Dumb things that have been said about the Charleston shooting

“This isn’t about racism; it wasn’t a hate crime.” News people actually said that. Yes, they said it at the beginning, before more facts were known, I guess. But they should be careful about choosing words that turn out to be wrong. Those same people condemn people who say after a terrorist attack, “We aren’t sure if this attack was a terrorist attack” or “Islam was not the cause of this attack.” It seems as though liberals are hesitant to call anything “terrorist” and conservatives are hesitant to call anything “racist.” But they are both wrong. Sometimes things are caused by terrorism, and sometimes things are caused by racism. Why are both conservatives and liberals so quick to pick sides? Wait for the facts before you report.

“They should have been more careful about who they let in their church.” No, they shouldn’t. You should let anyone into church, no matter how weird they look. Church is a place for people who are messed up, who have wrong beliefs and huge hurts. By all means, let them in. Maybe another white supremacist who sets foot in a black church will repent before he leaves. You never know what could happen, but you never turn anyone away.

“That pastor should have had a gun.”  I think pastors should be allowed to carry guns, but that doesn’t mean it should be a mandatory thing. We shouldn't blame victims for not protecting themselves enough. What about the Bible verse, “Some trust in chariots, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God”? God can protect His people in church; He has that ability, and if He allows people to die He has a reason for it. I know that sounds cliché and maybe even cruel, but I believe it because I know God's character. I trust God to have a good reason when something terrible like this happens—like to bring people closer together, to get them to show love and stand united against hate. That doesn’t mean as people we should never act to stop evil. But why does our action against evil always have to be with guns? What about fighting against evil with love, loving your enemies, doing good to those who are cruel to you? What about non-violent ways to make a difference in the world? What about using the Word of God, which is sharper than a sword? There are many pastors making a huge difference in the world, and they're not doing it with guns, but with the word of God and with love. Why would a pastor desire to kill people? Why would he want to stand there with a gun and send someone to hell? Wanting to protect your “flock” is an honorable thing, and if a pastor could kill a shooter to save his parishioners it wouldn’t be a sin. It would still be a very sad thing, though, because church should be a place of healing and life, not of death.

“If we’re not safe in church, where are we safe?” My answer is, we are safe everywhere and nowhere. I wasn’t really “safe” in Africa. It was against the law for us or for Beninese people to have guns, but people from Nigeria would sometimes smuggle them in and commit armed robbery. I met a missionary couple who had been tied up and held at gunpoint in their own home in Benin. I heard of a young Peace Corps girl who had been murdered in Benin while I was there, because she had told her authorities about a man who had been raping young girls where she worked. Boko Haram and other radical Muslim groups are in Nigeria, which borders Benin. Witchdoctors often feel threatened by Christian missionaries, and sometimes act against them, and we also had prosperity gospel preachers who were very angry at us for teaching that salvation is a gift from God. Malaria and other diseases are rampant. Yet I felt very safe in Africa. I knew that God could protect me there, and if he chose not to, then I would be in heaven sooner. We took steps to help us be safer; we took malaria medicine, were careful about the food we ate and water we drank, kept our house locked at night and paid a security guard next door to keep an eye on our house as well. And I believe people should have the right in America to carry concealed guns if that makes them feel safer. Taking care of yourself and using common-sense protection doesn't mean that a person lacks faith in God. But ultimately, anything can happen and we can always be prepared to die. I have peace about death, and trust that God will keep me safe until the right time, and I don’t really live in fear, no matter where I am.

“Gun control could have stopped this.” Probably not. I would like to see guns limited in America by better background checks. It is too easy for mentally unstable people and black-hating people to get guns, but normal people should be allowed to do target practice and carry concealed guns and go hunting. It's very difficult to decide who are the "good" people who should own guns, and who are the "bad" people who shouldn't, because everyone has good and bad in them. Better gun control might make a difference, but it wouldn't always stop these things. I see both sides of this issue, and don’t really have a strong opinion either way. But the real problem with the Charleston shooting was hate, not guns. The only way to fight hate is with love.