After the tragic shooting at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis last Wednesday and as rampant violence in our cities continues, America is once again asking, “Why does this keep happening?” and “How can we prevent it?”

There is likely a combination of answers as to why mass shootings and violence in U.S. cities are happening: an increase in mental illness; broken families; drugs; and glorification of violence in movies and video games, to name a few. Yet all of these reflect much deeper problems: denial of universal absolute truth (or Moral Law) and, more importantly, hurting people who need Jesus.

1. Speak the Truth in Love to a Society That Doesn’t Believe in Truth

Those of us who have been redeemed by Jesus and believe that the Bible is God’s word know that God has created a universal moral law that all human beings should follow. (For example, we should not murder, steal, lie, commit adultery, etc.)

However, many in the world (including many Christians) tend to have a moral relativist worldview — whether they realize it or not. They don’t believe that there’s a universal standard of right and wrong but instead believe that morality is shaped by feelings and cultures. They think that “what’s right for you isn’t necessarily right for me.” They often emphasize empathy over truth.

2. Understand Universal Moral Law (Absolute Truth/General Revelation)

But Jesus has called us to be salt and light in a hurting world, and we should bring clarity to a confused culture. For example, after the shooting in Minneapolis last week, many referred to the shooter as a “coward.” Yet he was not merely a coward, but a thug who committed a heinous, evil act. We must call out evil and fight against it.

Even the shooter himself (unknowingly) acknowledged that there is a universal moral law when he wrote in his letter to his friends and family, “I am not well. I am not right. I am a sad person, haunted by these thoughts that do not go away. I know this is wrong but I can’t seem to stop myself.”

Christian philosopher and author C.S. Lewis explained that this universal moral law (or natural law) comes from our Creator in his book, “Mere Christianity.” It has been known by all cultures throughout history. (It is the law written on every human heart, as the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 2:15 and 2 Corinthians 3:3. Theologians refer to this as part of “general revelation.”)

Lewis gave the example of countries around the world agreeing that Nazism is evil. He wrote:

“This law was called the Law of nature because people thought that everyone knew it by nature and did not need to be taught it. They did not mean, of course, that you might not find an odd individual here and there who did not know it, just as you find a few people who are colour-blind or have no ear for a tune. But taking the race as a whole, they thought that the human idea of decent behaviour was obvious to everyone. And I believe they were right. If they were not, then all the things we said about the war were nonsense. What was the sense in saying the enemy were in the wrong unless Right is a real thing which the Nazis at bottom knew as well as we did and ought to have practised? If they had had no notion of what we mean by right, then, though we might still have had to fight them, we could no more have blamed them for that than for the colour of their hair.”

Notably, America’s founding fathers believed in Absolute Truth, believing it was important enough to refer to in the preamble of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”

3. Recognize Gender Confusion Is a Leading Contributor to Spiritual Confusion

One specific issue that Christians must clearly speak truth about is gender identity. Remarkably, the Annunciation Church shooter wrote about his confusion and regretted his “transition.” He wrote, “I regret being trans,” and “I wish I was a girl. I just know I cannot achieve that body with the technology we have today.” He added, “I am tired of being trans, I wish I never brain-washed myself," and “I was corrupted by this world and have learned to hate what life is.”

Dr. Jeff Myers from Summit Ministries recently talked with FRC’s Jody Hice on “Washington Watch” about how Satan uses gender ideology to confuse children about how they view themselves and how they view God. He said, “The transgender ideology is probably the number one ideology young adults are going to be facing in school this fall. They’re going to be told that there is a gender spectrum, and on one end is extreme masculinity, on their other end is extreme femininity. Everybody, you know, it’s either G.I. Joe or Barbie. And since nobody is really either G.I. Joe or Barbie, we’re all kind of in the middle. We’re all transgender. Maybe you’re even born in the wrong body.”

He explained:

“The very first thing we know about human beings according to Genesis chapter 1 is that God made them in his image [Imago Dei]. The second thing we know from that very same verse is that God made them male and female. God designed us as males and females. Our biology is male or female. There are not one or two differences between males or females. There are literally 6,500 cataloged differences between males and females. So, gender confidence means for boys understanding God designed you as a boy. You can be a boy who plays the violin, or you can be a boy who plays football. It doesn’t matter. But God made you as a boy, and he wants to grow you into a godly man. And for girls that God made them on purpose as a girl. They could be a helicopter pilot like my daughter or they could be … dancing or whatever. But they have been made in God’s image. They are a girl, and God wants them to grow into a godly woman. So that’s what we mean by gender confidence.”

Myers described how gender confusion can lead kids to become spiritually lost:

“I think, first of all, if you wanted people to believe that there is no God, or that God is irrelevant to anything that is important, then you have to somehow tear down all of the categories of meaning that make them think about God. And the most obvious of those is that we’re made male or female. We could argue about what constitutes justice or truth or freedom. People argue about those kinds of things all the time, but male or female, that’s super obvious. But if you want to tear down God, you have to get rid of male and female. And so that is the pressure that is being placed on children these days. Not … with facts or evidence, but with a bias based on a false worldview. So … I think a lot of people don’t realize that … we train our kids to not be bullies. We don’t want our kids to be the mean ones in school. We tell them, ‘If you see somebody being picked on, you need to stand up for them.’ What we didn’t realize is that our efforts to help our kids be kind have been now weaponized by people with a false view of the world who want to tear down any understanding of truth. I mean, after all, if you can get little kids to look at a boy or girl and say they can’t tell a difference, then you can propagandize them to believe anything.”

Maria Keffler, co-founder of the Arlington Parent Coalition, agrees and emphasized how we can speak this truth in love, saying: “I’d like to speak to parents who are going through this. We’re talking about your child’s health. We’re talking about their future. We’re talking about their fertility. As hard as it is to take a stand on truth, it’s always the right thing to do. As long as you are coupling it with, ‘Hey, I love you. That’s never going to change. The fact that I disagree with you about this is not evidence that I don’t love you. In fact, it’s evidence [that] I love you so much I’m not willing to let you hurt yourself. And so I’m going to do what I think is right, to try to help you so that you can get back to good health, back to understanding what reality is.’”

4. Know That Our Battle Is Always Spiritual

Even more importantly than speaking moral truth, Christians can prevent future violence and mass shootings by praying to God for spiritual revival and sharing the truth of the Gospel. (Besides general revelation, the other means by which God reveals Himself is through special revelation — God’s direct communication through the Bible, the prophets, dreams, visions, and, mostly importantly, Jesus Christ.)

Contrary to what some have said, prayer is not a waste of time but rather the most powerful action that we can take. We need to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Just before he was crucified, Jesus prayed to the Father for his disciples, asking Him to give us boldness to share the truth of the Gospel with the world, saying, “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

Jesus tells us to have an eternal perspective and to share the good news of Jesus, the Savior of the world. He told Pilate just before he was crucified, “‘My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world. Then Pilate said to him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’” John 18:36-37

The Apostle Paul also calls us to action and says that our battle is not of this world, but spiritual: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

God has given us the Holy Spirit and equipped us to share the way, the truth, and the life with the world. Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship recently said, “Christianity isn’t a quiet belief system that we keep compartmentalized and bring out only on Sundays and holidays. Christianity shakes people to the core. It upends social norms. It doesn’t settle for the status quo. Christianity is a very real threat to darkness and evil. It changes the world one life at a time. That’s the Christian experience that God desires for us.”

If we truly love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love our neighbors (every human being) as ourselves, then we will not stand on the sidelines but instead pray without ceasing and share the love, grace, truth, and peace that only Jesus can give.