By the time the saints who meet at North Second Street had gathered for our mid-week Bible study a few days ago, the following events had taken place:
- A man on a subway car in Charlotte, North Carolina took a knife out of his pocket and stabbed an unsuspecting Ukrainian woman to death with no warning or provocation. The video of her murder shocked the world.
- Influential Republican organizer, debater, and pod-cast host Charlie Kirk was assassinated for his political views. His murder and the graphic videos accompanying the stories shocked and frightened politicians of all stripes.
- Poland shot down several Russian drones that invaded the NATO country’s airspace. Polish leaders invoked Article 4 which allows any NATO country to call a meeting of all members, to discuss security options. The escalation raised fears of a further war with Russia.
These events were troubling on their own. But with less than 48-hours separating them it seemed like a tsunami of evil had hit the shore and the waves were breaking down the very fabric of our society. Part of our difficulty in digesting the events of last week is we are separated from large portions of our country by social media. One of the ironies of our time is social media is not only anti-social, but it frequently silos us away from each other rather than bringing groups together in an actual one-on-one meeting..
It seems there is a personalized news channel, podcast network, publishing company, and meme generating organization carefully curated to confirm all of my beliefs, never bother me with outside opinions, and comfort everyone on my side (the good guys) with the knowledge that anyone who thinks differently (the sub-human bad guys) is an enemy bent on the destruction of everyone on my side.
On top of all those society destroying devices, comes the ability for anyone, and I mean anyone to have their opinion recorded and set out onto the ocean of incivility. People Tweeted, Truthed, Insta’ed, Facebooked, Chat GPT’d, and who knows what else. It was as vile as you can imagine. And if we are not careful, we can let a few of civilization’s least refined intellects become representative of everyone on the other team. At the same time, the counterparts to these Tik-tok influencers that come from my side of the aisle never seem to punch through the algorithm.
Combine the isolation brought on by our phones, iPads, and keyboards, with the completely over the top reaction of a few, let’s say knuckleheads, and it can seem as though I am nearly alone and being attacked by numerous, aggressive outside enemies. This all came together in a very real way, when a young man really did threaten and kill someone because of his political views. He even posted where he left the rifle on a group chat app called, Discord. Ad the horrifying video of someone dying a brutal death and our senses feel overrun.
So what lessons can we learn from this chaotic week. Put down your phone and hang out with Christians! Luckily for me, there were at least five dozen believers that could be found at their regularly scheduled encouragement and Bible study seminar. If I felt alone and threatened Wednesday afternoon, by early evening, my mind had turned from the flesh to the Spirit. In the inspired word of God I find comfort, life, and peace. So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”-Hebrews 13:6.
Will we learn from this week to put down our electronic devices and actually shake someone’s hand, give them a pat on the back and make them feel better?
Perhaps we can learn social media is not a real place. The weirdos jumping up and down because someone’s husband and father was murdered DO NOT represent most people I actually know. It is not “us vs. them” in a meme-off to the death. Even though that nightmare scenario sprang to life last week, it is still the exception that proves the rule.
The last thing to learn from these events is how little they will actually affect our lives as time goes by. Don’t believe me? There was school shooting in Colorado this week and the 24th anniversary of 911 came and went with barely a mention. What once seemed like insurmountable threats will eventually be buried on the back burner of history
I have long thought news organizations should never use the names of high-profile killers once they are captured. Evil should be forgotten and kindness rewarded. Let us remember those who smile easily and never glorify those who take it in their hands to seek vengeance (Romans 12:29). God retains that privilege thank you.
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