Morbid Irony

The events of this week have stenciled an ironic caricature of American culture. I am thinking in particular of the stories that have garnered the most attention nationally. On the one hand we have the unrestrained violent brutality displayed by Cho Seung-Hui in the Virginia Tech massacre and then on the other hand we have a ruling by the Supreme Court upholding the previous decision to ban all partial birth abortions.

As you would expect the 2008 presidential candidates have had plenty to say about both stories. What I find morbidly ironic is the contradictory statements concerning violence.

Consider what Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said:

“Violence has once again taken too many young people from this world….They were daughters. They were sons.”

Obama was not referring to the violence of partial birth abortion, whereby the doctor pierces the skull and vacuums out the brains of a developing human at the end of its gestational period. Instead he was referring to the violence committed on the Blacksburg, VA campus.

Concerning the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the ban on such violence Obama said:

“I strongly disagree with today’s Supreme Court ruling”

Similarly, Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton said concerning the Virginia shootings:

“My prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as the students, faculty, and community devastated by these gruesome killings.”

And concerning the decision to uphold the partial-birth abortion ban, Hillary says:

“It is precisely this erosion of our constitutional rights that I warned against when I opposed the nominations of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito.”

Constitutional rights?! Gruesome killings!? Does anyone else see this repulsive contradiction? How can you abhor violence on the one hand (VA Tech) and then on the other (partial birth abortion ban) be so staunchly opposed to any measure of reducing similar violence? Some may rightly argue that what is done in the partial-birth abortion procedure that Clinton and Obama support is far more violently barbaric than what occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech.

This cultural caricature is troubling indeed. I praise God for the Supreme Court’s decision. At the same time I understand that things are not going to swiftly transition into a spiritual utopia. Therefore, in the meantime, I long for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the very giver and sustainer of life. I long for him to return, punish evil, reign in righteousness, and receive his glory. I do this being ever aware that I am a murderer myself. I am an evil sinner myself. I am a person who if I were alive at the time of Christ would have gone horse in my yelling: “Crucify Him!”

So, cognizant of my own heart I am cognizant of grace and mercy and desirous of God to likewise pour out grace upon others, that he might be glorified.