As I have mentioned before, I live in a small college town of 27,000 in the Pacific Northwest. A little over a year ago, my family and I relocated from a Midwestern thriving metropolis. It is interesting to compare the differences between the two places. Due to the size (and downright craziness of some of the people that live there) of the Midwestern city, there is quite a bit of crime and homelessness. Please do not get me wrong, I know that there are millions of other factors, including the economy, that attribute to these things, but I do know that size is a major factor. Anyway, in my quaint little Pacific Northwestern town, there are no homeless people. . .well, there weren't any until now.
Recently, a 28-year old convicted rapist, who is homeless, has moved to our town. It is unbelieveable. . .all local university employees were notified of this sex offender's presence by e-mai; there was a blurb in the newspapers; and posters up at various establishments. Wow! That's pretty cool. In the Midwest, we were surrounded by approximately 20 registered sex offenders and for the longest, we didn't have a clue! I really appreciate the community making its residents aware of potential danger as I certainly do not want my children in the presence of a convicted rapist.
On the other hand, is that really "pretty cool"? I'm not sure how long he has been in town, but already, just about everyone knows of his existence and his status. Consider this man for a moment. . . He is a registered sex offender and so probably as a result, he is homeless, he is probably having difficulty finding a job. Perhaps, he just wanted to move someplace else and start over, has anyone even considered that? Probably not. . .we just hear "convicted rapist" or "registered sex offender" and the person is automatically shunned. I know this is controversial and I am not at all excusing his actions. But, I did a little investigation into his case. As it turns out, this man did not comb the streets looking for his next victim. Rather, this was an acquaitence-rape situation. It did not appear as though the woman was under-age, but that this was a question of whether there was consent or not. He said yes. She said no. By no means am I down-playing the seriousness of the crime. . ."no" means "no"!!
I guess what I am saying is I have mixed emotions about this whole thing. I have kids. I want them to be safe. But, I am also reminded of the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4 of the Holy Bible, that by the way, I just recently read to my kids. Jesus, a Jew, goes to a well in the city of Samaria, and asks a lady for a drink of water. She was stunned because back then, Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. He goes on to converse with her and tells her that He can offer her Living Water for He is the Messiah that she believed that was coming (my paraphrase). This woman was not only rejected by Jews because she was a Samaritan, but most likely she was ostracized by other Samaritans, as well, because of her lifestyle. She had had five husbands and the man with which she was living, at the time, was not her husband. Yet, Jesus spoke to her in love, kindness, gentleness, and I think it is safe to say. . .with forgiveness.
Hmmmm. . . . .how can we apply this? I know there are people who will struggle with this post. As evident in the title, I obviously do. But as Christians-followers of Christ-aren't we supposed to do what Jesus would do? Romans 12:2 says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God". So, what does that look like?
Just a little somethin' to get you thinkin'. . .
