 Out of Touch
I must admit when it comes to news and politics I am probably more than a little out of touch. I don’t watch or listen to much news. I pick up most of my news from social media and podcasts. With that being said, in this post I am going to refer to a couple of current events. However, I have not researched the events and I am not really dealing with the outcomes. I am dealing with what, I think, should be a uniquely and universally Christian sentiment on these issues. By uniquely I mean that these are not the views that would concern someone with an utterly secular worldview. Issues of conscience concerning the death of image bearers of God (because that is who they are) is unique to the Christian worldview. By using the term universal I mean that these points will be sufficiently broad and biblical so that any dissenting opinion would be unorthodox and unchristian. Rittenhouse Even for someone who is out of touch it would be hard to have missed the controversy surrounding the Kyle Rittenhouse trial and verdict. I, of course, have my opinion about these matters, but for this post I want to focus on something that every Christian should be able to agree on, regardless of your estimation of the individuals involved or of what happened in Kenosha. That central point is this: two image bearers are dead! Regardless of the nature of their crimes and behavior or of Kyle’s guilt or innocence they are dead. Nothing that can be done now can change that fact. Nothing that the court or state or law or an individual can do will change that fact. Because this is the case Christians ought to pray for the family and friends and all those affected by the death of these two individuals. I know nothing at all about them but they were humans and we must pray. Pray is not just the only thing we can do but it is the most powerful and meaningful thing that we can do. But we must not only pray for them but also Kyle Rittenhouse. Once again regardless of your estimation of his innocence or guilt the reality is that he must live with having taken the lives of two people. Even when justified this is not a small thing. Those honorable soldiers and law enforcement officers who have had to take lives to save lives would no doubt relate to us the trauma of being involved in taking, even a guilty, human life. Dobbs V. Jackson I am writing this on December 1, 2021. This the day that our Supreme Court is hearing the oral arguments in a major case dealing with the legality of access to abortion. I want to state clearly that the intentional ending of an unborn human life is murder. The very word “abort” means to stop something that has already begun. From the moment of fertilization the zygote or embryo or fetus or baby (whichever term you want) is a person with its own body and soul and personhood. When we think about justice issues in the realms of race or court proceedings like those involving Kyle Rittenhouse we must take into account the factors of the sinful decisions of human beings to come to a just verdict. But in the case of these precious infants, justice is clear. There is no justice of any kind if those most vulnerable are not valued and protected. As we enter this season when we celebrate Jesus' first advent, remember that Jesus came and lived for us. We often (rightly) emphasize Jesus coming to die in our place on the cross to pay the penalty for sin freeing us from guilt and shame. However, Jesus also came and lived the holy righteous life that we should have lived. The demands of the Law were met with the humble obedience of Christ. Jesus did this so that He would transport that righteousness to our account so that we stand before God with all the merit of Jesus to our credit. Jesus came to live for us. Yet Jesus did die. So Jesus also came to live again for us. The only reason for us to have any hope of a future resurrection is because resurrection life is real. We know this and can experience it because Jesus has been raised from the dead and lives forevermore (Romans 5:6-11). If you have been born again you have experienced a spiritual resurrection (Ephesians 2:1) and you will one day experience a physical resurrection never to die again. The hope of this life is for all those who believe. So Jesus also came to live again for us. Justice for all? Even better, hope and life for all who are in Christ!
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