Stupid Dumb Violence

It's been illuminating seeing the Insta stories in the aftermath of the Kirk killing and Denver shootings. For my many conservative friends, there's much sadness about the murder of Kirk and many posts about his commitment to Biblical truth. For my many liberal friends, the stories are about the Denver shooting, objecting to violence but not mourning the passing of Kirk specifically, and that one quote from Kirk about the 2A.

I think the common thread in all of this is the mourning over the brokenness. One side mourns the murder of a young man with a family, presumably killed for beliefs that they also hold. The other side mourns what feels like an unequal application of standards, of the increasing rates of violence and the perceived inaction and hypocrisy on things that don't line up with party lines.

I cannot judge either side. I am saddened by murder, the violent taking of a life of someone who was created imago dei. I am saddened as well by those who wield their words like a hammer and a sword, bashing and slashing the other side to the cheers of their own, polarizing for political gain.

In all of this, may we be reminded of Jesus: God in flesh, who went to the sick and the outcasts, who stood up against religious hypocrisy in word and deed, who taught that hatred for another was murder, who lovingly called the broken to Himself, and who called His followers to live radically different lives from the world: a life under God's laws,  practiced in love and self-sacrifice. For this, he was murdered by both Jew and Roman, but was raised to life again, a shining beacon that death is not final, and a life living with God is ultimately triumphant.

There will always be tension in what it means to live as a Christian in this broken world. Policy is tricky, and people can argue forever about how to map God's laws to secular laws. In our discussions, in our actions, in our policy, let us be reminded of these truths:

Every single person is created in the image of God

We are all sinners in need of God's grace and mercy

The United States of America will cease to exist and is secondary to the Kingdom of God

Jesus will make all things right in His timing, not in our own

We are called to seek the good of our city 

Jesus' parable about loving one's neighbor was about meeting the physical needs between two political and ethnic enemies

And of course, the Beatitudes from Matthew 5:

2 And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

3 “[b]Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the [c]gentle, for they will inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.