So here’s what I would have posted on Facebook, if I didn’t care about souring my relationship with many church friends. I know this is what I would have posted because it’s what I typed in the FB post box before highlighting, cutting, and pasting here instead.
The Bible, book of John, chapter 15, has Jesus saying, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” I’ve read the stories about teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary prepared to — and sometimes actually — laying down their lives for their students. I think my prayer-and-Christianity in public schools FB friends are missing the big picture. Whether or not they said a prayer over the intercom that morning, you have to deal with the fact that God was standing by as this tragedy happened. An whether or not they were Christians, you have to admit that those teachers showed exactly the love that Jesus wanted us to aspire to. What happened represents a theological minefield, but proud and public Christian piety wouldn’t have prevented this tragedy.