Murder in DC

NewsThann Bennett
Written By Thann Bennett

Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC are dead after a gunman targeted them at the conclusion of an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC. The victims are Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, a young couple who planned to soon be engaged. Lischinshy was an Israel citizen and Milgrim an American. The gunman was taken into custody while saying, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”

Analysis and eternal perspective: Antisemitism is pure evil. It has been rearing its ugly head since Old Testament times, but it is alive and as evil as ever in our world today, and the slaying of Yaron and Sarah is the most recent stark reminder of it.

We as The Equipped family should respond in at least two ways:

First, we should continue to apply our biblical lens to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, including this offshoot of horrific violence that occurred on the other side of the globe. This lens reminds us, a) Every person is made and loved by God (Gen. 1:26), and b) Jesus followers are charged with recognizing the special covenant God has with the Jewish people (Gen. 12:3; Deut. 7:6-9).

These two truths are absolute, but they sometimes strain against each other in the present day. The evil of antisemitism is intense, and our efforts to stand against it appropriately prioritized. It can be difficult against that backdrop to persist in the pursuit of peace (Ps. 34:14) and the recognition of eternal value that exists within every soul. We, as followers of Jesus, should not grow weary in continuing to hold firmly to both truths.

Next, there is power in prayer. It can at times feel trite to lean heavily on prayer for the grieving families, but it is in reality the best way for us to lift them up and invite the arms of the Almighty to comfort them.

Evil in our world is very, very real. But the power and goodness of our God is much, much greater. May the families of Yaron and Sarah know and feel that truth today.

The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.

Thann Bennett

Thann Bennett is the Founder and President of Every Good Work, which exists to equip Jesus followers for a life of impact. His weekly newsletter, The Equipped, helps Jesus followers engage current events through a lens of the True and the beautiful. Thann and his wife, Brooke, are co-Founders of A Fearless Life, which works to find and fund a family for every adoption-eligible foster child in America. Thann has more than two decades of high-level public policy experience, with a particular focus on the U.S. Congress and the United Nations. He is the author of In Search of the King and My Fame His Fame. Thann and Brooke live in southern Maryland with their three children: Jude, Gambrell, and Hope, as well as a host of farm animals. The Bennetts are longtime members of the National Community Church family in Washington, D.C.

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