Aimless & Grasping

In Aurora, Colorado last night, students and adults - along with thousands of others around the country - lined up to see the unveiling of The Dark Knight Rises. Night was certainly rising, but no one could have imagined what would actually happen.

James Holmes, a 24 year old young man, geared up among the rest of the excited movie-goers. Some wore capes, painted their faces, or even blended their enjoyment of previous Batman franchise movies (I saw one boy wearing a Riddler cape) to take part in the spectacle of the release. James Holmes was no different, except for the fact that he was more different than we could imagine.

Holmes entered the theater in tactical protective gear, a gas mask, and opened fire - first into the air and, according to reports, then at individuals who tried to leave. CNN reported that 12 people were killed and 59 were wounded, and that Holmes' home was rigged with various booby traps and incendiary explosives such that nearby neighbors had to be relocated. Reports started circulating that later screenings of the film would be removed from the theaters in light of the attack. The Paris, France premiere has already been cancelled.

The blog-o-sphere has erupted as people have weighed in on this tragedy, calling it senseless, an act of terror, the work of a madman, and even intimating that it's the gun law's proverbial "chickens coming home to roost." First and foremost, we must join with those affected by this tragedy by mourning with them, joining in their pain. Though I would hate to make this statement at all, it's important to say that this is not the time to self-righteously point out some theological stance on why this tragedy happened or what God is trying to tell us in it. Sometimes life just sucks and we need to be available in the difficulty of mourning, not presume that 'answers' will somehow lessen the tragedy.

Present In The Pain 

As a minister, however, people often turn to the Church, or to God, or to some other leader because they want some answers. They want to know why things like this happen. Some may even activate and try to find ways to end the problem, at least as they see it.

What I cannot do, as a Christian and a follower of my God, is provide easy, pat answers to things like this. Not because I'm ignorant of scripture passages that give comfort, but because scripture itself welcomes us into a messy history that describes how God is still present in the midst of suffering, confusion, and doubt. Sometimes, claiming an answer effectively ends another's search for the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our suffering.

Still, we want answers, don't we?

I may not be able to say why this happened, but I can say why it didn't happen. It didn't happen because Holmes is evil personified; it didn't happen because he was a madmen or a senseless human being - though these things could be determined later, psychologically, and they would make us feel better; it didn't happen because guns are evil and need to be outlawed or kept out of the hands of the public. It didn't even happen because our society continues to chip away at the Judeo-Christian foundation of this nation.

When we grasp at these straw man 'reasons' for such tragedies, we do ourselves a disservice. By pointing the finger at people like Holmes - a madman so remarkably different from ourselves (right?) - we ignore our own ambivalence about the violence and desensitization we allow in our homes and into our minds. It's just entertainment, it's not real, it's just a funny t-shirt. I'm not saying that video games and movies are responsible for acts like last night's, but I also do not think they are neutral bystanders. We will naturally reflect what we absorb. And when we get to look at someone worse off than ourselves - morally, financially, etc. - then, well, there's a kind of self-serving justification in that.

As you've no doubt heard before, the argument is made that laws that restrict the possession of firearms will not dissuade those who already do not obey the law from carrying them. It will only allow their law-breaking to continue with less conflict when only law enforcement officers are allowed to possess guns. If this hasn't meant anything to us in years past, certainly the suffering economy and cut backs to police forces should. But I suspect we've no reason to support proper gun safety and possession until our world is irrevocably affected by one who possesses a gun but not the concern for morality or others that we do.

A hatchet job article by the Huffington Post misrepresented Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) by claiming he said "the shootings that took place... were a result of "ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs." Gohmert stated, in the interview, that a nation's increase in corruption and viciousness increases the need for masters [whereas religious morality acts as a safeguard], Christian beliefs of founding fathers and modern believers are under attack, and things like this happen - at which point the interviewer turned to Holmes. Gohmert claimed the shooting is a result of declining virtue/morality and, as a Christian, he believes the rejection of Judeo-Christian values is a part of that decline. I could be splitting hairs here, but the HP drew a direct correlation that Gohmert did not. Nevertheless, Gohmert's concern is for the laws of this nation, and I believe this is a backwards way of seeking an end to these kinds of terrible acts.

Directionally Challenged

Gohmert quoted Ben Franklin as saying "only a virtuous people are capable of freedom," and there is truth to that. There is a responsibility in freedom, namely, that our freedoms do not extend to taking the freedoms of another. We are not free to do that.

Scripture repeatedly tells us the story of the people of God who refuse to follow the God who desperately loves them. Starting in Genesis God finds the intentions of our hearts being evil all the time, and not until the end of time as we know it will this change. So God works and moves within this framework, calling us to return to Him and away from sin, but we do not listen until we are directly harmed by the sinful actions in ourselves or others. In fact, even in these times the atheist must admit their belief in God as they scream out, "what kind of God would allow this to happen?!"

That is a great and a horrible question, because connected to it is another great and horrible question: "If God were to end evil once and for all, right now, would you be left standing?" And then we come to grips with how self-serving and directionally challenged our standards for morality can be. God repeatedly beckons us to turn from our sinful ways, to stop doing what is not good for us [or our relationship with God], and follow Him. But we continue to say our way is better. Our way is fine. Our way isn't hurting anyone.

And so we are aimless. Scripture describes it as being tossed back and forth by shifting winds of doctrine, by whatever direction our beliefs or opinions happen to be pointing in at any given moment.

I'm not trying to give us answers to this weekend's tragedy and I'm not trying to make sense of it. I'm only trying to help us make sense of why these things bother us in the first place.

They bother us because we are created in the image of a God who loves us and wants us to turn back to Him, who is bothered by these things and so we too are bothered by them. The aim of life is to come to know this one God who would walk the earth to show us how to live well, as any good father also behaves in the way he wants his watching son or daughter to emulate. When we reach out for Jesus, and allow Him to guide us to the Father, we can finally let go of the endless [if not fruitless] quest to have all the answers. And when things like this happen, we don't have to overextend our wisdom to make sense of it but can be fully present in the pain, just as God is with us.

If we're lucky, we will be in tune enough with ourselves to hear the gentle voice of God as He reminds us how close we too are to death, and yet He's closer than we think, and He says He's got real life up His sleeve. If we take His hand and let Him lead, He'll show us the way to this real life, not at the expense of others but on behalf of others, so we also become lights to the world, as Jesus is to us.

He is the way when we seek direction; the truth when counterfeits try to spring from the shadows for their day in the sun; and the life that is abundant and lasting, here and now but also in the life to come. We don't have to be aimless and grasping anymore. Turn from your sins and to the Lord.

You won't find Him in this blog. But you will in the Bible. Read it. Read it again. Think about it. Consider the history of the people just like you and me who, though imperfect screw-ups at times, were used by God to accomplish much.

Oh yeah, and don't start in 1st or 2nd Chronicles - baby steps, bro, baby steps. Feel free to contact me for help - I would love to show you some great places to start, or even read through portions with you so we can ask questions together.

The night's definitely rising, but the light of the world is so much more powerful!