Phil Congdon, NBBC, November 7, 2017

Two days ago, as I was preaching, a few miles away in Sutherland Springs, a deranged man entered a church and methodically killed or gravely wounded most of the congregation. It’s hard for us to believe anyone would be so depraved they could do this. Every time we hear of acts of terror here and around the world, we wince, we grieve, we weep. In this case, both because it is so close by, and because the victims were gathered to worship the Lord, our sorrow is greater.

Our first priority must be to pray. Stop what you are doing, make time in your busy day, perhaps get together with a few others. Pray for those in the hospital, some in critical condition; pray for doctors and nurses who are providing their treatment. Pray for the grieving families of those who were killed, for the comfort that only God can give. Pray for healing for a shattered community, and the remaining members of the church. And pray for our nation to recognize the symptoms of spiritual need, and turn to God.

I know that ‘talking heads’ will raise issues like gun control and mental health after a shooting – as usual, they are sincere, but wide of the mark. According to the New York Times, costs of mental health in America exceed half-a-trillion dollars-a-year; if giving out drugs and talking could solve the problem, we would have long ago. Making guns illegal might prevent some senseless killings, but it won’t stop murder. I lived near Chicago for eight years; Illinois has very restrictive gun laws. And yet already this year, in Chicago alone, there have been 3201 shootings, 2644 wounded, and 557 killed. Something deeper than ‘gun law’ is the problem.

Let me be blunt: We are focusing on the symptoms, and ignoring the disease. Over the last generation, we have intentionally extracted God and faith from society, and we are suffering the results. When society can no longer discern right from wrong in obvious issues (partial birth abortion, selling aborted baby body parts, homosexual “marriage,” or men sharing bathrooms with girls), we have lost our moral compass. Remove God from society, and you remove moral absolutes; the vacuum will be filled with irrational and bizarre behavior. Psychology can define the problem, but never solve it. Governments can impose new laws, but never change the heart.

America, despite its rich heritage, has intentionally chosen a path that removes God and spirituality from the mainstream of life (academia, government, media, entertainment). Australia, where I lived for years, which has no ‘Christian heritage’ like America, still has “Scripture in Schools,” a program where groups (Christian and others) discuss spiritual issues with students. (Note: This has been under attack from anti-religious groups, so far unsuccessfully.) America effectively removed God from school years ago: In 1962 they removed prayer, in 1963 the Bible. We have forgotten God; these irrational and tragic killings are all-too-common reminders.

Is prayer and Bible-reading in school the solution for all society’s ills? No. But God and His Word are. While we cannot eradicate sin this side of heaven, we can shine the light of truth in darkness, and the good news of a God of love and forgiveness in a world of pain and hopelessness. So as you pray and weep for the families of Sutherland Springs, hold fast to the grace and truth of God, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2.4).