The earth was also corrupt before God,
and the earth was filled with violence.
Genesis 6:11
Many are wondering what is going on in the world...
and the earth was filled with violence.
Genesis 6:11
Many are wondering what is going on in the world...
Acts of senseless violence have left us numb. And people are asking the experts why.
On March 21, for example, a sixteen-year-old high school student in Minnesota brought a gun to his school and began to shoot those who were in the building. He then turned the weapon on himself, leaving ten dead. It was the worst school shooting since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, which took fifteen lives.
While in New York State, a 25-year-old man walked into a crowded shopping mall with an assault rifle. He then began spraying the mall with bullets. According to a local newspaper account, approximately sixty rounds were fired. Miraculously, only two people were wounded, one of them seriously.
I saw a color photograph of the 25-year-old as he was being led into court in handcuffs. The sleeves of his orange jail jumpsuit were rolled up to his elbows. So I was able to spy some odd tattoos on his forearms. Family members of his were in the courtroom too. His father, one of the newspaper articles said, was weeping.
Sadly, these acts of sudden and intense violence have become a notable characteristic of modern-day America. In spite of our technological advancements and our high standards of living, we have come to accept random violence as part of our culture.
For scores of troubled teenagers and young adults, having a gun while at the same time holding on to feelings of anger, alienation, self-loathing, and bottled-up hostility make for a powerful but lethal explosive force that could burst into unchecked rage at the slightest provocation.
Equally tragic, I believe, is that many of these incidents of explosive violence could have been prevented. Therefore, I plan to devote much of my April 2005 journal to the topic of youth violence.
While I am not an expert, as a Christian today, and as a man who once walked down the path of unchecked violence and aggression, I hope that what I have to say will be helpful and insightful.
There is an answer to the "spirit of violence" that's sweeping our nation. There is hope.
D.B.
Sources:
-Times Herald-Record, March 22, 2005, Middletown, NY.
-Times Herald-Record, February 17, 2005, Middletown, NY.
-March 21 school shooting from combined reports from different newspapers.
On March 21, for example, a sixteen-year-old high school student in Minnesota brought a gun to his school and began to shoot those who were in the building. He then turned the weapon on himself, leaving ten dead. It was the worst school shooting since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, which took fifteen lives.
While in New York State, a 25-year-old man walked into a crowded shopping mall with an assault rifle. He then began spraying the mall with bullets. According to a local newspaper account, approximately sixty rounds were fired. Miraculously, only two people were wounded, one of them seriously.
I saw a color photograph of the 25-year-old as he was being led into court in handcuffs. The sleeves of his orange jail jumpsuit were rolled up to his elbows. So I was able to spy some odd tattoos on his forearms. Family members of his were in the courtroom too. His father, one of the newspaper articles said, was weeping.
Sadly, these acts of sudden and intense violence have become a notable characteristic of modern-day America. In spite of our technological advancements and our high standards of living, we have come to accept random violence as part of our culture.
For scores of troubled teenagers and young adults, having a gun while at the same time holding on to feelings of anger, alienation, self-loathing, and bottled-up hostility make for a powerful but lethal explosive force that could burst into unchecked rage at the slightest provocation.
Equally tragic, I believe, is that many of these incidents of explosive violence could have been prevented. Therefore, I plan to devote much of my April 2005 journal to the topic of youth violence.
While I am not an expert, as a Christian today, and as a man who once walked down the path of unchecked violence and aggression, I hope that what I have to say will be helpful and insightful.
There is an answer to the "spirit of violence" that's sweeping our nation. There is hope.
D.B.
Sources:
-Times Herald-Record, March 22, 2005, Middletown, NY.
-Times Herald-Record, February 17, 2005, Middletown, NY.
-March 21 school shooting from combined reports from different newspapers.
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