A Time for Healing, but Leave Jesus Out of It<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
By Jan Markell
www.olivetreeviews.org
 
 
We've had four days of wall to wall coverage of the Virginia Tech tragedy. I have come up with my own conclusions and share them below:
 
*  There is such a thing as waiting until it is too late. There are institutions such as the ACLU that protect the ill without providing protection for the well. There is a revolving door between the street, hospital, and jail due to lax laws as many are afraid to come against such organizations. In this case, Virginia Tech and others waited until it was too late.
 
* Input from Cho Sueng-Li's parents has been missing.  They come from a culture that actually places a much greater emphasis than ours on shame as a means of controlling behavior. Did they see their son preparing for mass slaughter and not do anything to stop it?
 
* Copy-cats are being tempted to do same as a result of the 24/7 coverage of Cho Sueng-Li. The story deserves coverage but not obsessive coverage. Many others may want their 15 minutes or one week of fame as Sueng-Li has gotten. NBC, and other outlets, should be reprimanded for playing right into Sueng-Li's plan for more attention and fame. There are others out there, including terrorists, who see how easy it is to spit in the face of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />America. Just make a nice video then bring out the guns and start shooting.
 
* The bottom line is that there is incredible evil in this world. God sent His Son for this purpose. Most reject Him. Because of the Fall in the Garden we are left with terrorist monsters. We cannot excuse them, appease them, ignore them, of negotiate them into civilized behavior. For the sake of the innocent, they must be stopped or locked up.
 
*  Because evil exists let's not pass all the blame on too many guns, too few guns, violent video games, the breakdown of the family, immigration policies, etc. While some of these issues may apply, the greatest issue is evil and the only solution is Jesus Christ who would even forgive a Cho Sueng-Li if he repented.
 
*  We have been like a frog in the kettle. Our capacity for shock at such violence has lessened over the years as our culture is immersed in it.
 
*  Other nations live with the threat of maniacs daily, particularly Israel and Iraq. Israel has cut such disasters by 95% with her security fence which all the world rails against. Mass murder is now a daily fact of life because we have entered the biblical last days spoken of in II Timothy 3--perilous times.
 
*  We need more heroes as role models. A Romanian-Jewish immigrant and Holocaust survivor saved the life of some of his students. As a result, he was gunned down--and on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
 
*  There are editorials around the world and they all blame America and/or President Bush. But do you ever read an editorial blaming Saudi Arabia for the Islamofascist suicide bombers who hail from there?
 
*  The massacre wasn't the result of too many guns; rather, it was the result of too few guns. The killer was the only one who had one.  The school was a "gun-free zone." I wonder if they are proud of that now.
 
*  The special convocation service featured references to Allah, Buddha, and a Jew reading from Ecclesiastes, but there was not one mention of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, the only One who can "bring about healing" that so many are talking about. He was left in the parking lot.  Only President Bush made some references to Christianity but still did not mention Jesus.
 
*  Franklin Graham was the only high-profile person (but not at the convocation) who just stated bluntly, "the killer was filled with evil. Satan is responsible for this."  Finally, the truth comes out but Graham was given little to no attention. Graham is hoping to bring the message of forgiveness to the community and parents of the slain.
 
Kids in educational institutions today are taught that there is no God, so why should they call on Him, even in a situation like this? They are taught secular humanism; in other words, the basic goodness of man. You would think this delusion would vanish seeing the kind of carnage we have had in the last 60 years.
 
RADIO THIS WEEKEND: Pastor Bob DeWaay and I will challenge a Christian leader and prayer ministry leader who puts a lot of blame regarding "hate crimes" on the Jews. A friendly debate. Also, a discussion of the Virginia Tech tragedy from a biblical perspective. We air live out of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN Saturdays, 9 to 11 AM CST on AM980 KKMS. You can "listen live" here http://www.kkms.com/ KKMS repeats the broadcast Sunday from 12 to 2 PM where you can also listen live to the rebroadcast. We are heard in many cities now and on Sirius Satellite Radio.  Check our radio show page http://www.olivetreeviews.org/radio_show.shtml for all details including podcasting.