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Within a span of twenty-four hours, two mass shootings occurred in the United States.

Within a span of twenty-four more hours, millions of words and countless energy was spent blaming, criticizing, posturing, and condemning in light of those shootings.

My concern is that within minutes of the shooting, the same "us vs them" posture which leads to someone being willing to unleash gunfire in a crowded Walmart was unleashed on twitter, facebook, blogs, and other social media platforms. The anger behind online comments was the same. The blanket labeling of "the other" - covering over their humanity - is exactly what leads to this kind of event in the first place.

Personally, I cannot fathom the idea that guns designed for the sole purpose of killing another human being are accessible and permitted for any kind of carry. I believe it is wrong. I am cannot grasp why anyone who values human lives believes they should be available for use. I cannot grasp the apparent inaction by Americal lawmakers in regards to gun control. When events like the ones in Dayton and El Paso happen, which they seem to be doing with more and more regularity, I am angry and sad and confused. I want to label everyone who disagrees with me. I want to lash out and scream and yell. I want everyone to know how I feel about the issue and about everyone who I perceive is a part of the problem.

But the moment I stick a blanket label over those with a different perspective as me - likely born out of a different cultural milieu than I have been raised in - I become a part of the problem. I no longer see them as someone to look at in the eye, listen to, and try to understand. They are merely "those people." This has been a common warfare tactic forever - labeling the enemy as "those people" and therefore removing their humanity. And it is everywhere on social media these days.

I believe that if we, as Jesus followers, are willing to love well we need to refuse to accept the use of these blanket labels. If you don't agree with someone on the issue of gun control, pursue a genuine conversation with someone who disagrees - not just to discuss the issue, but to find out who they are as people. What has shaped their perspective? And this isn't just about guns. My own approach to speaking about LGBTQ+ realities was transformed when I sat down with a transgender student agonizingly seeking to follow Jesus while dealing with internal pain that I could get glimpses of through hearing their story. Or what about someone who has a different theological understanding or a different view on the issue of pacifism than I do? Am I willing to sit with them and hear them - genuinely listening to a person across a table from me?

Getting to know such a person may not change our view, but it makes it a lot harder to hate. Inevitably we discover we have more in common than we thought. While we struggle to love "those people" we discover that love for that someone is very, very real.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1:19)

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