# School Shootings and Spiritual Warfare (Russell Moore)



## reaganmarsh (Dec 14, 2012)

Brethren, 

As we mourn the Connecticut school shootings, and interact with others regarding them, this article by Russell Moore of Southern Baptist Theologial Seminary may prove helpful in providing a response and guiding our perspective. Moore to the Point: School Shootings and Spiritual Warfare

Christmas is spiritual warfare, he explains. A worthwhile read. Grace to you all.


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## lynnie (Dec 15, 2012)

thanks. good essay.


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## jwithnell (Dec 15, 2012)

Amen -- a very helpful, Biblical perspective.


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## Jerusalem Blade (Dec 15, 2012)

Thanks for posting that, Reagan!


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## irresistible_grace (Dec 15, 2012)

The first thing that came to my mind when I heard the President's speech was the level of irony, if not hypocrisy, when it comes to his views concerning the murder of beautiful children yet to be born who have "their entire lives ahead of them: birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own" 

But, that is another topic!


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## J. Dean (Dec 15, 2012)

Good article. Even if it's not Satan himself behind this (and we need to be careful about direct attribution to him on things like this, as our own sinful natures are able to manifest evil just fine without his prodding), it is in a sense spiritual warfare. The flesh we carry is a formidable and manipulative enemy, whether or not the devil and his minions add with their seduction.

Also agree with Joshua's point about abortion, the embrace of which has essentially been the irony of humanism: that man, in self-exaltation, has dehumanized himself into nothing more than an "inconvenience."


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## reaganmarsh (Dec 15, 2012)

J. Dean, your point is well taken on our sinful nature's ability "to manifest evil just fine without [Satan's] prodding." 

And I'm with you, Joshua and Jessica -- abortion was the first thing that came to mind for me, as well.


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## SolaScriptura (Dec 15, 2012)

> Would that our nation be as disgusted, horrified, and outaraged by abortion, which slaughters millions of little ones -even more defenseless than those in Sandy Hook- every year. This is not to take away from the tragedy that occurred yesterday, but the elephant in the room looms large.



Indeed.

What follows are the comments that I emailed to everyone in my unit on Friday afternoon. I offer it here not because I believe I wrote the most winsome, profound, or "helpful" commentary possible. Instead, I want you to know that there are indeed some of us in the military who seek to be a prophetic voice in our context. Of course, not everyone was happy with my comments... but oh well. 



> Colleagues,
> 
> As you by this time know, this morning a gunman entered an elementary school in Newtown, CT, and took 26 lives – 20 of them young children – before taking his own life.
> 
> ...


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## Alan D. Strange (Dec 16, 2012)

Thanks, Ben, for this. You are spot on. I pray that all the chaplaincy would see this as you do, as well as those to whom you minister.

Such a massacre is where our hatred of God and man takes us. May God awaken us and deliver us from such. Amen!

Peace,
Alan


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## earl40 (Dec 16, 2012)

SolaScriptura said:


> Colleagues,
> 
> As you by this time know, this morning a gunman entered an elementary school in Newtown, CT, and took 26 lives – 20 of them young children – before taking his own life.
> 
> ...


[/QUOTE]

Forward this to Joel Hunter who has the Presidents ear. Who knows maybe our Lord will use your letter to change a heart?

[email protected]


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## Michael Doyle (Dec 16, 2012)

SolaScriptura said:


> > Would that our nation be as disgusted, horrified, and outaraged by abortion, which slaughters millions of little ones -even more defenseless than those in Sandy Hook- every year. This is not to take away from the tragedy that occurred yesterday, but the elephant in the room looms large.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Ben,
I am going to repost this on Facebook to those in my sphere of influence. If that is not ok I will delete it upon your request.


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## Michael Doyle (Dec 16, 2012)

Ben,
I am going to repost your letter on Facebook. I will delete on request if this is not ok with you


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## Miss Marple (Dec 16, 2012)

He's argued for children born alive to be left for dead, too, I'm sorry to say.

It seems the 5 and 6 year olds, however, have made the cut.

The cognitive dissonance is incredible, but what can I say.



irresistible_grace said:


> > Would that our nation be as disgusted, horrified, and outaraged by abortion, which slaughters millions of little ones -even more defenseless than those in Sandy Hook- every year. This is not to take away from the tragedy that occurred yesterday, but the elephant in the room looms large.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## timmopussycat (Dec 21, 2012)

irresistible_grace said:


> > Would that our nation be as disgusted, horrified, and outaraged by abortion, which slaughters millions of little ones -even more defenseless than those in Sandy Hook- every year. This is not to take away from the tragedy that occurred yesterday, but the elephant in the room looms large.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



An African based missionary and theological educator observed:


*For the love of evil*

If your pastor has preached on the massacre of the innocence following the Newtown bloodbath, he has the gift of discernment to not wait until January. The time to speak of the Western infatuation with violence and evil in movies must be exposed. The following trend-setting movies are symptomatic of what Western viewers have paid billions to entertain them:

· In 1955 Marilyn Monroe’s adulterous movie _The Seven Year Itch_ was a triumph.
· In 1960 Hitchcock’s horror movie, _Psycho _earned $50 million.
· In 1962 the _James Bond_ series made violent & sexy spying a $5 billion production coup.
· In 1967 rebels were successfully glorified in _Cool Hand Luke _and_ Bonnie & Clyde._
· In 1968 Henry Fonda popularised evil in the Western: _Once Upon a Time in the West._
· In 1972 p0rn and prostitution became hugely profitable in _Deep Throat_ and made $600 million.
· In 1972 underworld crime became celebrated in _The Godfather, _also earning $ 600 million. 
· In 1973 the demonic became lucrative in Friedkin’s movie, _The Exorcist _and made $441 million.
· In 1975 Spielberg’s movie _Jaws_ made predator horror films a new popular genre.
· In 2005 homosexuality was popularised in _Brokeback Mountain _and made $178 million.

The list could go on… and these were merely the trend setters. They have spawned thousands more. The glorification of evil is so commonplace that words like “wicked and decadent” have been domesticated to mean ‘fantastic, super cool and desirable’. For our film entertainment of choice, well, “give us darkness” say millions of moviegoers. How close are we to sitting in the Roman coliseum, being entertained by gladiators hunting each other down? Now add the action (aka “shoot ‘em up”) gaming industry which made worldwide $66 billion in 2010. [1] Behold our digital entertainment!

None of these R-rated films or violent games would shock the traditional Baatonu in Benin. They have their own version of glorifying evil in their traditional religion where cunning, deceptive, scheming ‘Judases’ are heroically admired –if they are successful. Is not the south of Benin the birthplace of Voodoo, Amazon warriors, the Slave Coast and the most staggering human sacrifices? Nor did Islam discourage the glorification of evil when it appeared 400-years before Christianity. Is not “Allah the best of deceivers” according to the Qur’an? 

So where is the salt and light of Christianity? What says the Bride of Christ in 2012 to the digital cult of death and violence? Notice, two words are missing from the daily cover of the Connecticut disaster: “sin” and “repentance”. 

What a terrible time of self-examination is upon us. Pray we will.


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