How Should Christians Cope with an Evil Environment?'

How Should Christians Cope with an Evil Environment?

Let us say there was a book keeper whose name was Roger Smith. He had a wife, Louise, and two daughters named Nancy and Jill. They lived in Escondido, California.

One evening, about 6:30, they decided to go to a restaurant to eat dinner. Nancy and Jill shouted "Yeah," and began to plan their own menu, which was largely cheeseburgers and hot dogs.

The family decided on Coco's restaurant. The Smiths lived in North Escondido. They went around the back way to Coco's because every evening there was mob violence on Centre City Parkway and also on Broadway.

Sometimes the mob was composed of black teenagers who were proclaiming their cause of the day.

Sometimes the mob was composed of Muslims who were upset because their women were forbidden to wear burkas. The courts were opposed to burkas because it made it impossible to positively identify persons who were in court for one reason or another.

Sometimes the mob was composed of homosexuals who were complaining that some Christian churches would not perform the marriage ceremony for them.

No one went to downtown Escondido in the evening without good reason. They were liable to be killed!

The Smiths entered Coco's parking lot. They got out of their car and were proceeding toward the entrance to Coco's. The little girls were all excited.

Suddenly Roger saw on his right a burly black young man running toward them from Valley Parkway. He was yelling and waving his arms in what appeared to be a hostile manner.

Roger was terrified not knowing whether his wife and daughters were going to be raped, or killed, or what.

Roger was five feet, eight inches tall and weighed about 130 pounds. The young man running toward them towered over six feet tall and looked to be about 250 pounds in weight.

Roger, who was panicked, thought to himself, "Pastor Thompson told us to pray about everything, but I have another kind of prayer in my pocket." With this he pulled out the 9mm automatic that he routinely carried because his job sometimes involved transporting money. His gun was loaded with hollow-point bullets.

By this time the young man whom he thought was going to harm him and his family was about thirty yards from him. Roger still could not understand what he was saying. Roger fired three shots into the young man's chest.

The young black man staggered forward until he was close to Roger's face. The face of the young black was contorted with pain, but there was a smile of understanding and forgiveness. He looked carefully at Roger, and then collapsed to the ground.

Roger was frozen for a moment, and then told Louise to get in the car with the two girls and lock the car doors.

Then Roger pulled out his cellphone and dialed 911, telling the operator where he was and that he had shot a man to death.

A pool of blood was forming around the dead man.

Then Roger heard sirens in the distance. He supposed it was the answer to his call.

But at that moment, thirty to forty young people came running down Valley Parkway, being chased by the police. They appeared to be heading toward Auto Park Way. They did not notice Roger Smith or the dead man lying on the parking lot.

Finally the police arrived and then the paramedics. The information was written down and the body was placed in the ambulance and driven away.

Two months later, Roger Smith was seated in court with Louise, Nancy, Jill, and his attorney.

The prosecutor arose and greeted the jury. He said, "This trial is about the cold-blooded murder of Samuel Johnson. Samuel was a fine young man. He was an outstanding athlete, an offensive tackle in high school. He had a football scholarship at the University of California at San Diego.

"His goal was to become an elementary-school teacher in a poor area, hoping to give disadvantaged children a purpose in life.

"He was an ardent Christian and church member. Sam made it a practice, when he found out a mob was on the move, to run ahead of them and warn the people in their path to take cover. This was why he was running toward Roger Smith and waving his arms. He wanted to warn him that a mob was coming down Valley Parkway."

Roger did not hear any more of the court proceedings after this, he was so shaken. "I have killed a fellow believer, and for this I probably will get twenty years in prison. Why didn't I pray before shooting Mr. Johnson!"

Surprisingly, Roger Smith was acquitted. The jury members realized that with the current rapings and murders, if they had been in possession of a pistol they probably would have done the same thing. A tragic incident, but with no one to blame but the mobs.

Of course there were threatening emails after this. But because of the extensive mob activity in which many people, some innocent and some activists, were killed or seriously injured, the shooting of Samuel Johnson soon was forgotten.

The social order had broken down, and who could foretell the future in America?

Roger Smith had learned a hard, hard lesson that stood him in good stead as America was overrun with competing ideologies and much blood was shed.

But Roger had some incidents to remind him about rushing to judgment.

For the rest of Roger's life, about once or twice a year, Samuel Johnson's face would appear before him.

There was no hate in his face, only understanding.

Samuel would say, "Bro, the next time you are faced with danger, ask Jesus what you should do before you pull the trigger."

Then, while the smile remained, the face of Jesus would take the place of Mr. Johnson's. The face was still black, but it was that of Jesus. On Jesus' head was a crown of long black thorns.

Slowly the face disappeared, until only the compassionate, understanding smile remained. Then the smile vanished.