Faith, Fear and the Wages of Columbine

The tragedy of Colombine is never forgotten, just recorded in the hearts and minds of those who were involved. May we all learn well from what happened there. God alone holds the key to unlock that mystery of pain, sorrow and triumph over evil.

It is in the trials that our true character is revealed. If we think we walk with God, but facing adversity we throw out God's word and simply do what feels good to us, what are we really? If we say God's Word is true and infallible, then we need to also obey it, even when we don't feel like it. Columbine was one such trial, I think, where we all could look in from the outside and point out failures that lead up to this mess, but it's done already, and now people there have to get through it, even this far past it. It is easier to point fingers than to forgive. Its easier to want to make things nice and easy than to try to stop for a moment and really ask yourself what needs to be done and how. We are given blessings and trials. Both have the capacity to have good come out of them. I'm not saying what was done was good! Don't read into that statement every foolish idea, but that we know there is evil in the world, we also know God can work good out of it, and get us through even horrible events like this and the personal struggles we all go through that don't make the headlines, that we have to face on our own and hopefully with the help of each other. If we truly are the body of Christ, then we need to quit cutting parts of the body off when God wants us to work the way He designed us to.

I don't think the reasons for the killings at Columbine had anything to do with religion in the schools. The article was about how the pastors, who the students and families CHOSE to go to for ministry in a time of suffering and need, carried out their work as servants of God and ministers to their congrgations, and how thi saffected them. I thank them for their selfless service. The killings were sinful and that sin hurt families, friends, the community, our nation, and it grieved God as well. However, this did not change the character of God, including His love for mankind. God, through His Son Jesus, offers hope and the only solution for sin and its pain. These men are ministers of this love and truth. This story is an important one becuase it reminds us of what we have been through and the affect of sin on individuals and the world. We should not forget.

IT is said that we ought to forgive but it does not say to forget. The pain of the deaths of Columbine are still in our memory and will be in there forever to remind us how evil doers are still out there in this world and we too are doing evil in the eyes of God when we sin against Him (how big or small does not matter), sin is sin according to the Bible. Sin can cause a lot of pain and the memories of it lingers even after you are forgivened and when you forgive the trespassor because the Devil is the constaqnt reminder of hose sin. He will puut it into your permenent memory where time may not erase the sin. The Apostle Paul gave the perfect statement when he said something like I sin even if I don't deisre to do so. In closing, we are to forgive those who sinned against thee but if we forget the sin, the cross of Christ Jesus is in vain.

I am glad this story ran. 10 years after Columbine and most teenagers today don't even know of the event. Rather what they do know is that public random shootings happen regularly, more than a dozen this year alone (14 killed in Binghamton of my home state of NY earlier this month), and are "just part of the news". Columbine ripped open something at the core of the American psyche and released a very pernicious evil. In some ways it was the most tragic thing to happen to America in the last 10 years. Will our morality ever recover?

There is now no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. As Jesus is in Heaven sitting on Abba's right hand, so are we in this world. Important to know this especially if you're a believer. If you have worrying thoughts, say this: No weapons formed against me shall prosper, for I abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I am proud of Pastor Marxhausen for offering Dylan's parents the message of grace. They probably were the loneliest people on the planet and I am embarrassed that the church family lashed out at them. EVERYONE needed the hope and grace of salvation. Jesus would have been at their doorstep immediately.

This is not journalism.

I'm trying to figure out who the "bad guy" is here. You mention Rev. Marxhausen's angst with Franklin Graham, and the "legend" of Cassie Burnall cooked up by Kirsten's church. I thought the point of the article was the pain the two men were dealing with, not whether one is more conservative, or "fundamentalist", than the other.
Everyone agrees what Klebold and Harris did was monstrous beyond belief. Marxhausen's agreeing to meet with Klebold's parents was courageous and the Christian thing to do, but Kirsten's attempt to find the hope and life in the midst of so much death is admirable too.
Even if the evidence suggest someone else said what was originally attributed to Burnall, so what? The point is, two boys chose to kill their classmates one day ten years ago, and the pain lingers. Please stop breaking this stuff down to political and theological differences. You only cause old wounds to fester longer while deliberately opening opening new ones

Well stated Cheerleader08

I'm sorry. I couldn't help but to do this.. The ministers did the best they could, as did the boys parents. No one is at fault for any of these boys' acts but themselves. They made a mistake, a HUGE mistake at that but everyone is entitled to one in their lifetimes. Granted, it's painful.. but who is anyone to judge anyone for doing what they feel is right. The minister that performed the ceremony is an amazing person for standing up for what he believes in, but leave him alone about it. Just because Klebold and Harris did something wrong, doesn't forbode them the right to have a funeral in a church or the right to have a minister perform the ceremony. There are minister's at ceremonys' performed in prisons for persons on death row, what gives you, a bistander, any form of opinion that matters to judge these boys, their families, and the ministers? If you truely believed in "your God", then you would not judge anyone in this situation or in any situation like this at all. God is all knowing, all judging, and ALL LOVING. Wether your God is black, white, pink, purple, has 8 arms, or doesn't want you to eat pork, you still are in no place to judge, nor to say that God doesn't love any of these people for anything they have done. For those whom actually can find a way to look on the bright side of this situation, though it is mainly dark, these souls that were taken that fateful day, are now with God. They no longer feel pain and believe in what there is to believe in. I find it unfortunate that I'm a 19 year old that needs to inform much older and what should be, wiser adults about other people and their feelings towards situations. God bless everyone affected by this tragedy, and I mean everyone.

It's the part of our Christianity that is or can be troublesome. Not forgiving but knowing when to forgive. We live here in Colorado and my sister-in-law has been a high school teacher in Littleton for the past 5 years. When innocent lives are so brutally taken away the last thing people want to hear is God loves their killers. Students and staff are always nervous this time of year. While watching a late night talk show host, right after 9/11 he said he went into a church where the minister was preaching to love our enemies. He said he got up and left and went to St. Patrick's where he was able to sit and pray. As he said they just killed over 3000 people and the first few hours or days was not going to be spent/ or wasted on those who chose to kill innocent people.

how sad is this?
to me this is nothing but two media horny guys wanting to get into the public eye.
so many religious leaders perform services for people that are ... unagrable, either with themselves or with society.
why should these two pastors be any different from all the hundreds of others?

how sad is this?
to me this is nothing but two media horny guys wanting to get into the public eye.
so many religious leaders perform services for people that are ... unagrable, either with themselves or with society.
why should these two pastors be any different from all the hundreds of others?

Between the two ministers, I feel that Marxhausen was the true man of God.