Violence in America
Eric Metaxas has written a wonderful BreakPoint commentary on movie violence today. Check it out. (Google Breakpoint)
We are a bunch of hypocrites, he basically says. Hollywood is the worst. "Give up your guns!" they shout--and then show unrepentant violence on screen. And we watch it. Two people I know went to see Django Unchained. I should have gone all prophetic on them.
I watched, by the way, the old "Oceans' Eleven" movie last night. I thought it was surprisingly good, mainly because of the Greek tragedy ending. It used to be in Hollywood, evil and crime had to be punished. Not any more.
In reading Genesis' account of Noah, I was surprised to see that what the people were being punished for was violence! Same with other times of judgment. We think we will be judged for sexual deviance--but maybe not so much. I think America is under judgment right now anyway because of our innate violence, more than our sexual sins, although that's part of it. We have been violent from the beginning, to slaves, Indians, children, and others.
When will the church take violence seriously, all violence, not just that in the womb (which of course is bad enough and the reason behind our current judgment, I am convinced). Newtown was a particularly well publicized tragedy, but these things happen constantly, with less news coverage. Guns are not the cause of our violence, they are the symptom and tool of it. Other countries have free guns laws and almost no violence.
What makes us so violent as a people? What is the core of this disease?
We are a bunch of hypocrites, he basically says. Hollywood is the worst. "Give up your guns!" they shout--and then show unrepentant violence on screen. And we watch it. Two people I know went to see Django Unchained. I should have gone all prophetic on them.
I watched, by the way, the old "Oceans' Eleven" movie last night. I thought it was surprisingly good, mainly because of the Greek tragedy ending. It used to be in Hollywood, evil and crime had to be punished. Not any more.
In reading Genesis' account of Noah, I was surprised to see that what the people were being punished for was violence! Same with other times of judgment. We think we will be judged for sexual deviance--but maybe not so much. I think America is under judgment right now anyway because of our innate violence, more than our sexual sins, although that's part of it. We have been violent from the beginning, to slaves, Indians, children, and others.
When will the church take violence seriously, all violence, not just that in the womb (which of course is bad enough and the reason behind our current judgment, I am convinced). Newtown was a particularly well publicized tragedy, but these things happen constantly, with less news coverage. Guns are not the cause of our violence, they are the symptom and tool of it. Other countries have free guns laws and almost no violence.
What makes us so violent as a people? What is the core of this disease?
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