…Such reasoning makes gun owners potential vessels of God’s will, rooting out evil in the world at-large. New Apostolic Reformation theology makes shooting people—when they oppose the NAR’s vision of the kingdom—interpretable as a manifestation of God’s will.

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What if we are the middle of the story? What if our purpose is to someday be among the ancestors, as later generations say with quiet admiration: Thank you for giving us the world we have today.

I am all for crying in public. I am for telling your truth, for feeling your pain, for letting it be visible. I am for people understanding what sorrows you carry, and how grief makes it difficult to complete expected tasks. I am for the gift of knowing how sorrow enlivens your ability to be present for others in pain.