Beyond “Thoughts and Prayers”
A post-Buffalo-and-Uvalde cry
There are no words to describe the carnage that took place in Buffalo on May 14 or in Uvalde, TX last week. How can I wrap my mind around 31 people murdered while grocery shopping or sitting in a 4th-grade classroom?
In the wake of these massacres, there’s no shortage of commentary. Cries for increased gun regulation have erupted. So have cries for more school protection. As is almost always the case after mass shootings, we’ve witnessed demagoguing galore.
Can we agree?
Can we put aside the opinions for just a moment and at least agree that our as a whole is sick? Can we agree that there are strong societal and spiritual components involved that politics have no answer for?
More to the point: can we agree that, as a nation, we must experience a strong spiritual awakening that will affect civic and cultural shifts? Can we long for such an awakening so as to bring into our public square the fear of God? Can we envision an end to the epidemic of broken homes and fatherlessness? (There are numerous studies that corroborate the connection between fatherlessness and violence.)
What about the church?
Closer to home (for the one who follows Jesus): can we envision a church raised up along the lines of Acts 13 — joining in fervent prayer and worship across ethnic and socioeconomic lines and even political parties? Can we envision a society that embraces true biblical equality?
Can we get beyond “thoughts and prayers” into truly contending in prayer for the soul of our nation?
