Why You Should Care: From Excel Onward

by Caleb Schrock-Hurst – Horizon Columnist

This week we were hit in the gut.

No one ever thought that a shooting like this could happen here, not in agricultural Harvey county. No one ever expected it.

But it happened. And we will be dealing with the fallout for a long time to come.

Though I have been overwhelmed with sorrow and pain, I have also been overwhelmed with joy at a community that forgives and moves forward. We have comforted each other and the grieving in a way that I am tempted to think only Mennonites can.

In a show of support for Excel Industries, the Hesston College maintenance department lined up their fleet of Hustler machinery on Main Street.
In a show of community support for Excel Industries, the Hesston College maintenance department lined up their fleet of Hustler machinery on Main Street. Photo by Larry Bartel, Hesston College Marketing and Communication

However, as is always the case, there are some people who take it too far. Typically, I am one of those people.

It’s safe to say none of us want this to happen again. How we prevent violence, though, is something that we can, and do, create a lot of violence over. The past few days my Facebook feed has seen posts about how a concealed carry permit would have stopped the shooting faster sandwiched between posts about how the US needs to ban all guns immediately. Though I certainly have my own opinion (and would love to share it, just not right now), the larger issue is our inability to be civil to one another in a time of grief.

We must first acknowledge our collective grief and then come together to discuss and solve problems. We must be able to examine facts and then act on what the data says. As a community, this means we must sometimes sacrifice and make choices that benefit our whole community (and country), not one group or another. I am willing to make sacrifices so we don’t ever have to spend another hour and a half sitting on a bathroom floor clutching our phones and watching the body count rise.

So, what can we do? We can continue providing loving communities where everyone is welcome. I truly believe that Cedric Ford has been forgiven and am astounded by the grace he has been shown. This is irresistable grace. This is what Jesus would have wanted.

Every time we create community we are preventing violence. We are bringing Christ’s kingdom to Earth.

I am reminded of what Shane Claiborne says in Jesus for President, which, by the way, he is giving away for free to any Christian who supports Donald Trump. Spread the word. Shane is discussing our call as Christians, saying

Shane Claiborne, last weekend's Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series speaker, posted this on his Facebook page.
Shane Claiborne, last weekend’s Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series speaker, posted this on his Facebook page.

“In an age of violence and terror, it’s important not just to live well but to die well. We are not called simply to live like Christ, but we are called to die like Christ. And he died loving. The heroes of our faith are not war heroes, but martyrs. Martyr means ‘witness,’ and the ripples that their deaths made are part of what spread the gospel of grace. They are not people who died killing but people who died loving.”

I believe that our reactions to the deaths this week have made the lost witnesses. Heroes. Their deaths can spread the gospel of grace.

And so far, they have.

We, as a Hesston community, are singing that song of love and grace that Jesus has called us to sing. Our community is witnessing to the power of forgiveness and Jesus’s love. Let us continue shining our light. Our squabbles can come later. For now, let us love, forgive, and remember.

Caleb Schrock-Hurst is a Sophomore at Hesston College where he works as a Writing Assistant, Ministry Assistant, and Horizon contributor. He would like to study everything, but when forced to choose selected English, History, and Music. Outside of academics his main interests are tennis, Bernie Sanders’ political campaign, the global church, and Arsenal Football Club. Feel free to contact him at caleb.schrock-hurst@hesston.edu or find him on campus if you wish to exchange verbal or physical blows. (Editor’s note: Caleb Schrock-Hurst’s opinions are not necessarily those of the Horizon staff or Hesston College.) 

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