reflections on virginia tech - 2 months later
Title
reflections on virginia tech - 2 months later
Description
<p>Beauty and Depravity | eugene cho's blog [eugenecho.com]
weeks have now passed. perhaps, it's become an afterthought for many. personally, a day hasn't gone by without some thoughts of the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_Shooting">virginia tech tragedy</a>. the tragedy exposed a great deal - it exposed what we all already know: we live in a broken and fallen word. it was never meant to be like this. i say that not for it to be an easy exit or answer but to illuminate <strong>the deep nature of jesus' redemptive live, death, and resurrection</strong>. it also exposed the reality that "race matters" and that race is something the human collective will never fully understand, grasp, and elevate.
in addition, i was exposed. <a target="_blank" href="http://eugenecho.wordpress.com/2007/04/18/making-sense-of-virginia-tech/">one poorly written post</a> attracted about 16,000 hits in a span of two days. it wasn't the kind of notoriety i was hoping for but this blog became one of the most visited wordpress blogs during that span. local papers called [eventually had a chance to write a <a target="_blank" href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/312786_techkorean24.html">guest column</a> for the seattle pi]. churchgoers called. friends around the country emailed. and like many, i found myself glued to the TV until i had to just pull the plug. because of the high traffic through the blog, i received my share of some interesting emails - those that were thought provoking and those that were <strong>downright scary</strong>. i sort of freaked out because of some of the emails which prompted me to go through the blog and delete all pics of the family and kids.
it also exposed my depravity. this was a snapshot of the progression of some of my thoughts:</p>
<blockquote>"wow, how could this have happened? what a tragedy. i must pray for these folks."
"what? they think an asian man did it? that's impossible. asians don't do stuff like that. but just in case, i hope it's not a korean person."
s#@t. it is a korean person. why do the news keep insisting he's a foreigner?!? there's going to be backlash. do i send my kids to school today?</blockquote>
<p>as i shared in the message i taught at my church the sunday after the shootings, amidst many things, the incident exposed my self-centeredness. while i do still believe the concerns i raised are legitimate and important conversations, it's so easy to park your thoughts on the SELF. the truth is i am a selfish, self-centered, wicked, and depraved man. thank God for his mercy and grace. <strong>only through Him can i see hints of the beauty i was intended to embody.</strong>
anyway, i ran across this article from christianity today entitled, <em>"nightmare of nightmares: virginia tech's korean christians wrestle with the aftermath of a massacre,"</em> and was particularly intrigued by the following quote:</p>
<blockquote>In the meantime, Korean Americans continue to grapple with the massacre. Korean Baptist's Chung quotes Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who wrote, "The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being."
Kang said the fundamental issue is the problem of evil. "We ask, 'Why does God allow these things to happen?'" he said, "rather than seeing this as the natural consequences of sinful society that Christ came to redeem.
"Western Christians struggle to make meaning of what happens in America because we're insulated. It's a dying and degenerate world. We're [experiencing] the consequences of sin." <a target="_blank" href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/june/16.52.html">[read full article]</a></blockquote>
<p>april 16, 2007...it's been nearly two months. <strong>how are you processing the events of virginia tech? any thoughts on the article or the quote above?</strong>
This entry was posted on Thursday, June 7th, 2007
--
Archived with permission of the author.
Original Source: <a href="http://eugenecho.wordpress.com/2007/06/07/reflections-on-virginia-tech-and-new-article/">http://eugenecho.wordpress.com/2007/06/07/reflections-on-virginia-tech-and-new-article/</a></p>
weeks have now passed. perhaps, it's become an afterthought for many. personally, a day hasn't gone by without some thoughts of the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_Shooting">virginia tech tragedy</a>. the tragedy exposed a great deal - it exposed what we all already know: we live in a broken and fallen word. it was never meant to be like this. i say that not for it to be an easy exit or answer but to illuminate <strong>the deep nature of jesus' redemptive live, death, and resurrection</strong>. it also exposed the reality that "race matters" and that race is something the human collective will never fully understand, grasp, and elevate.
in addition, i was exposed. <a target="_blank" href="http://eugenecho.wordpress.com/2007/04/18/making-sense-of-virginia-tech/">one poorly written post</a> attracted about 16,000 hits in a span of two days. it wasn't the kind of notoriety i was hoping for but this blog became one of the most visited wordpress blogs during that span. local papers called [eventually had a chance to write a <a target="_blank" href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/312786_techkorean24.html">guest column</a> for the seattle pi]. churchgoers called. friends around the country emailed. and like many, i found myself glued to the TV until i had to just pull the plug. because of the high traffic through the blog, i received my share of some interesting emails - those that were thought provoking and those that were <strong>downright scary</strong>. i sort of freaked out because of some of the emails which prompted me to go through the blog and delete all pics of the family and kids.
it also exposed my depravity. this was a snapshot of the progression of some of my thoughts:</p>
<blockquote>"wow, how could this have happened? what a tragedy. i must pray for these folks."
"what? they think an asian man did it? that's impossible. asians don't do stuff like that. but just in case, i hope it's not a korean person."
s#@t. it is a korean person. why do the news keep insisting he's a foreigner?!? there's going to be backlash. do i send my kids to school today?</blockquote>
<p>as i shared in the message i taught at my church the sunday after the shootings, amidst many things, the incident exposed my self-centeredness. while i do still believe the concerns i raised are legitimate and important conversations, it's so easy to park your thoughts on the SELF. the truth is i am a selfish, self-centered, wicked, and depraved man. thank God for his mercy and grace. <strong>only through Him can i see hints of the beauty i was intended to embody.</strong>
anyway, i ran across this article from christianity today entitled, <em>"nightmare of nightmares: virginia tech's korean christians wrestle with the aftermath of a massacre,"</em> and was particularly intrigued by the following quote:</p>
<blockquote>In the meantime, Korean Americans continue to grapple with the massacre. Korean Baptist's Chung quotes Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who wrote, "The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being."
Kang said the fundamental issue is the problem of evil. "We ask, 'Why does God allow these things to happen?'" he said, "rather than seeing this as the natural consequences of sinful society that Christ came to redeem.
"Western Christians struggle to make meaning of what happens in America because we're insulated. It's a dying and degenerate world. We're [experiencing] the consequences of sin." <a target="_blank" href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/june/16.52.html">[read full article]</a></blockquote>
<p>april 16, 2007...it's been nearly two months. <strong>how are you processing the events of virginia tech? any thoughts on the article or the quote above?</strong>
This entry was posted on Thursday, June 7th, 2007
--
Archived with permission of the author.
Original Source: <a href="http://eugenecho.wordpress.com/2007/06/07/reflections-on-virginia-tech-and-new-article/">http://eugenecho.wordpress.com/2007/06/07/reflections-on-virginia-tech-and-new-article/</a></p>
Creator
Eugene Cho
Date
2007-06-16
Contributor
Brent Jesiek
Rights
Eugene Cho (eugene@seattlequest.org)
Language
eng
Citation
Eugene Cho, “reflections on virginia tech - 2 months later,” The April 16 Archive, accessed November 2, 2024, https://april16archive.org/index.php/items/show/537.