on the Cincinnati Zoo

I will say I'm thrilled I spelled Cincinnati right on the first try. This is a big story that has been dominating headlines for the past four days. Animal Rights advocates want the woman charged and justice for Harambe. Folks on the right are saying for all to relax because the boy is okay, and there are many people in the middle who can see the tension that this whole situation has created. Part of the beauty of the body of Christ is that we can agree to disagree and still be in fellowship with each other. Here are a few things to consider in this situation.

1) There were no great alternatives to what the zoo did.
For people who disagree with the zoo's decision, and I will say this you have every right to do so, it was a lose/lose situation. It is tragic that a beautiful creature was shot and killed, and I know many who have frequented the zoo have fond memories watching Harambe the gorilla. I would stop the finger pointing, stop the name calling, and mourn for this great creature, as I know God does for all of His beautiful creation when a prized member dies. The question I kept considering was, "If my child or one of my family members was down there with the gorilla, what would I want to happen?" It's not an easy answer, and I think the zoo made a tough but right decision.

2) Don't condemn the poor mother.
We are really good in our society at condemning people, casting shame on them, and belittling the failure and mistakes other people make. However, we are told not to judge others especially if our life is riddled with sin, failures, and mistakes. In John 8:1-11 Jesus meets a group of religious leaders who want him to throw the first stone to stone this adulterous woman. This woman had made many mistakes in her life, had been condemned verbally many times, and now is about to be physically destroyed, but Jesus doesn't do that. He shows us in just a few sentences the power of forgiveness. The power of reaching people where they're at in their shortcomings and offering them hope and healing instead of more condemnation.

I have heard all sorts of awful things about this mother's parenting skills in the last four days. Trust me if you haven't people can be very nasty. But, I've heard very few people say that we as followers of Jesus should pray for her and her family during these days? The word forgive has rarely been used, and I think that stems from our culture of condemnation. Learn how to rise above it.

3) See the theology behind this situation.
All life is sacred to God, but human life more so. I know that idea and thought can make some people mad and I get this from many places in Genesis 1:27 it reads that God created humanity in his own image. The list can go on and on. But, we as a culture need to learn from this. We need to address strong feelings and ask why are really feeling this way on either side of the issue. This world is not how it is supposed to be, the fact that a beautiful gorilla lost his life proves that, but we have the hope and the knowledge that God's promises are sure. God is calling His church. Learn to be counter-cultural and how you discuss the Cincinnati Zoo in the next few days.