including many others in the entertainment business, called for prayers for the church and community.

No doubt, as the shock of this wears off, there will be more demands for gun control. As violence increases across the nation such calls are to be expected even though such restrictions would not reduce the violence. Timothy McVeigh killed 168 people and injured over 600 more using fertilizer. Jim Jones killed 909 people with Kool-Aid mixed with cyanide. Hopefully, we haven't forgotten that on 9/11 nearly 3,000 people were killed when aircraft were flown into buildings in the United States. Furthermore, millions of Americans own guns that have never been used to harm another human being. Those who argue that tighter restrictions on guns will reduce violence are simply presenting a red herring to avoid the real issue here.

It's not a gun issue; it's a heart issue. As a nation we have strayed far from God and the way He teaches us to live. Since we as a nation have determined that it is not politically correct to promote a Christian worldview we have to look for other means to control people's behavior. Today, it's restricting access to guns; tomorrow it will be controlling something else. No restrictions, no laws, will prevent someone determined to harm other human beings from carrying out their desires.

Until our vertical relationship with God is right our horizontal relationships with one another will never be right. As long as we continue to hate one another, carry bitterness towards others, envy one another, or feel superior to others we will see continued violence. As a nation, we need God.

Will such a spiritual awakening occur? I don't know. For now, we need to be prayerful. We certainly need to pray for our brothers and sisters impacted by this latest tragedy. We need to pray for one another, and we need to pray that America will see its need for God once again. I still believe in 2 Chronicles 7: 14, and it is that belief that gives me hope for our nation.