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At the same time, believers in the midst of tragedy should be patient with the media and the world at large. One member of the Meredith organization, on a website to which I will not link, takes great issue with the erection of memorial "crosses" outside the hotel where the shooting took place. Why? Because Meredith and his followers do not believe the "cross" is anything other than a pagan invention; they assert that Christ was crucified on an upright stake or tree, and that crosses were introduced later. Another objection was to the view that the deceased are, at this moment, "in a better place," i.e., heaven. The Meredith-supporting writer emphasized his church's view that the dead are "asleep" and unconscious until the resurrection, casting aspersions on a heartfelt expression from people who are presumably of good will.

Neither the symbolism of the cross nor the question of the state of the dead is a debate I wish to enter here. Nor do I wish to disparage the sincerity of the other writer's convictions. However, it could easily be viewed by the general public as ungracious at best for people in one church to disavow a kind gesture from another, different church because those other people didn't know the etiquette that the first church follows.

In a time of tragedy, when emotions are raw and hearts are wounded, I believe it is better for all concerned to merely accept whatever condolences are offered with the words, "Thank you," and then move on. This isn't the time for an "educational message" about paganism, so-called "soul sleep" or anything else. It's a time to accept what is offered with thanks, and in so doing perhaps opening the door to further discussion at a later time.

Mark A. Kellner lives in Rockville, Maryland. His views expressed here are his own.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

More articles about the shooting include:

Answers Sought After Church Group Shooting | It was just another weekend service for churchgoers in this Milwaukee suburb when, without warning, they began to be gunned down by one of their own. (Associated Press, March 17, 2005)

Police Release Tapes of Frantic 911 Calls in Church Shooting | 'This is a massacre,' one woman tells dispatcher as eight die. Killer's motive remains unclear. (Los Angeles Times, March 16, 2005)

Pastor, family likely targeted | Wisconsin cops say not all of gunman's shots were random (Chicago Tribune, March 15, 2005)

Church shooting survivor says friend took bullet that would have hit her | Hodzinski, 78, said Miller covered half of her body with his, protecting her from the shots. She didn't realize as she crawled down the aisle that one of the bullets had struck him in the chest. (Associated Press, March 15, 2005)

Search for wife pained shooter | Friends describe Ratzmann as desperate (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 15, 2005)

Man seeking answers after child shot at church service | Three days after an acquaintance walked in to a church service and allegedly shot several people, including his 10-year-old daughter, a Fort Wayne man remains puzzled about why it happened. (Fort Wayne News Sentinel, March 15, 2005)

Church shooting suspect described as 'average Joe' | When chipmunks got into Terry Ratzmann's garden, he set up traps to catch them. But his neighbor said he kept the animals alive and let them loose somewhere else. (Associated Press, March 13, 2005)

Past Christianity Today articles on the Worldwide Church of God's turn to orthodoxy and the subsequent fallout include:

From the Fringe to the Fold | How the Worldwide Church of God discovered the plain truth of the gospel (July 15, 1996)

Doctrinal Aftershocks | Worldwide Church of God seeks a new start in the face of fresh opposition (June 17, 2003)

Church Sells Armstrong's Works | Nineteen books by founder sold to Worldwide Church of God splinter group (June 17, 2003)

Unfair Use Alleged | Religious groups fight Internet copyright abuses. (Mar. 30, 2001)

Weblog: Worldwide Church of God Wins Control of Controversial Book (Sept. 28, 2000)

Splinter Groups Dismiss Leaders (Mar. 2, 1998)

Worldwide Church of God Joins NAE (June 16, 1997)

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March (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49