Newtown massacre was 18th mass murder event in 2012
What’s going wrong, and is there hope?
Notes from my Fox interview.
Posted: December 16, 2012
UPDATED:
You can
watch the video of the Fox News interview by clicking here.
I’m grateful to Fox News Channel anchor
Shannon Bream for interviewing me on the air this afternoon to talk
about the moral and spiritual dimensions of the Newtown massacre. These
are not topics that have been discussed much in the media despite
wall-to-wall coverage of the tragedy since Friday. We didn’t have time
for a full, in-depth conversation, but we got it started. Here are some
of the points I made in the interview, as well as some points I would
have made had we had more time:
The slaughter of 20 children and
numerous teachers and other adults at the Sandy Hook Elementary was
horrifying beyond belief — yet what makes it worse is that it isn’t an
isolated incident.
- America is experiencing an epidemic
of violence and lawlessness —
so
far in 2012, we’ve seen 18 mass murder events in the U.S., and the
year isn’t over.
- Just last night,
another deranged individual fired 50 bullets from a handgun in
Newport Beach, California, reported the Los
Angeles Times, though fortunately no one was injured or killed, and
thus another tragedy was mercifully averted.
- Yes, violent crime has been
subsiding in recent years (and that’s good), but
the violent crime rate in America is twice what it was in 1960,
according to FBI stats (there were 160.9 violent crimes per 100,000
people in 1960, compared to 403.6 violent crimes per 100,000 people
in 2010)
- More than
1.2
million violent crimes are committed in the U.S.
annually, according to the FBI.
- More than 14,000
murders are committed in the U.S. every year
- Add to all this, there are more
than 1.2 million abortions every year — innocent children murdered
in their mother’s womb.
Why is all this happening? In
large part because we are engaged in moral and spiritual disarmament.
- Some Americans are actively driving
the God of the Bible out of their lives, out of their families.
- Some Americans are actively trying
to drive the God of the Bible out of our schools, our courts, our
media, and out of America all together.
- Many Americans are simply ignoring
the Lord — they don’t care to read or follow the Bible, or obey God,
or listen to Him.
- And then there are many Americans
who say they are Christians but don’t take their faith seriously,
just do what they want.
- Jesus Christ said, “I am the Way,
the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except
through Me.” (John 14:6)
- People are asking, “What’s the way
we can move forward and help prevent more mass murders?” Jesus says,
“I am the Way,” but much of the American society doesn’t want to
turn to Christ for help in finding our way forward.
- People are asking, “What is the
truth about how we can heal out society from such violence and
lawlessness?” Jesus says, “I am the Truth.” Indeed, the Word of God
(the Bible) is filled with His truth about how to transform a
person, family or nation. But much of the American society doesn’t
want to turn to Christ for help in understanding and following the
truth.
- People are asking, “How can we help
these troubled young people improve their lives and experience a
full and healthy life?” Jesus says, “I am the Life,” but much of the
American society doesn’t want to turn to Christ for help in finding
healthy lives here on earth, or eternal life in heaven.
Much of the American Church is
also weak, and asleep.
- There are 340,000 church
congregations in the U.S. — all are supposed to be shining the light
of Jesus Christ into the darkness of the world.
- Yet in many congregations, the
light has dimmed.
- In many congregations, the light
has gone out entirely — they don’t believe Christ is the Savior,
they don’t preach it, they don’t believe the Bible is the Word of
God, and they don’t teach people to obey it.
This moral and spiritual
disarmament is steadily having its consequences.
- The God of the Bible is a
gentleman. Jesus Christ loves us, but He won’t force us to follow
Him.
- If an individual, family or nation
continually tells Him to leave and not come back, He will eventually
honor that request and let that person, family, and/or nation’s
heart become hardened.
- Many churches aren’t preaching the
Gospel, or showing people how to let Christ save them and heal them.
- As Christ is driven out of a
society, evil moves in deeper and metastasizes through that society.
- When we tell young people that God
doesn’t matter, and that Christ isn’t the answer, and that religion
is unhealthy, we are morally and spiritually disarming them — some
become vulnerable to acts of evil; some aren’t prepared when evil
acts occur.
There is hope — repentance and
revival.
- America is in desperate need of a
Third Great Awakening. The Bible says, “If My people who are called
by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from
their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their
sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14) Please join me in
praying and fasting for America.
- More than ever, America needs
pastors to boldly and passionately preach that the Gospel of Jesus
Christ is the only message that will save this country. America
needs pastors who will call this nation to humble ourselves and turn
from our wicked ways and seek His face, before it’s too late.
America cannot be saved unless the Church wakes up from our long and
bitter slumber.
- “Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound
an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land
tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; surely it is near….’Yet
even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘Return to Me with all your heart, and
with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not
your garments.’ Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious
and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and
relenting of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and
relent and leave a blessing behind Him, even a grain
offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? Blow a trumpet
in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, gather the
people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the
children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his
room and the bride out of her bridal chamber. Let the
priests, the Lord’s ministers, weep between the porch and the altar,
and let them say, ’Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not make Your
inheritance a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they
among the peoples say, ‘Where is their God?’” (Joel
2:1, 12-17)
Where are you today? Have you received
Christ as your Savior and Lord? Are you absolutely certain that if you
were to die today that you would spend eternity in heaven with the Lord?
Are you leaning on Christ’s everlasting arms for complete forgiveness
for your sins, for hope, for peace, for comfort, for wisdom and
direction in this life, and in the life to come? If not, let this be the
day of salvation for you.
http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/16/newtown-massacre-was-18th-mass-murder-event-in-2012-whats-going-wrong-and-is-there-hope/
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