School Shootings

The tragic shootings in Connecticut turned Christmas a different shade of red—a color no one wants to see. The world cries in outrage, shame, and sorrow. Families mourn. Reporters dig. Psychologists speculate. And media grows. Former Governor Mike Huckabee hit the truth when he said, ‘We ask why there’s violence… but we’ve systematically removed God from our schools.’

Here’s another truth no reporter wants to write: media plays a starring role in this tragedy. From the non-stop violence on film to its non-stop coverage on news, kids are flooded with bad examples. Movie Guide’s Ted Baehr says the average U.S. kid is glued to a media screen 75 hours per week. No wonder fame is now the #1 goal of children. The internet has extended the carrot of celebrity to more people than ever before.

Violently troubled teens want their own fifteen minutes. Copying what they see, some dream of desperate glory. They don’t know God. Nor do they understand He is the Sole Proprietor of glory. When the ‘L’ord is removed from the word, only four letters remain. They spell gory: the evil remnant of glory gone wrong.

Fifteen minutes of fame is like holding on to a handlebar while dangling over a cliff. It’s sensational, but a fall is coming. Newtown was a big one. So was Columbine. In between 1999 and 2012, one list recalls 179 school shooting incidents.

God offers His stars a slower rise to a lasting fame. I encourage actors, models and talent for Christ to continue their movement into media. I encourage reporters to track it. I encourage the world to watch it. In the mean time: pray, pray, pray for the children. Then show and tell them something better than they’ve ever seen before.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)

Links:

Former Governor Huckabee’s Christian Post article

UCLA study on fame

List of school shootings