Can't Have One Without The Other

I would like to focus the subject of today’s blog on something that I think perfectly defines irony. To do this, I will use an illustration from this week’s – and this year’s - most newsworthy event. To me, this particular scene from the event itself is further evidence that, when it comes to God and who He is, this country just does not get it.

You’ve seen all the coverage on the news channels about the senseless slaughter that happened at Virginia Tech earlier this week. This blog entry is not about that act, a debate on gun control or any psycho-babble that may or may not be related to it. What I’m going to focus on here are the many memorial services that have taken place since the massacre occurred and why what happened in them is more a commentary on what’s wrong with our world and our country than the brutal act itself.

This is probably going to rub some people the wrong way and I understand that. So, let me make this disclaimer before I get started: what that man did was horrible, absolutely horrible. There is no debating that fact. By not focusing on what he did, I am in no way excusing or neglecting what happened. The wonderful news media has already dissected the massacre ad nauseam, so I will not add to their fodder here. They have reacted exactly the way the killer wanted them to: he is now a household name.

Many thanks to NBC for callously playing his video and releasing his manifesto. If my sister or any other family member had been killed Monday, I would be taking a trip to Rockefeller Center in New York to personally punch NBC’s President right in the face. Was it really necessary to broadcast that nut’s drivel all over the place? I guess in the name of the public’s so-called ‘right to know’ it was. I completely disagree. But nobody asked me…

Anyway, to honor the lives of the victims, there have been countless memorial services taking place all across the country this week. I personally find the one held on Virginia Tech’s campus to be particularly noteworthy. As is the custom these days, the memorial services included moments of silence instead of prayers and references to every religious figure from allah to buddha to zeus without once mentioning Jesus. That being said, I’m not necessarily offended by the failure to mention Jesus in the same sentence as those other guys because, by putting them together in the same category, you essentially place them all on a level playing field – which is, of course, a gross misrepresentation. So collectively mentioning all those other figures in an effort to uphold political correctness is not something I’m going to get fired up about. These are the times in which we live and, as Christians, the sooner we realize that, the less angry we will become (I’m not advocating indifference here, just a reality check).

I’m digressing a little here, so I’ll make my main point: at the very end of the initial memorial service, the audience broke into a spontaneous rendition of “Amazing Grace.” As beautiful and as touching as that song is, I’m not too sure that many of those singing it really understood its meaning. I guess that singing it may have made them feel spiritual for a few moments, but I really find the whole scene to be ironic.

You simply cannot ignore the name of Jesus in one breath and sing a song about the grace we have because of Him the next. This amazing grace does not exist because of what buddha or zeus did. Honoring them, ignoring Jesus and then singing “Amazing Grace” is ignorant of them and insulting to me.

Still, this irony exists everywhere in our culture. Our ignorance of who God is gets proven over and over again every single day. It’s not that we’ve forgotten who He is; it’s that we’ve tried to make Him more like who we want Him to be. As a result, we are now totally clueless when it comes to knowing who our Creator is.

Our society, which all but worships at the altar of consumerism and materialism, emblazons “In God We Trust” on all of our money. It causes me to wonder if that statement is one of fact, hope or sarcasm.
We claim the Ten Commandments are what helped establish and still guide our moral code and laws. Yet, the “thou shall not kill” part is blatantly ignored when it comes to abortion, euthanasia and war.
Since the events of September 11, 2001 “God Bless America” has become some sort of a national slogan. And our attitude seems to reflect just that. God blessing America is fine, but please, we quietly pray, don’t bless the rest of the world too.

Again, instead of having an understanding of God as He is, we invent different versions of Him to fit our needs or whims. Singing “Amazing Grace” feels good and it feels right to us when tragedy strikes. And it is accurate to say that if there is anything anywhere that could save or could have saved Cho Seung-Hui it would only be God’s grace. But I doubt that’s why those in attendance at the memorial service were singing that particular song.

Amazing grace is an inoffensive concept. On the contrary, Jesus is apparently very offensive. So they keep the grace and leave out the Savior. It’s actually very convenient: all of the benefits, none of the work and none of the consequences.

It all makes sense when viewed through the lens of a culture that has absolutely no idea who God is anymore. So, if you will, allow me to clarify it just a little: God is the God of the sinners and the saints, of Americans and the rest of the world, of people who believe in Him and people who do not. He is the God of those who understand Him and the God of those who just don’t have a clue, the God of murderers and the God of victims. He’s even the God of those who don’t quite understand what songs like “Amazing Grace” are all about.

But I am certain that He would point out to all of us that to really understand His amazing grace, we need to get to know His Son first.