For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms(Ephesians 6:12).

This blog is not usually driven by current events.

And yet

Yesterday evil happened in Florida.  Over a hundred people were shot, half of those killed, by a man with a twisted theology, a truckload of hate, and some hefty armament.  As a Christian Conservative American Dude, all sorts of my buttons got pushed all at once.

Radical Islam

Homosexuality

Gun rights

Given what I have seen on social media in the last 24 hours, I’m not alone.  Many people are raging today.

So, some things to consider as you head out into Monday, where you know folks are gonna be talking about this…

The people in that nightclub did not deserve to die, at least no more than you or I or any other sinner deserves the wages of sin.  They are real people, flesh and blood and bone, loved desperately by the same One who has loved you.  They are victims of evil, and we should mourn with those who mourn, as Christ himself mourns the lost.  However, they are not martyrs.  Their death at the hands of an evil man does not legitimize a lifestyle that dishonors God, and tragedy should not cause us to accept immorality.  God did not want them dead; he wanted them healed, and whole, and his.

The shooter is not your enemy, either.  Do not rage against the man who is now forever separated from Christ, or even against the twisted theology that spawned him.  He is a pawn in a much bigger spiritual battle.

And, for God’s sake, don’t make this about guns.  This is no more about guns than drunk driving is about cars.

Beloved, we have an enemy.  He is the one who delights in setting God’s creation against one another, knowing that where hate flourishes he is master.  If you must rage, rage against him.  Rage against injustice, and evil, and emptiness, and all that would tear this world from the grasp of the Holy One.  Rage against the one who delights in darkness, and takes pleasure from pain, and embraces evil because it is a reflection of his own nature. Rage against him who dares to fight the Lord of Love, who had lost from the beginning, but brings grief with his failing gasps.  

Rage on, Beloved.