In the past few weeks, just from the “world of sports,” I have observed something again and again.

When something tragic happens, like a mass shooting, we get reflective over being a “gun culture.” I don’t think we’re a “gun culture.”

I think we’re a culture of violence.

The gun owners who give the snide remarks about banning bricks or bats or knives are right to a certain point. Take away guns and we’ll still find a way to kill or harm.

That’s why we’re a culture of violence.

Just in the world of sports, we have tragic stories and foolish stories that highlight our current culture. I live in Minnesota and our state has been saddened by the plight of one of Adrian Peterson’s kids who was tragically killed. AP is the beloved running back of the hapless Minnesota Vikings and this week we learned a former girlfriend had a two-year old boy that was fathered by Peterson. The toddler was killed by the former girlfriend’s new boyfriend, who had been watching him at the time. The boyfriend had another incident on his record of violently shaking another girlfriend’s three year old child.

(As an aside, I want to say I LOVE Adrian Peterson as a football player. He seems to be a class guy on the field. I am not upset with anything about HIM in this story… to a point. What boggles my mind is our reaction as people who all of a sudden are angered by this story when dozens of other kids are abused by boyfriends… but I digress on this subject of our CELEBRITY culture…)

Then, yesterday in the Houston Texans game, the Houston QB went down to injury and the fans cheered because now their back up QB could get in the game and save the team. The back up promptly threw an interception that St. Louis took in for a touchdown.

Matt Cassel had that happen in Kansas City. Injury happens to the player you perceive to be the problem and you cheer when he is injured. Like it’s the coliseum in Rome or something?

There is Aaron Hernandez, formerly of the New England Patriots. Afforded every opportunity to have everything he needed in life playing THE sport that is most adored in the American culture… and he still thinks he can literally get away with murder. Solving issues for him was still done violently.

And that’s just in sports, and mostly just this week.

Our favorite TV shows and movies are filled with violence. Our favorite video games. Our favorite music.

We’re not a gun culture. We are a culture of violence.

Maybe the culture is this way. But within the Kingdom of God… it does not need to be this way. 

Yet, even in this part of the culture, the Church mimics the culture far more than it probably should.

The Kingdom should be different. The allegiance to the Kingdom really is one of peace, not violence.

It leaves me with the sobering question today: Are we truly apprenticed to Jesus… or do we even care?