130th Edition
School Violence
Here we are again trying to make sense of the incomprehensible. Another deadly shooting in a school, this time at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. As Matthew Hennessy succinctly states in his thoughtful essay in the Wall Street Journal, “It is a problem from hell.” He ends his essay with this plea – “God, please tell us what to do.”
Matthew, my brother, I have good news. God already has. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
Why not teach these two great commandments in school? What could possibly be more important to learn than this?
School violence could be dramatically reduced by doing two things. First, reintroduce faith into all schools. Not a watered-down “version of spirituality, but biblically based education stressing the eternal truths about who God is, who we are in relationship to our sovereign God, and what responsibilities we have in community as inhabitants in His kingdom. Will this offend some people? Will it infuriate atheists? If it is true there are no atheists in a fox hole, perhaps there are no atheists rushing to a school to save their children from the murderous attack of a deranged gunman. Christ-centered people are far less likely to murder kids than people with no spiritual connection to the one true God. If that bothers you, I am sorry. If it bothers you more than what recently happened at Annunciation, then I’m not sure what to say to you.
Think beyond the positive impact this would have than just within the school. The impact within families, neighborhoods, and the greater community would be transformative. It could change our entire country. Reduce polarization, alienation, racism, prejudice, loneliness and depression. Spirit-filled people understand all this, and they hope and pray for this transformation, too.
The second thing is to connect every student to some team, club, or activity that makes them feel part of something. It’s not totally foolproof, nothing is, but teammates tend not to shoot other teammates. Kids who feel isolated, or worse, are more prone to violence. We can dramatically reduce this risk by getting kids involved in extra-curricular activities, especially, but not limited to athletics.
I’ve written plenty about the proper role of scholastic sports in building character so I won’t belabor the point. Here is a link to a prior blog if you need a refresher. https://kayesbooks.com/number-six-integrate-sports-into-the-overall-education-experience/
These two solutions seem like no brainers to me. Surrender our collective will to God and build true community and fellowship through athletics and other activities. Yet we don’t do either very well. We’ve pushed away from God in school. Maybe that’s ok for families that are committed to raising their children in a Christ-centered environment. But what about the kids who live in a faithless home? Couldn’t schools fill that void? Would it not be a positive experience to connect them to a faithful youth group or let them build a relationship with a faithful coach or mentor?
Meanwhile, the percentage of students who participate in athletics, particularly at most public high schools, is way too low. Surely, we can commit to raising this percentage. All it takes is a commitment to character development instead of allocating all our resources to build one or two elite teams whose core philosophy is to win at all costs. This is the current approach to athletics at most public high schools. Low overall participation and too much of a focus on a few elite teams.
There are unintended consequences from every initiative. What are they from reconnecting to God and strengthening community and fellowship through athletics and other activities? We will have to try this first to know, but what are the risks?
What does it mean to love others as we love ourselves? Maybe it’s better to ask what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean shoving any specific religion down anyone’s throat. It doesn’t mean judging or ostracizing a person who believes in a different religion, or even no religion at all. It means showing unconditional love, grace, and compassion to everyone. Simple philosophy, perhaps not easy to do, but that’s really it.
Following the dreadful incident at Annunciation we all feel outraged. We are quick to offer our prayers and compassion. All natural and appropriate responses. At some point, I hope we have serious conversations about two of the solutions that exist today. Our plea today isn’t really – God, please help us. It is – God, please help us but do it in a politically correct way that won’t offend anyone. Perhaps that would be a good place to begin the conversation. These two solutions might require a reordered heart. Is that possible? All things are possible with God (Mark 10:27)
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Michael Kayes
*These views are my personal opinions and are not the viewpoints of any company or organization.