Questioning: "Either/Or"

Questioning: “Either/Or”

Gun violence and the importance of listening.

This week we witnessed yet another tragedy. A gunman entered a school armed with multiple weapons and unleashed death on three 9 year old students and the staff that committed their lives to teaching them. This one felt closer to home than most… one of the kids killed was the daughter of the pastor whose church ran the school. Being a pastor with an 8 year old daughter… I have a hard time preventing my mind from going to dark places as I empathize with what they must be going through.

The sad reality is how often things like this occur. According to Gun Violence Archive, we have seen 10,110 deaths due to gun violence, 413 of which have been kids under the age of 17, this year alone. It is not even April yet. Over the first three months we have also seen 130 mass shootings. You know the stats… it is hard to avoid them. This week I have seen report after report all using stats just like this.

It is also around this point that the same tired debate comes up about the solution to this whole thing. Gun control, mental health advocacy and resources, the lack of God in our schools and culture, and on and on.

Before I go any further, it needs to be said that my goals as a pastor is to help people move forward and engage one another in a safe and beneficial way. That includes this post. I should also note that I, personally, do not care about politics. I am of the belief that for far too many people politics have become an idol that we hide behind to not take personal responsibility. It has become easy for us to blame literally everything on some political ideology other than our own for all of our woes. While you may be tempted to read your own political agenda into this… know that I am writing without one (as much as possible). So with that in mind… let’s see if there is a way to move forward together.

So often this debate circles around what I call "either/or” dynamics. It is either guns or it is mental illness, or bad parenting, or sin, or any number of other things we can think of that are easy for us to understand and supports our worldview! People line up on whichever side of the either/or line they agree with and throw word diarrhea all over the other side. Everyone seems to have their opinion of the issue as if their opinion completely discounts the opinions of others. It can only be this one thing.

We do this for all types of things, not just the issue of gun violence! As people, we are prone to subscribing to our way of thinking and immediately putting blinders on to all other forms of thinking. To think other wise is a threat!

But what if it isn’t “either/or?“ What if is is “both/and?”

What if things are not as simple as we want them to be? Shocking stuff, right?

What if the reason we keep finding ourselves back at this same argument for the 130th time this year is because we are fighting for the wrong things? What if there are pieces of the truth hidden throughout the debate but we were so stubborn we refused to see it? What if instead of fighting or our ideologies and rights… we listened to what others are saying and considered what they are saying and how it might actually help? The truth is there is not one person who doesn’t view this as a problem. It has to stop. The issue is in opinions about how to best go about that. I believe one massive step forward is to learn to listen.

As the Church, I think it is our opportunity here to show the way forward! If we truly believe that Jesus is the Prince of Peace… if we look at the things he teaches about turning the other cheek, loving our enemy, and forgiving those who have wronged us and actually took Him seriously… it ought to have a pretty big affect on our lives. We should be masters at facilitating peace! Not digging our heels into the ground insistent that it was our way or the highway.

As we engage in topics, whether it be about gun violence or any other hot cultural topic, keep in mind that you represent Jesus. Ditch the “either/or” mentality and begin finding ways to work together with others to see the picture more clearly.

Pray for our country, our kids, and our leaders… but don’t allow your prayers to lead to inaction. Partner together with one another to help lead to the big change that is needed. Call your representatives. Seek to learn and gain a bigger perspective.