The tragic shootings in Dallas, and the equally tragic events that led up to those shootings, cause us all to grieve and to look for answers: Why did this happen, and what should Christians do about it?
The Colson Center’s John Stonestreet addresses these questions, and more, in Monday’sBreakPoint® commentary and I thought it was important to share these excerpts as you help instruct, encourage, and comfort your listeners . . .
“Last week seems like a bad dream, but it wasn’t. Is it even possible to make sense of such cultural chaos?
We’re not okay, folks, and we haven’t been in quite a while. These horrible events are notcreating unrest; rather they are revealing it. Our society is weak in its middle-at the “social glue” level of local communities and civil society. And, we have a race problem. We might disagree on why, but it won’t do us any good to say it doesn’t exist. Here we are – and there’s no way out of this except by confronting it.
And now, Christian, what might we do?
First, pray. It sounds trite and expected, but it isn’t. I’m spending today praying for the pastors tasked with shepherding congregations through this on Sunday. I am also praying for Christians tasked with talking about this with colleagues, families, and neighbors on Monday. I am praying we will be Gospel-shaped in our words and tone.
But mostly, I pray today for mercy using ancient, tried, and tested words: Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Second, we can, in the words of the Apostle James, be quick to listen and slow to speak (1:19), particularly to those with whom we agree on the Gospel but differ in experiences as citizens.
Third, we can focus efforts on rebuilding those institutions able to address the problems we face. Government has a role, but the state cannot lead us in reconciliation, virtue formation, or trust building. God has uniquely equipped the home and the church for those tasks.
It looks bleak, but we worship the same Christ whose Gospel has brought healing to post-adultery marriages, post-riot cities, even post-genocide Rwanda. It can here too. There is, in fact, no other place to look.”
In these turbulent times, the news cycle seems to change almost by the minute. The Colson Center and BreakPoint® are committed to using all the technology available to bring you the most timely and up-to-date biblical analysis and commentary possible. Thank you for partnering with us.
Jennifer Perez
Ambassador: We Connect. Ministry and Media.
P.S. John Stonestreet and Ed Stetzer also provided timely commentary about these events on last weekend’s edition of “BreakPoint® This Week.” Listen here and share with listeners.
