In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss the distressing rise of gun violence in the United States. This is an issue, like so many others, that is increasingly polarizing in our culture. Regardless of where you stand on gun control, there is no doubt that gun violence is having devastating impacts on everyone. And there seems to be a radicalization of young people that is taking place through the internet and social media that is a very disturbing trend.
Dr. White wrote a 2012 blog that the Church & Culture Team has (sadly) released over the years as mass shootings have happened in the U.S. It is appropriately titled “The Answer Is Evil”. Dr. White also mentioned that at Mecklenburg Community Church, our MecKidz Children's Ministry sent out resources for parents to help them talk with their children when tragic events occur:
“Talking to Kids about Mass School Shootings” from Focus on the Family
“8 Suggestions for Talking to Your Kids About Mass Shootings” from FamilyLife
“How to Help Your Kids Process Tragic News” from Focus on the Family
During their conversation, they discussed how Christians are called to have the same level of concern for the sanctity of life on the matter of gun violence and its victims as they do for abortion. For reference, it would help to listen to CCP10: On Roe v. Wade.
Often times, the Christian response to mass shootings is to say “you're in my thoughts and prayers.” Dr. White mentioned a resource that sheds light on the importance of not trivializing this phrase to a mere sound bite: Taylor S. Schumann When Thoughts and Prayers Aren't Enough: A Shooting Survivor's Journey into the Realities of Gun Violence, which you can find on Amazon.
For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday. In fact, here are two recent stories shared related to this episode's discussion that you may have missed, both from the New York Times:
“A Disturbing New Pattern in Mass Shootings: Young Assailants”
“A Church, a Gathering Place for Generations, Becomes a Hub for Uvalde's Grief”