6 Dead in a Senseless Act of Violence at Northern Illinois University – What Provokes Such Anger?

As reported all over the news – both broadcast and internet – a lone gunman walked into a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University and wounded 18 people and killed 6 including himself.

According to CNN the shooting occurred shortly after 3 p.m. (4 p.m. ET) in Cole Hall. The class runs from 2 p.m. until 3:15 p.m., University President John Peters said.

“It started and it stopped very quickly,” said Police Chief Donald Grady. The gunman, whose identity has not been revealed publicly, was not a student at the NIU campus in DeKalb, west of Chicago, but “may have been a student somewhere else.”

Police do not have an apparent motive now, Grady said.

While at this moment little is know about the motive, as the days move forward and the investigation proceeds more will be revealed.

According to reports from cbs2chicago.com A viewer who e-mailed CBS 2 said that her brother was in the lecture hall where the shooting happened. “He says that the gunmen was a white male dressed in all black. He kicked the door in and opened fire. My brother dove under the desk, and popped his head up to see the gunmen was reloading. He grabbed his girlfriend’s hand and ran to the library where they been in lockdown since.”

Katie Wagner, a student who was inside the classroom, tells CBS 2 that there were 70 students inside room 101 at Cole Hall when the shooting happened. She said the gunman entered from a side door near the front of the lecture hall and started to fire shots.

Is it just me – with too much media access – or is there a pattern of anger today that is acted out in violent ways. We seems hear of unprovoked senseless acts of violence – much like the Virginia Tech University massacre of 33 people. It’s just amazing. This grabs the headlines today, but in reality it’s everywhere you turn.

In Oxnard, California a fifteen year old student was shot in the head by an unidentified 14 year old. Police have not alleged a motive for the shooting, but said there appeared to have been “bad blood” between the teens. Police said a handgun was used in the attack, which occurred with more than 20 other students in the room.

As a teen ethics speaker, (www.chuckgallagher.com) I often get the question from parents – where does the anger and violence come from?

As we struggle to make sense of the headlines we see weekly, the question that begs an answer – what makes kids these days more angry?

And more importantly, what can we do to stop the violence?

Your comments welcome!

Billy Graham – An Example of True Evangelism – Senator Grassley’s Not Interested in His Ministries!

Recovering from surgery, Billy Graham noted evangelist, is listed in fair condition following successful surgery on Wednesday to update a shunt that controls excess fluid to his brain.

Graham, age 89, has been an example of Christianity and true evangelism for my entire life. Recalling at a young age the Billy Graham Crusades that were televised around the world, Billy Graham had a clear and consistent message that has not wavered. Unlike those whose ministry has been called to task by Senator Charles Grassley, Graham has stayed focused on his role.

In an article from Time Magazine the following was stated:

Under a blazing North Carolina sun, faith and power renewed their vows, as three former commanders in chief — Jimmy Carter, George Herbert Walker Bush and Bill Clinton — convened in Charlotte, N.C., to pay tribute to a man they all love.

The occasion was the dedication of the Billy Graham library, modeled after the dairy farm where the evangelist grew up, with an immense cross as its doorway and an exhibit designed to soak visitors in the gospel message that Graham had preached to more people than any man who’s ever lived.

Preached to more than any man who ever lived. What an amazing accomplishment. Graham obviously took to heart the mandate – Go and preach the Gospel! By Graham has done with without lavish and fanfare. God provided for Graham, but Graham never needed a Bentley or Cessna Citation to accomplish the mission at hand.

The time article goes on to say:

If Graham’s spiritual message was always consistent, a message of gospel love and Jesus’s saving grace, his political message changed profoundly. There had been a time where he didn’t hesitate to speak out on the issues of the day, on foreign policy, the economy, court decisions. But he had come to see the cost of discussing the issues that divide people.
Jerry Falwell’s death brought many reminders of what happens when preachers take sides; long ago, Graham had decided to go down a different road. He had gotten way too deeply involved in his friends’ campaigns, and he resolved to try and stop diving in. Ten days before his good friend Ronald Reagan was sworn in, Graham told Parade Magazine that “evangelicals can’t be closely identified with any particular party or person. We have to stand in the middle, to preach to all the people, right and left. I haven’t been faithful to my own advice in the past. I will in the future.”

Today Graham recovers as he enters the twilight years of his earthly life.

Graham, 89, was hospitalized at Mission for nearly two weeks last year after experiencing intestinal bleeding caused by an arteriovenous malformation, a tangle of small blood vessels in the lining of the colon. He also has suffered from prostate cancer and macular degeneration.

His wife, Ruth Bell Graham, died in June following a lengthy illness.

Wonder what the ministries of Kenneth Copeland, Eddie Long, Creeflo Dollar, Benny Hinn and others think – when they look at what they have done in comparison to Billy Graham’s ministries. The humility and wisdom that Graham has shown is a remarkable accomplishment. The lives he has touched with a ministry, largely untouched with significant controversy, is amazing.

Perhaps others can still learn from the Graham legacy.