When the TOTE group got together last night, it was clear that we were all in a state of shock, caused by the tragedy in Connecticut. In the wake of something like this, we are all asking Why? Why? And Christians are looking for ways to form a "Christian" response to the tragedy.
Perhaps more than other groups, Americans love the idea of a simple cause and a simple response. I've already seen a video by one pastor who claims the Connecticut tragedy was God's punishment for taking prayer out of the public schools. We see similar responses every time there's a major tragedy: September 11, hurricanes, or earthquakes. Predictably, some preacher will hit the airwaves with the message that God is punishing us for something. I can ask the obvious questions: Why that school? The Supreme Court decision banning mandatory prayer was issued June 25, 1962, so why did God wait more than fifty years (and kill off people who weren't even born when the decision was made)? And were all of the dead somehow rebelling against God? Does God even do things that way?
Another response I'd reject is helpless fatalism. What will be, will be. No, we are not helpless pawns of fate. We need to take some sort of rational, considered action to protect ourselves and our loved ones. I don't mean arming every citizen or reporting every person who acts a bit strangely. I do mean addressing some root causes. President Obama was right when he included the street corners of Chicago and Philadelphia in the list of places where great numbers of our people have been gunned down—it just happens to be one by one, not in wholesale lots on those corners. Many of my students can name friends or family who have been shot dead.
Our Christian ancestors lived through terrible times: the Roman persecutions and the Nazi Holocaust to name a couple. They were at their best when they found ways to express the love of Christ to those who were suffering. I don't have a final suggestion for our response to Connecticut, but it's got to somehow bring Christ's love into the situation.
