Orlando...

(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

I turned on the television Sunday morning and was greeted by horrific news. In the wee hours of the morning, a gunman had killed 50 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Another 53 were injured, and many of them may not make it. Pulse is advertised as the hottest gay club in Orlando, and it appears that the motive for the killing may have been homophobia in addition to a devotion to ISIS. The combination led to the senseless loss of lives.

I was overwhelmed with pain at the loss of life, and the families whose lives were changed forever. I saw an interview with a mom who did not know if her son was in the hospital or lying dead on the floor of the night club. Brutal.

My thoughts also went out to my fellow law enforcement personnel who had to process the scene. As the cameras rolled outside, unseen detectives, cops and crime scene techs had to document the scene and identify the dead. The interior of that building had to be a horror-show, and my fellow crime scene folks were right there in the midst of it, and would be for many, many hours. I don’t care how tough you think you are, that would be a rough gig.

And then the really unfortunate stuff began. Proponents of gun control had their camera time. The politicians made their appearances, each one trying to cast their opponent in a poor light. While the noise level rose, the civility factor plummeted, and all of us had to wallow in the muck and the mire.

Then the topic of religion came up. People on the left blamed the shooting not on the young man who pledged allegiance to a foreign power that wants to destroy us, but on Christians and the Right for the laws they have passed and the stands they have taken. By the way, Chick-Fil-A the company that the media and others have decided hates gays, quietly fired up their grills and served free sandwiches and drinks to the hundreds of people standing in line to give blood to the patrons of the club. You know, the hottest gay club in Orlando. “Let’s give them free food. That will show our hatred…”

Then the most disappointing thing of all happened. A “Christian pastor” made a video saying that the deaths of these people was not something to be mourned. In fact, the shooter had done them a favor. Now you see why I put the term “Christian pastor” in quotes. This man is no Christian and he is certainly not a pastor. Oh, he may espouse Christianity, and even stand in a pulpit, but he’s not a Christian or a pastor. That may sound judgmental, and it is. Here’s the thing, you can’t espouse hatred and call yourself a Christian. The Westboro Baptist people with the hideous signs calling down God’s judgment on everybody but themselves are following the teachings of mad men, not Jesus. John 3:16 says, “This is how much God loved the world: he gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; and that by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.” (The Message)

How can you read John 3:16 and rejoice in the death of the people for whom Jesus gave his life? If Jesus loves them, who are we to do any less? The word Christian means “follower of Christ.” Sorry, no room for hatred there.

As far as the “pastor,” pastors are held to a higher standard. James 3:1 says, “Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.” That verse frightens me every time I preach, and I hope I never lose that fear.

Please, please do not use the words of Christ to justify your hatred and bigotry. We are better than that, and Christ demands more of us.

Brokenhearted… Jerry