Soul Searching After Mass Murder | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Free Newsletters:

RSS Feeds |

Audio |

Twitter

Home > 2007 > December (Web-only)

Christianity Today, December (Web-only), 2007 |

SoulWork

Soul Searching After Mass Murder

Another reason we eagerly look for "the one who is to come."

Mark Galli | posted 12/13/2007 09:34AM

2 of 2

The tension I feel is this: I find it impossible to conceive of a solution to the mass murder phenomenon, especially when churches are targeted, that doesn't entail a severe restriction in freedom, thus sabotaging the very system we cherish in so many ways. As Fyodor Dostoyevsky suggested, perhaps we will eventually give up freedom for security. In the short run, I think we're not likely to make any fundamental changes to this order.

This is sobering. It suggests that no easy solutions wait in the wings. It means we once again find ourselves caught in the tensions of history. It reminds us that while we strive diligently to create a more just and secure social order, we must also continue to pray the Advent prayer, "Come, Lord Jesus," looking to the one whose will it is to establish an order in which the contradictions of human existence melt into justice and love.

Mark Galli is senior managing editor of Christianity Today, and author of Jesus Mean and Wild: The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God (Baker 2006). You are invited to comment below or on his blog.

Related Elsewhere:

Christianity Today covered the recent shootings in CT Liveblog.

Previous SoulWork columns are available on our site.

first page |

2 of 2

share this page

December (Web-only) 2007, Vol. 51

E-mail this page

Write CT

Print this article

Post a comment

Reader Reviews are below

Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only.

If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.

Click here for international orders

2-for-1 Gifts!

[Reader Reviews]

Average User Rating:

Displaying 1 - 3 of 42 comments.

See all comments

Dick	Posted: December 21, 2007 10:34 AM


I am more concerned about the Amish shooting of a few weeks ago where the surviving individuals offered their immediate forgiveness to the shooter and his family. Evangelicals seem to like to blame and postulate. Too bad evangelicals have so much more insight into these matters than the Amish.

post-modern population

Posted: December 21, 2007 3:44 AM


xqz my cruelty, but this is retailing. stil mo plane crushs, ... unexaustile batls, wars... post-modern population is no few, so no precious! prometheus is pushing the rock of man-mass up-hil

Marsha

Posted: December 20, 2007 12:38 PM


Wow, Jeannette. Quite the opinion you have. I'm curious to what your answer is for all the other hundreds of mass murders comitted throughout the ages that have nothing to do with Christians? And what about the thousands of WYAM missionaries and New Life Church members (or any church for that matter)that promote the love of Jesus Christ to others? Is EVERYBODY out to lunch but you?

The allotted time for commenting has ended.