On a good day I’m only of three of four minds on the issues of war and violence. I’m not well read enough to discern the differences between various theories of Biblical justification for killing someone. I’ve heard a variety of coffee-table arguments, of course, but I always get hung up on Christ’s admonition that we turn the other cheek. At the same time, I keep a handgun and practice with it for the sole purpose of ventilating anyone who tries to hurt my family. But then there are plenty of gaps between my convictions and my actions.

I thought about this as I passed one of those signs in someone’s yard yesterday, the one that proclaims:

Another neighbor for peace.

It seems such a sign is only telling half the story, and ought fully to read:

Another neighbor for peace at any cost, up to and including the slitting of his own throat.

There’s an inherent silliness to notions that the peace-producing solution, in the face of believers in a murderous death cult who think they can earn a place in heaven by beheading Jews and otherwise murdering men, women, and children, is to make nice with them.

Then I think: Good thing the Christians in Rome didn’t concur. I easily forget that God’s plan in the world is not necessarily my physical security. And then I think about this turning the other cheek business, and I’m back where I started, suspecting that Christians should not engage in war and capital punishment, yet keeping my 9mm Smith & Wesson oiled, and being thankful for well-armed U.S. Marines standing in the gap.

I suppose I can sort it out when I get the time and inclination (though I’m still likely to get it wrong). The reality is that I benefit from the protection provided by thousands of men who have no qualms about killing people they suspect to be bad. In some church services, when Memorial Day is upon us, the pastor will ask veterans and servicemen to stand, so the rest of us can applaud. I don’t know when violence is justified for a Christian, but I know I am thankful for the men who stand. And I believe I would be proud of my sons, regardless of my own conclusions about war, were they one day to stand with them.

Matthew Murray - 24, raised in a Bible-teaching home - walked into a church and a parachurch ministry a few days ago firing gun shots at Christians. Murray then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. We may never know why this happened but Murray’s life, as associated on the ex-Pentecostal website “Azusa Street Survivors,” paints a chilling narrative. Murray’s screen name is thought to be “nghtmrchld26.” The FBI has pulled several posts by nghtmrchld26 that speak with detail about shootings, being homeschooled, and rejected by YWAM.

The Associated Press reports nghtmrchld26 saying on Sunday, “I’m coming for EVERYONE soon and I WILL be armed to the @ %$ teeth and I WILL shoot to kill.”

Describing his daily home life on December 24, 2006 nghtmrchld26 wrote, “We had bible memory, hymn singing, and prayer for at least the first two hours of the day growing up all the way till age 18. I don’t think it worked at keeping me in their system though.”

He also seems to resent religious people who wed Christianity with Republican politics: “I remember growing up in pentecostalism/evangelicalism, we were always told to support the republicans/conservatives and to ‘hate those evil satanic democrats.’ Jesus never said to put our trust in any political leader, yet we see so many christians trying sooooo hard to believe that ‘America was founded on fundamentalist evangelical christianity’ and we must turn america back towards God!!!”(January 14, 2007)

What are we to learn from this? We may remember that the shooter of the Virgina Tech massacre, Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 32 people and wounded many more, before committing suicide, was also reared in a suburban conservative evangelical context. Both Murray and Cho experienced rejection and pain from the Church and retaliated later. The two seem to have amazing similarities in their stories of conservative Christianity and experiencing rejection by the “beautiful people.”

Cho was rejected by kids in his youth group. On May 8, 2007 Murray alleges that YWAM rejected him because he wasn’t cool enough, “social enough,” and too “introverted.” Murray then laments, “If you’re an extrovert, and popular, then yes, there is plenty of love waiting for you in christianity.”

What, if anything, is happening in evangelical sub-culture that seems to be producing a generation of angry, vengeful young men (and angry middle-aged blogging men)? As the story of Murray’s life unfolds, I’m sure we will learn more about whether or not his perceptions were actually true. For now, it seems that evangelicals may need to start paying more attention to what’s happening to young men. Over the years I’ve seen this more and more in youth and college culture: In order to be loved by the masses one needs to look like an Abercrombie and Fitch model, be extremely outgoing, and publicly sinless. There are even some ministries and churches over the years that targeted “popular” kids in high schools and colleges to draw others. Many young people perceive this to be the case in the church and harbor anger.

Go for the influencers, right? Shouldn’t the church be different, some ask?

In the end, it will be difficult to reconcile this evil violence with a confession of faith like the one written on April 2, 2007 by nghtmrchld26.

For me, yes, “Jesus is the way” indeed. Jesus is an archetype, the perfect man and divine at the same time. Indeed, we all need to be “more like Christ” as in reality, we all have the spark of divinity within all of us. I have found the becoming like Christ is not something that suddenly happens after converting in a church or saying a sinner’s prayer, this is evident. Rather we become “like-Christ” as we trod The Path, awakening to more and more light. Jesus didn’t say “pray the sinners prayer” but rather “he that believeth on me shall have everlasting life.” How do I “have faith in Christ”? Well, by believing in the mystery and archetype of the Christ, knowing that humanity is not without hope and that the Divine Plan will indeed be fulfilled.

Arvada police spokeswoman Susan Medina won’t confirm that nghtmrchld26 is Murray. Sadly, he’s an influencer now. Nghtmrchld26 has not posted since the horror unfolded Sunday.

What do the Brothers Grimm have to do with the Nazi party?  Lots, maybe.  They’re both German, for one.  And they’re both full of violence, revenge, sadism, what have you.  But, did the Brothers Grimm lead to the holocaust?  One Harvard professor sees a connection between the violence inherent in Teutonic art and violence in 20th century Tuetonic fascism.  Some (like Allan Bloom) have even suggested that swinging hot 1920s tunes like “Mack the Knife” (from Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera) had a direct influence on the culture that gave us the Nazi party.  Happy Thanksgiving!

On October 8, an interfaith alliance is holding “a day of prayer and fasting to end the Iraq war.” Their mission: to change the meaning of Columbus Day “from one of conquest to community and from violence to reverence.” Mark Tooley, a director for the Institute of Religion and Democracy (IRD), said that the mission is political, not spiritual — “an exploitation of what is supposed to be a spiritual tool.”

The fast’s sponsors include Quakers, Baptists, Lutherans, Buddhists, Jews, and organizations like the National Council of Churches and the Council on American Islamic Relations. One sponsor – the Shalom Center – said participants could also focus on ending social epidemics of murder and abuse, “healing our media” of its blasé attitude towards violence, and acting against “ecocidal violence.”

Tooley said the fast is still about withdrawing troops from Iraq. The Interfaith Fast website says, “This war must end!” Americans must offer “generosity and support - but not control – for international and nongovernmental efforts to assist Iraqis in making peace and rebuilding their country, while swiftly and safely bringing home all American troops.”

Tooley objects to church leaders touting a cause that he believes “speaks primarily to their own concerns,” a cause he said some of their members wouldn’t support. Tooley works with the IRD to defend “traditional Christian beliefs and practices” within the United Methodist church. Interfaith leaders held their press conference in front of a United Methodist church, and several Methodist ministers number among the sponsors.

Tooley said he doesn’t object to prayers for peace: “Christians should be praying for peace wherever it is possible, and Christians of course can and do disagree about how to avoid or end wars. … I think most Christians would pray that the war ends in a way that leaves Iraq with a decent, stable government that protects human rights.”