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Christianity Today, June, 2007 |

'Nightmare of Nightmares'

Virginia Tech's Korean Christians wrestle with the aftermath of a massacre.

Deann Alford | posted 6/06/2007 08:02AM

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Six days after the bloodbath, on a cool but sunny Sunday afternoon, Chung preached at Korean Baptist using Psalm 13 as his text. His congregation was half its normal size. Many regulars had gone home, and only a few new faces appeared in the congregation.

"We have to pray that we are ready to be used by God," he told them. "We need to pray that we can be used as God's tool to share his loving-kindness to the community of Blacksburg."

Chung told CT that David's lament in Psalm 13 perfectly fit their situation. "Satan is working," he said. "We are devastated. God doesn't seem to be around. Like David, we have to seek his loving-kindness."

Deann Alford is a senior writer for Christianity Today.

Related Elsewhere:

Philip Yancey tells about his experiences at Virginia Tech after the killings in "Where is God When it Hurts?" "A Gray Haze over Everything." Our earlier coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings includes:

Asking Why | Christian fellowship helps survivors of the Virginia Tech shootings deal with larger issues. (April 23, 2007)

Peace in a World of Massacre | What Jesus calls us to when we're most frightened. (April 17, 2007)

Weblog has commentary and links to other news about Virginia Tech.

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June 2007, Vol. 51, No. 6

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Mike	Posted: June 07, 2007 9:53 AM

What I find inspirational is that the Korean Christian community would put themselves in a vulnerable spot by taking responsibility for what happened by apologizing. Eastern cultures have a far more biblical view of community influence and responsibility than us westerners, who believe in the supremacy of the individual. In Deuteronomy we read that if a child is disobedient, it is the community's responsibility for correction. In the NT, the church's members are responsible and accountable to one another. I think that the if the church in America wants to truly make an impact in the world for Christ, it must regain the doctrine of community so pervasive throughout Scripture.

Virginia

Posted: June 06, 2007 4:23 PM


Chuck, why should Koreans Christians have to apologize for the actions of another person of Korean descent? Do white Christians apologize en masse every time a white person does something horrible?

Anonymous

Posted: June 06, 2007 4:01 PM

What a helpful article! I, too, was struck and awed by the outpouring of concern and even apologies from the Korean community, both in the US and abroad. This kind of class and character is rarely seen today. I cannot remember any other ethnic group displaying such genuine public remorse when one of its members commited some heinous act. The Koreans are to be commended and the world would be a much better place if all groups could learn from their humble and gracious attitude. It is so sad that the VT killer could not have been reached by any of the campus ministries, but, as everyone rightly says, you cannot assign blame there or anywhere else but at the killer's own feet, and at the evil influences that must have plagued him. May God continue to minister to all those affected by this incident.

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