“I’m really angry,” host and editor in chief Russell Moore says in this week’s episode of The Bulletin; and, after a week like this one, it makes a lot of sense. On Monday, an active shooter opened fire at Covenant School in Nashville killing three children and three adult staff, including the head of school, making this the thirteenth school shooting this year. Righteous anger and lament are appropriate responses, especially when the frightening alternative could be numbness.
In this episode, hosts Mike Cosper and Russell Moore are joined by Kate Shellnutt, editorial director of news and online, and Dr. Nicole Martin, chief impact officer, to discuss the school shooting and its ramifications for the American church. Their conversation yields tough and necessary questions. How do you “harden a target” to prevent further violence in a church setting? How do we grieve rightly when this type of violence is becoming so familiar? How does our uniquely American obsession with power and firearm mythology prevent us from making progress in this difficult area? Listen in for a hard and truthful word about humanity’s brokenness and the courage that is required to create change.
Joining us this week: Kate Shellnutt is editorial director of news and online for Christianity Today, where she leads the magazine's news team and reports and edits for online. In her role, Kate has written several stories on school shootings and contributed significant reporting to the latest incident at Covenant School in Nashville.
Nicole Martin serves Christianity Today as chief impact officer after serving on its board of directors. Nicole oversees three major strategic initiatives that are shaping the future of CT including The Global Initiative, the Big Tent Initiative, and the Next Gen Initiative. Martin worked as a business analyst for Deloitte before receiving her master of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she was the recipient of the David Hugh Jones Award in Music and the John Alan Swink Award in Preaching. Prior to accepting the position at CT, she was senior vice president at the American Bible Society (ABS), where she spent six years leading major ministry projects. At ABS, she forged a wealth of church relationships, domestically and internationally, and is well regarded as a thoughtful and dynamic preacher, teacher, and writer.
Resources Referenced: Presbyterian School Mourns 6 Dead in Nashville Shooting by Daniel Silliman and Kate Shellnutt After Nashville, Moral Numbness is our Enemy by Russell Moore Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
“The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Hosts: Mike Cosper and Russell Moore Producer: Matt Stevens Associate Producer: Azurae Phelps Editing and Mix: TJ Hester Music: Dan Phelps Graphic Design: Bryan Todd Additional Design: Amy Jones Social Media: Kate Lucky
