How Christians Should Respond to Being a Target of Shooters
In Oregon, a deeply troubled, severely depressed, and anti-social young man legally purchased 14 lethal weapons, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a steel-plated bulletproof jacket. On October 1, he used some of those deadly items to shoot 16 students and faculty members, nine of whom died, at Umqua Community College. According to one survivor, he demanded his victims identify themselves religiously, and may have targeted Christians in particular.
As a minister, I look at the devastating event in Oregon not from a legal viewpoint, but from a religious one. It’s really of no interest to me whether or not the perpetrator in this incident had a constitutional right to own the instruments that allowed him to mow down a dozen people within seconds, while, perhaps, using his body armor to shield himself from being shot by police. I don’t really care if he knew how to properly use his weapons or not,...
