Dr. Michael W. Waters, the author of Flyaway Books’ “For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World,” talked Wednesday about the inspiration for his character Jeremiah, who asks his fictional father pointed questions about systemic racism and gun violence throughout the new book.
Heidi Yewman graduated from Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado years before the 1999 massacre that guaranteed the school a place in the history of gun violence in the United States.
According to the Rev. (Capt.) Lyman M. Smith, director of the Presbyterian Council for Chaplains and Military Personnel, “more than 18 million veterans live among us. And of those 18 million, some 18 are likely to die by suicide today.”
Talking about gun violence can be tricky in church settings, where the topic may be viewed as too political or too controversial. But a Jan. 14 webinar in the “Standing Our Holy Ground” series may make it easier for congregations and other people of faith to have those conversations.
We live in a scary world. Every morning, the news is filled with stories of natural disasters, carnage on roadways and diseases that we have not yet found a way to control. The beat goes on, and the reality of our own finitude is too intense to deny.
As the United States approaches the anniversary of the mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, Presbyterian Peace Fellowship announced this week that its 2019 Peaceseeker Award honors Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church and First United Church of Oak Park, both in the Chicago metropolitan area, for exemplary ministries to prevent future gun violence.
Though the vast majority of active shooter incidents occur in government, military, commercial or educational settings, houses of worship accounted for 4% of 250 active shootings in the U.S. between 2000 and 2017, according to FBI data.
The pastor glumly ordered a salad with dressing on the side. Her lunch companion wondered whether her friend would rather have had a greasy hamburger instead. The pastor’s sour mood, though, wasn’t about healthy food choices. It was about the choice her session had made to lock the doors during Sunday morning worship.
As I write, there are reports of yet another school shooting. The refrain “I never thought this would happen here” has become a mantra on the evening news. The circle of those experiencing trauma — or knowing someone who has — widens daily.
