We've Failed New Jersey

There is a news report, from March 23rd, that the Burlington Township High School held a mock terrorist attack drill for testing the preparedness of the local police and the school's administration and faculty. That this isn't in itself news-worthy, is a sad statement, indictment even, of our culture. However, this little drill did finally receive some interest from the blog world, if not the mainstream media.

The interest was generated because

Investigators described them as members of a right-wing fundamentalist group called the “New Crusaders” who don't believe in separation of church and state. The mock gunmen went to the school seeking justice because the daughter of one had been expelled for praying before class.

I am saddened that there are people who honestly think that followers of Christ would pick up a gun and shoot students to protest school prayer. But I'm not "outraged" at them. They don't know any better, and that is our fault. If there were true Christians in their life, who displayed the sacrificial love that Jesus gave to us, then the concept of Christians taking hostages and gunning down children would be beyond imagination.

Instead, we are treated with a national group callously using this tragedy as fund-raiser fodder. That is how this event came to my knowledge. A nationally syndicated radio show for a Christian organization that does in large measure, good things, took this simple story, and instead of offering to reach out in love, began blasting condemnation. They, in classic mainstream media method, took the few pieces of the story and put the worst face on it; spun the story in order to maximize the outrage and used it as yet another reason to send them money so they can hold back the anti-Christian tide. This is what I find outrageous.

The Burlington Township School administration has released a statement concerning the controversy.