Jesse Carey, a contributing editor for Relevant magazine, shared in an article last week that 82 people were shot in Chicago over this past Fourth of July weekend. He also sites a report from the CDC stating that 88 deaths by gun occur each day in America.
Carey writes, “When a country with the resources, wealth, power and influence of the United States becomes increasingly notorious for its gun violence, something is badly broken. If the Church is called to be the Body of Christ, then it’s our job to recognize what’s broken and seek restoration.”
Carey encourages Christians to step outside our individual opinions on gun laws and gun rights to take a look at how we can reach out to people who have been involved in gun violence and incite positive change for their futures.
“The one thing that we can unite on as Christians—no matter what your opinion on policy is—is that gun violence in America is an indication of deep spiritual and moral issues that the Church must seek to fix,” he says.
There are many ways that we can come alongside those whose pasts have been tied up in violence. We can visit and encourage men and women in prison; we can support families as they work to overcome the generational cycle of incarceration; and we can volunteer in our communities to help fight the influence of drugs and gangs.
But in all our efforts, we must point back to the One with the ultimate power to transform hearts and minds. God has called us to invest in His Kingdom by praying for and ministering to the hurting, so that He can work through us to bring healing and change. We are vessels to carry the powerful truth that God can redeem any life. And this truth brings great hope for the future.
If you are looking for a way to help restore lives broken by crime, violence, and incarceration, please visit www.prisonfellowship.org to see how you can get involved today.