SojoMail - Four days of outrage won’t change gun policy

Our Numbness to Gun Violence Is a Spiritual Failure Adam Russell Taylor Four days. That’s how long researchers have found that people’s sadness and outrage last after each major gun massacre in America. Perhaps this is our own defense mechanism kicking in or maybe we have become far too desensitized to this time loop of horrific gun violence. But anger that dissipates after four days dishonors the lives that are stolen. Four days isn’t enough time to sufficiently process and grieve. And it’s not nearly enough time to galvanize the political will necessary to overcome political fecklessness, particularly the degree to which the GOP remains captive to fierce advocates for gun rights. In the case of the 22 deaths in Uvalde, public outrage has focused on the significant failure of law enforcement to stop the shooter for over an hour after the first barrage of shots were fired. Media and politicians seem to be in rare agreement that police should have acted sooner, yet this rare consensus overshadows that a deranged young man was able to purchase two AR-15 style semi-automatic rifles just days after his 18th birthday and use these weapons to take the lives of 19 children and 2 teachers. As Christians, we need to wrestle with this as a political and spiritual failure; we claim to love God and yet far too many of us can’t be bothered to care for more than four days, much less disrupt our lives enough to demand real change. READ THE FULL ARTICLE Forward Share

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Forty Days: Pilgrimage of Peace Summer 2022 In the midst of violence and war, the Community of Peace invites you to come to Louisa, Virginia. We will pray, sing, and be in silence each day. We will enter into dialogue with people from around the world, work together, share meals, and make friends for a lifetime. Sojourners Fellowship Program Interested in combining your faith and passion for social justice? Apply to Sojourners' yearlong fellowship program. The holistic program offers an entry-level position in our office and shared life in intentional Christian community. The application deadline is June 15, 2022 for the next cohort starting in August 2022.

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