The war between these gangs have been going on for years now.
In the beginning politicians, police and people in general were talking about how on earth it can happen, that it is perhaps the society’s fault that this can happen and what to do.
During some years more that 30-40 young men were killed each year on the streets and many more wounded.
If they could not get you, they placed bombs, were you lived, home-made bombs or hand grenades smuggled in from the Balkans.
So very quickly Sweden went from a very peaceful nation to a nation of violence. We had the most shootings in all of Europe.
Police got some new tools, laws were changed and the shootings went down. Churches started to work with these criminals, many changed, but still, it is going on.
Two days ago, a bomb exploded in the middle of the day, no one got killed or hurt.
This morning when I open the newspaper, two young men was shot in a city named Norrkoping and in my city of Malmo there was a home-made bomb explosion during the night.
Some of these shooters are sometimes as young as 13 and sometimes they are girls.
Almost every time shooters and people getting shot have foreign background, and yes sometimes totally innocent people get in the way.
Why? How? What?
Christianity consistently calls for truthfulness without sensationalism
Even people involved in crime are not beyond redemption. That’s central to Christianity. Figures like Paul the Apostle started as persecutors and became transformative leaders.
But this doesn’t excuse crime
There will be consequences
We Christians should condemn these actions without denying that people can change.
The Bible doesn’t ignore crime. It strongly supports justice and accountability. Governments are seen as having a role in restraining evil (Epistle to the Romans 13:1–4).
A Christian perspective can and should
- Support effective law enforcement
- Encourage fair but firm consequences
- Advocate for policies that protect communities
Churches like ours are doing a lot to reach out, other institutions etc are doing the same. Many are changed but still so much to do. I do understand the anger, hopelessness, frustration, I do feel that way sometimes, but we should never loose hope. When you feel there is no hope, pray.
We should Offer hope, not just critique
- Prayer for affected communities
- Encouragement to engage rather than withdraw
- Hope rooted in the belief that evil doesn’t have the final word
Amen
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