Violence I. Introduction A. On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered their high school in Littleton, Colorado, and proceeded to commit one of the most infamous crimes of our day 1. They opened fire on their school 2. The reaction was instantaneous: horror, shock-- how could this happen? 3. Of course, it was forgotten that the inner cities had seen such violence for years, and that in fact fewer children were killed in schools in 1999 than in 1990 4. But this time, "normal," white, suburban teenagers committed this heinous act 5. Everyone wanted to know: Why? B. Everyone tried to point fingers at various culprits 1. the boys listened to Marilyn Manson. That had to be it! 2. they played Mortal Kombat. That had to be it! C. Society did its best to point fingers at a marginalized, easy target in Marilyn Manson, and a stereotypical example in Mortal Kombat. 1. These matters, however, are only surface matters 2. Who wants to ask the better questions: if these two matters contributed to their actions, how did those matters themselves come about and be popular? 3. Simply put: is there something deeper that is really the cause? D. There certainly is, but society will never want to explore the deeper issues behind this and all manner of crimes 1. Why will it not explore? Because society is part of the problem! 2. Our society has embranced violence-- our entertainment is full of violence, violence occurs around the world, and our children are bombarded by violence 3. For example: April 20, 1999, was not only the day of the Columbine massacre, but also happened to be the day of greatest volume of bombings on Serbia during the Kosovo conflict 4. These two events occurring on the same day is coincidental, but the events in Colorado may be in part because of the types of events in Kosovo and other places E. Let us spend some time exploring violence-- its place in the world, our society's acceptance of it, and what the Bible says about it II. Violence in the World A. We can first learn of violence in the world around us B. The Violence of Nature 1. Nature itself is a very violent place 2. We can watch nature shows on television that show the lion, or a tiger, or a polar bear, or any number of predators, seeking after and hunting down prey 3. Violence is not restricted only to predators seeking their food: males of any given species will attack other males for territory or females, and some animals, like male lions, are even known to kill the young of their own kind! 4. We can view this violence on the television in the comforts of our own home, having little concern about this violence 5. But in the ancient world, the violence of nature was all around people, and ancient people had reason to fear the violence of nature consuming them! 6. The Bible has many instances where people are attacked and killed by animals-- e.g., 1 Kings 13:24, 2 Kings 2:24 7. The violence of nature, however, can be rationalized as the natural order of things involving brute beasts without conscience C. The Violence of Humanity: Food and Sacrifice 1. Humans also engage in some of the violence that exists in nature since we do eat meat 2. Modern Americans are shielded from the reality of meat consumption 3. We all go to the supermarket and purchase meat in nice wrapped packages, not considering the actual killing of the animal and the bloody mess that came beforehand 4. In ancient times this violence was always present, and the visceral nature of killing an animal and preparing it was part of life 5. One could comment about animal sacrifice, and how especially with the Israelites and the descriptions of animal sacrifice in the Bible-- the quantity of sacrifices, the stench and the copious amounts of blood everywhere in the tabernacle/temple: the sight and smell must have reinforced the terrible nature of sin! D. We can see, therefore, that violence is a natural part of the "order of things," that it is present in nature and we directly benefit from acts of violence daily through meat consumption E. These forms of violence, however, do not directly create a violent person. It also does not suffice to explain acts of violence. Let us now explore society and violence to find these answers III. Violence and Society A. Our society is obsessed with violence 1. The movies and television shows are full of people being injured and killed 2. Violence in movies is the one given and rarely questioned 3. Recently we saw a controversy about a commercial where a woman drops her towel and exposes herself to a football player... 4. ...and there is outrage about the sexual innuendo, yet no one comments about the violence of a football game! 5. When a television channel shows an uncut version of "Saving Private Ryan," there is outrage about profanity... 6. ...but who commented on the constant and exceedingly gory violence shown? 7. Like a drug addiction, society's appetite for violence has deepened, requiring more violence and more gory violence B. Movies, however, are not the only culprit 1. Even the nightly news focuses on violence 2. On the local and national news, do you hear about the good going on in the world, or the violence occurring throughout the world? 3. If you based your worldview only on what the news showed you, what would you think about it? C. Children are exposed to violence constantly 1. Most children in the United States may not be exposed to violence on the street, but it certainly is prevalent in their games 2. Children, even when not given any toy guns, learn young to make their hand into one 3. Video games are becoming more and more violent and more and more real D. Therefore, even though we are not directly confronted with violence in our lives as much as our ancestors, our lust to see violence has grown exponentially E. "For the show always leads to spiritual agitation, since where there is pleasure there is keenness of feeling giving pleasure its zest; and where there is keenness of feeling, there is rivalry giving in turn its zest to that. Then, too, where you have rivalry, you have rage, bitterness, wrath, and grief, with all bad things which flow from them-- the whole entirety out of keeping with the religion of Christ. For even suppose one should enjoy the shows in a moderate way, as befits his rank, age, or nature, still he is not undisturbed in mind, without some unuttered movings of the inner man. No one partakes of pleasures such as these without their strong excitements; no one comes under their excitements without their natural lapses. These lapses, again, create passionate desire. If there is no desire, there is no pleasure, and he is chargeable with trifling who goes where nothing is gotten; in my view, even that is foreign to us." 1. A modern commentator on entertainment today? 2. This was written by Tertullian, a "church father" writing at the turn of the 2nd/3rd centuries, in De Spectaculis, chapter 15. 3. Tertullian was writing about the Roman shows, both the circus and the horse races there but particularly about the gladiatorial bouts so popular in those days F. The gladiatorial shows contained prisoners and professional gladiators fighting to the death with one another and also with animals 1. The modern audience may react with horror to think that the Romans would not only watch people killing one another but would gain great pleasure from it 2. Yet what do the movies show? Television shows? The fact that it is not real means little when it is designed to look real 3. The vast majority of us are able to separate reality from fantasy-- but what happens when someone wants to make their fantasy reality? 4. In this concept we perhaps have the answer to the violence we saw in Columbine in 1999 5. Yet it does not stop there G. Society has advocated for violent ends to conflict 1. When our government has a conflct with other nations, violence is advocated often as the solution 2. The TV and movies show conflict resolution not by diplomacy or mediation but violence 3. When every societal indicator a young man or woman receives directs them to violent ends for conflict, should we not expect them to act in a violent matter when exposed to conflict? H. Violence, therefore, is the name of the game in this society: violence is glorified and shown constantly with little of the hurt and pain and grief that violence leaves in its wake I. You see people shooting other people and other forms of violence-- how often do you see the grieving families, the broken lives of those who commit the violence, and so on? J. Many of our societal ills, therefore, can be found in society's obsession with violence and the encouragement, either directly or indirectly, to act violently K. Is this the Christian way? IV. The Bible on Violence A. Christians are called upon to not act violently B. Matthew 5:38-47 1. Christians are to not respond to people evilly but are to suffer for people 2. Christians are not to feel anger toward an enemy but to love him, and pray for them C. Romans 12:14, 17-21 1. Paul calls upon Christians to bless those who would persecute them, to not repay evil with evil, and to not seek vengeance 2. We are to instead be at peace with all men, as we are able! D. Galatians 5:19-23 1. The contributing factors to violence-- enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, and envy-- are condemned as "works of the flesh" 2. Actions leading toward peace and nonviolence-- love, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control-- are manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit 3. Galatians 5:24: we who are in Christ have crucified the flesh and its passions E. Examples 1. The New Testament is full of examples of Christians who live this life 2. Jesus was greatly humiliated by the soldiers but did not react violently 3. When Stephen was being stoned, did he fight back (Acts 7:54-60)? No; he prayed for those stoning him and died without fighting back 4. Paul was often abused by those hating the truth, and he never responded in kind F. We can see, therefore, that the Christian is to not only not be violent, but to be in such control of him or herself to not even contemplate violence and to act in every way contrary to violence G. Where people of the world would fight their enemy, we are to love them and pray for them; where people of the world would fight back if persecuted for any reason, we find examples of Christians who do not respond in kind. H. Such nonviolent responses to violence inflames those for whom violence is the answer, for their error is made manifest to them! I. We must strive, therefore, to be nonviolent people V. Conclusion A. Two boys entered their school and began firing on a spring day in 1999 and stunned the nation and the world by their action B. While only those two are responsible for their actions, the seeds of their actions are found in society and its obsession with violence C. While violence is a part of the natural world, humans, especially in the 21st century, ought to know better D. Even though we are shielded from violence in our daily lives, Americans seek out violence in their news and entertainment, and while most people can separate reality from fiction, what happens if someone wants to make fiction reality? E. We must stand strong, not conformed to the world but transformed in Jesus Christ, and be people not only nonviolent but in all ways controlled and loving F. If you are in the world and subject to the lusts it promotes, please consider the message of Jesus Christ and see how love and truth can do what violence has obviously not done over the millennia: bring peace and eternal life G. Come to faith in Jesus Christ and obey Him by believing in Him, confessing Him before men, repenting of sins, be immersed in water for the remission of sins, and then begin living the life that leads to eternity H. Perhaps you have initially obeyed Christ but have fallen prey to the lusts of the world. If we can encourage you in any way, let us do so as we stand and sing