POW!

George Steinbrenner is known for firing people on a whim. Donald Trump cans competent people for reality television, for the sake of ratings.

But this story puts both of these trigger-happy (trust me, there is no pun intended here...at least not yet) supervisors to shame.

The background information is well known by now: On Monday, April 16, Virginia Tech senior Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 of his fellow students before taking his own life. Understandably, this disturbing assault shocked the entire United States, perhaps even the world, but especially Virginia Tech and other educational establishments--including Emmanuel College, a private institution located in Boston, Massachussetts,

Two days later, after being prompted to initiate discussion with his students, Nicholas Winset, an adjunct professor at Emmanuel College, led his class through a five-minute demonstration that included (according to the AP) "a discussion of gun control, whether to respond to violence with violence, and the public's celebration of victimhood."

He also used a marker as a visual aid and pointed it at students (nothing indicates that he did this joyfully or with any intended disrespect for the VT victims or family members of those slain). Oh, one more thing, when he pointed the marker, he said (if you are reading this out loud and if there are children present, please cover their ears now), "pow."

Two days later, Winset received a letter from Emmanuel College that said he had been fired, and that he was no longer welcome on campus.

(I want to pause to clear a couple things up. Here are the facts:

1. "POW!" is often likened to the sound of a gun being fired. It's onomatopoeia. (Bang! and Boom! also serve the same purpose, with the variations obviously specifying different models of weapons. I haven't seen the results of any ballistic tests, but based on the backlash, I think police must have been able to link "pow" exclusively to the weapons used by the Virginia Tech shooter.)
2. Winset didn't actually have a gun.
3. He had a marker. And somewhere, somehow, someone has probably been killed by markers. Or at least had an eye put out.
4. There were no reports of any deaths or eye injuries resulting from Winset's marker-wielding rampage.
5. Winset didn't have a license to carry a marker.
6. Though fired, Winset is surprisingly still at large. And I haven't heard, but I don't think anyone has confiscated his markers.

Now, I feel like we can move on with this blog... don't you?)

According to the Associated Press, "Emmanuel College has clear standards of classroom and campus conduct, and does not in any way condone the use of discriminatory or obscene language."

You know, it's funny. I've heard this story in the news, and I've heard the "pow" part repeated several times. I have no idea what the FCC is up to, because they're certainly not doing their job if they've stopped censoring "discriminatory and obscene language" like "pow."

Since this firing, my co-worker and friend, Steve, and I have been saying "POW!" to one another. When our boss overhears us, she says, "You're fired!" It just occurred to me that all of our jobs are in danger. Because all it will take is for one person to overhear and decide we're being too insensitive about the situation involving Winset being too insensitive.

Who knows, maybe I'll have a letter waiting in my mailbox on Friday.

But back to Winset's demonstration. According to the Associated Press, one of the students present, 19-year-old Junny Lee said that "most students didn't appear to find Winset's demonstration offensive."

But someone must have found it offensive, someone must have complained, because Winset was fired.

I don't know what kind of man Winset is; I don't know if he's kind-hearted or a destructive bastard. Honestly, I don't care. Because to me, this story is indicative of something much larger than the firing of an adjunct professor. I think the fallout illustrates our society's desire to control things beyond our control, and our tendency, in our misguided efforts to regain control, to make the waters muddier. I would never suggest that those condoning Winset's firing are in any way responsible for the VT shootings; I would never suggest that they might have blood on their hands. But their support is part of the reason people like Winset can be fired for something so trivial. And in this sense, their hands are dirty. Maybe stained by marker.

But you know, I'm offended, too. I'm not, however, offended by Winset's demonstration, by his effort to help his students process the VT tragedy, to aid them in understanding the issues involved. I'll tell you what I am offended by: I'm offended by someone thinking the right to bear arms gives them the license to kill 32 innocent college students. I'm very offended by that.

And, I think it's safe to assume, for once, my feelings align pretty nicely with those of the American people. And when we watch the stories on television, when we encounter such tragedy, I think our desire is to fix it. The problem is, we can't. We can't fix what already happened. (We can, however, try to prevent it from happening again. I would think one way to do this might include talking about it inside college classrooms, but that's just me...) And when we can't fix the actual problem, we settle for lesser measures. So when someone complains that a professor has led a demonstration that may have offended some, what happens? Is the professor called in? Asked to explain himself? Given the opportunity to apologize to those he may have offended? No, he is fired swiftly and efficiently, given less explanation than Trump's Apprentice victims.

And then, somewhere in the fallout, voices are justifying Winset's firing by saying "Well, he taught Financial Accounting. His classroom is not the place for such a demonstration." Apparently, the topic should be restricted to Current Events 101.

And it's funny how those voices can be right, and so wrong. That demonstration had nothing to do with Financial Accounting. But, so what? When Cho went through Virginia Tech firing over a hundred shots into innocent kids (forgive me if that sounds crass, as insensitive as "pow," but I tend to think points are best made by addressing things directly. I'm Winset-esque in that way), do you think anyone said, "We would have been ready for this if it had been applicable enough for discussion in any of our classes."? Of course not.

And I know I just made an illogical assumption there by suggesting that a classroom discussion could ever prepare students for something as irrational and unprovoked as what happened in Blacksburg, Virginia. Truthfully, nothing is going to really prepare students for something that heinous (maybe boot camp). But, in the aftermath, I think we can learn something from it. To do so, it's necessary to talk about it. People who claim Winset had no business talking about this in his classroom are short-sighted, and I think they're just trying to regain composure, attempting to control something, longing for someone to punish.

And, unfortunately for Nicholas Winset and his family, Emmanuel College elected him to be the public scapegoat, all because he had the audacity to say, "pow."

I think it's funny (ironic might be the better word) when one considers that part of Winset's demonstration included his opinions on society's "celebration of victimhood." And two days later, Emmanuel College welcomed him to the victim party by showing him the door.

And for some reason I picture Bob Barker, smiling with his long, ridiculously slim microphone while Rod Roddy calls out, "Nicholas Winset, come on down! You're the next victim on The Price Isn't Right."
(Insert cheesy music and elderly people clapping their hands)

You know, I never thought that gameshow was fair. One contestant can bid trying to get as close to that correct price as possible. Then another contestant can bid the minimum, $1, not even trying. And if that first contestant goes a little bit over, the one who did nothing wins--even if they're farthest away from what's right.

The price certainly isn't right for Nicholas Winset. He tried to do what he could, and it didn't pay off. I guess he should have done the minimum. He should have bid $1 and hoped for the best.

But you know, that attitude sounds like the kind of thing that gets people fired in the New York Yankees organization, or on The Apprentice.

Which means Nicholas Winset's job would have been more secure under Steinbrenner or Trump. But I'm sure that's no consolation for him. Just like his firing is no consolation for those who suffered the most serious kind of loss, the family members and friends who lost loved ones in Blacksburg.


--Thanks for Reading

[ Please know that my obvious disdain is directed solely towards the Winset firing, and I feel nothing but sorrow and sympathy for those of you who were personally impacted by the Virginia Tech shooting. May God be with you and comfort you in this bleak time. ]

Well, Jesus didn't return. Now what?

Last summer I was driving in rural, southwestern Ohio when I stopped to get gas . This was not unusual. I tend to do this when my gauge nears that ominous "E." But when I swiped my credit card at the pump, I thought I was only buying gas. Little did I know, I was also paying for a lesson in (professed) Bible prophecy.

(Enter Greg Gault.)

A man in a red truck pulled up beside me and made eye contact. I had never met this man before, but his eye contact was so intentional that I felt I needed to smile or nod or somehow show that I know how to interact with human beings.

"How are ya?" he asked as soon as he got out to pump his own gas.

"Not too bad. You?"

"Oh, I'm doing well." Then, with absolutely no transition, "Do you know our Lord, Jesus Christ?"

I nodded, not quite willing to share a full smile with him, and said, "Yeah, I do."

I think I expected him to say something simple, something like, "Good." But no, not Greg Gault. Instead, he said, "He's coming back soon, you know?"

Very hesitantly I said, "yeahhh," agreeing and leery at the same time.

"I think it will be in 7 months."

Oh, well of course. I didn't say anything. I was no longer making eye contact. I was just thinking, "How does one address this?"

He must have discerned my doubt. "What do you think about that?" he wanted to know.

"Well, I think the Bible says we can't know the time or the place." (I mentally kicked myself for not being able to quote exactly, or even refer to the right book.)

This man went on to tell me that God does want us to try and figure it out. God wants us to know. I never agreed with his interpretation of the Bible, and I didn't show much interest in talking to him any more (If I remember correctly, it was nearly time for the kickoff of an OSU football game.) But my lack of interest didn't stop this man from giving me his business card.

It said:

Greg Gault
Teacher of Bible Prophecy

A church was mentioned on the card, but I won't risk discrediting the church by associating it with a man who, from the look of things, printed his own business cards to distribute while proselytizing at gas stations.

We said our goodbyes, maybe a "God bless you" or a "nice to meet you," the former I would have meant and the latter would have just been a formality. Then I got in my car and drove away to watch my Buckeyes.

But I kept that business card. For a long time.

***

That conversation with Greg Gault took place in August. It's now April. It's been 8 months and still no glorious reappearing of Christ.

In short, Greg Gault was wrong.

***

I probably held on to that business card for two months, rubbing my forefinger against it in the left front pocket of my favorite jeans, using it as a bookmark, putting it in a pile of things I wanted to get to...but, at least in this case, never did.

You see, I wanted to talk to Greg Gault again. I wanted to say the things I didn't think to say when I was surprised at the gas pump on Saturday morning.

And there was one element of our talk that I specifically wanted to discuss. And this related to the one thing he said that I really appreciated, the one aspect I truly admired about Greg Gault, gas station missionary.

I had told him that I didn't think we needed to know exactly when Christ returned, because we should just know that He will and live our lives as if it might be today. His response was, "Ah, but knowing when does one thing: It turns people into evangelists."

He went on to say that was the reason he brought the conversation up with me, because he knows there isn't much time left.

And I respect that attitude, to an extent. Evangelizing, sharing the Truth with people, is crucial. But what happens when our version of the Truth is based upon an event that doesn't come true?

That's what I wanted to ask Greg Gault. I wanted to say, "But what if you're wrong? If you're basing your belief on the fear of judgment, because you know he's coming back in March of 2007, what happens if you're wrong? Why not challenge people, evangelizing your heart out without trying to enlighten them with information the Bible says no one will possess?"

To me, it seemed a little pompous. A "look what I figured out" attitude. One that might scare a few people into a life change, and one that will most likely lead them back to their old ways when they realize the message was fraudulent, or at least misguided.

Why not evangelize without prophecies (or ungrounded predictions, if you prefer), sharing only the Truth?

That's what I wanted to ask Greg Gault, Teacher of Bible Prophecy.

And I think my desire was devoid of malice and pretension. I wasn't anxious to tell him he was wrong. I love that he cares about people enough to ask difficult questions at a gas pump on Saturday morning, to strike up friendly conversations with strangers. I admire that.

But it's April now. March was a month ago. The fear factor is probably gone.

And I still remember Y2K: the hype, the fear, the preparations. People thought the computers were going to crash and prompt the Apocalypse. Groceries were bought in bulk, newly constructed storm/bomb/Apocalypse shelters were constructed and filled with enough food and water to last years. And what happened? Basically nothing. A month later, how do you think those people felt when they thought about their Apocalypse shelter filled with food items? I don't know, but I'll bet they felt foolish.

What about anyone who came to Christ because they knew, thanks to the words (and business cards) of Teacher of Bible Prophecy, Greg Gault, that Jesus was returning in March?

I don't know, but I'll be they feel foolish, too.

And they'll probably abandon their new "faith" like those unneeded Apocalypse shelters, sheepishly hoping no one will remember that they had lived anticipating the end.

And it's tragic, because Christ is returning...sometime. And it's tragic because a relationship with Him can be more real than anything we'll ever experience, but only if it's founded on Truth. Only if we turn to Him with a desire to know Him and serve Him, and not because we're afraid his return is imminent and we don't think we can risk putting it off longer.

Because when the rain doesn't come, people abandon their umbrellas. It's just how it works.

And I wonder what Greg Gault thinks now. Does he think he miscalculated? Is he still prophesying, still distributing cards, foretelling Jesus's return in May or September?

Who knows?

I hope he hasn't lost his faith (if his faith is in fact real, and not an "Emergency Exit" plan), and I hope he continues to evangelize. I just hope he revamps his strategy, realizing that he doesn't need to know when Jesus plans to return.

Instead, he should spend more time telling people why.

And, come to think of it, so should I.

--Thanks for reading.