No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.- John Donne
I grieve for the dead and their loved ones, but also the Church of Jesus Christ this day in the aftermath of last night's bloodshed in Charleston, South Carolina. There nine brothers and sisters in Christ who had come together for fellowship and instruction in the Word of God were murdered by a white man who identifies himself on FB in a jacket sporting the flags of Rhodesia and South Africa. The man arrested for the murders claimed to be acting in behalf of his race and nation, reportedly saying just prior to shooting, "I have to do it. You rape our women. You're taking over our country. And you have to go."
This wicked man was not acting in defense of any women, nor "our country." He was acting in submission to...
his slavemaster, the Devil, and if he is proven guilty of this heinous crime in a court of law, may God lead the civil magistrate to execute him speedily. And, like the thief on the cross, may he repent before he dies.
African-American and Caucasian and Asian and Hispanic and Indian men and women, boys and girls, all equally bear the Image of God. Every last one of us is a descendant of our Federal Head, Adam, and so no man is an island, but each partakes of the whole. Thus the assault and murder of Christians in Charleston last night is the assault and murder of you and me. The bell tolls for us.
Tim serves Clearnote Church, Bloomington, Indiana. He and Mary Lee have five children and big lots of grandchildren.
Want to get in touch? Send Tim an email!
