September 6, 2024
By Jay Kieve and Joshua Villines
We are heartbroken at the news of four deaths and many more wounded in a school shooting in Winder, Georgia. This sinful and dreadful act of targeted violence by a teenaged shooter upends families and community with grief and outrage. We add our prayers for comfort and strength to the prayers of others offered on behalf of the families who lost loved ones and the Appalachee High School community.
We find it difficult to combat the feeling—and sometimes the narrative—that targeted violence is inevitable, unpredictable, and wholly unpreventable. But our faith resists such hopelessness, believing that if we do not grow weary in doing what is right, we might help others avoid this sinful violence.
“1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor. 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:1-10
And part of what is right, is following the decades of research and standards known as behavioral threat assessment that helps us identify people on the pathway toward violence and finding opportunities to intervene.
Behavioral threat assessment gives us tools for supporting families and communities when loving our neighbors means seeking help for their concerning behavior. Psychologists and criminal justice experts suggest that when we observe actions from co-workers, family members or students that cause us to feel threatened or make us worry that they might harm themselves or others, we should not dismiss our concerns. Rather, we should speak with our family, community law enforcement, and school or church leaders that can bring understanding and response to the behavior of the concerning person. It is not important to understand why a person is acting in a way that causes us fear. It is important to raise our concerns. Seeing concerning behavior and saying something is not gossip, tattling or snitching. This is loving someone enough to try to prevent sinful violence.
More investigation and reporting will surely add nuance to these devasting events. We all know that doing the right thing does not necessarily guarantee the right, or best, or most just outcome. The shooting this week, and so many others like it, remain lamentable and stand as a testimony to the need for not growing weary in doing what we believe is right.
If you experience threatening behavior, or have concerns about a co-worker, family member, or congregant’s actions tending toward violence, consider the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s behavioral threat assessment team as resource for you. We can hear your concern and help you access support services in your community. For more information contact Jay Kieve at jkieve@cbf.net or (803) 767-3456.
Rev. Dr. Jay Kieve serves as the Director of Ministerial Transitions & Abuse Prevention and Response at CBF. He is the leader of CBF’s behavioral threat assessment and management team.
Rev. C. Joshua Villines is a certified threat manager supporting CBF’s threat assessment team and the Executive Director of The Human Intelligence Group.