Geoffrey W. Sutton Reviews

Saturday, June 18, 2022

Columbine: A True Crime Story—A REVIEW

Columbine: A True Crime Story—

A Victim, the Killers

and the Nation’s Search for Answers,

2^nd ed.

By Jeff Kass, 2014

Reviewed by

Geoffrey W. Sutton

It’s 2022. We’ve heard of several mass shootings this year. Sadly, we know the routine. The news media head to the scene of the massacre. We get early reports from law enforcement. We see heart wrenching images of incredibly sad people near the scene where loved ones have fallen. We learn about the numbers of people killed and injured. We hear the familiar words of political leaders attempting to offer support. We hear about gun control and the need for more security. Sometimes we learn about life-costing mistakes. We see images of flowers and bears at makeshift memorials. We learn about funeral services. And then the images fade until next time.

It was April 20, 1999 when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered Columbine High School. They murdered 12 students and 1 teacher. More were injured—21 of 24 were injured by gunfire. Columbine: A True Crime Story is Kass’s analysis of what happened that tragic day. Kass pursued records from government sources and conducted interviews. He reviewed tapes and has documented vast quantities of information about the history of the killers and their families and friends. We learn a lot about the aftermath so we begin to see the impact on the parents of those whose children died.

Early on, Kass takes us through “Day One”—the day the killers enter the school with guns and bombs. Those like me who saw the story on TV and followed the horrific scenes see the action as if in real time—Kass writes with clarity and skill. The retelling has fresh impact and provides the chilling context for his analysis of events leading up to the fateful day followed by various types of chaos following Day One.

As the backstory unfolds, we begin to see points at which some people were exposed to pieces of information that could have served as a warning of pending doom. Hindsight is tricky. Even more so now that we have additional shootings on record.

I cannot imagine a worst tragedy than the death of a child. If there can be something worse, it may be the chaos after the violence. The quest for answers to “why” did this happen can often be fruitless but it’s made worse when information isn’t forthcoming. I can only imagine the powerful feelings of anger and fear in a community where there’s finger pointing, threats, and lawsuits consuming considerable energy for years. This is the chaos. Even Kass’ investigation can only offer a glimpse at the personal struggles. Life after loss isn’t just about grieving. Sadly, it’s also about fighting battles.

I recommend Columbine: A True Crime Story to those who wish to learn from these tragedies. The learning isn’t just about what might have been missed or what could have been done differently but it’s about connecting with the emotions and experiences of the victims and those involved in some official capacity.

What’s missing, and I do not fault the author, is an appreciation of what survivors experience. Today, those 16 years old have lived another 23 years and seen a lot more school shootings. How have they survived? How did their parents cope? These are additional lessons we as a society and caregivers need to learn. These are the people that may enter our clinics and counseling rooms. Perhaps their physical functioning has been restored but we do not know about their minds.

In closing, I would also recommend a related book, The Violence Project, which draws on a database built on the authors research into years of mass shootings. One thing mentioned by Jeff Kass and the authors of The Violence Project is the common finding of leakage. That is, young killers often reveal parts of their plans to others before the big event.

Reference

Kass, J. (2014). Columbine: A True Crime Story—A Victim, the Killers and the Nation’s Search for Answers, 2^nd ed. Denver, CO: Bower House. Available from AMAZON.

Author note

I am a retired clinical psychologist who provided clinical and forensic services to families, schools, and government agencies.

Related reviews

The Sociopath Next Door

Therapy After Terror

The Violence Project

The Wisdom of Psychopaths

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Wednesday, April 20, 2022

The First Paul – a review

Authors: Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan

Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton

Reference

Borg, M.J. & Crossan, J.D. (2009). The first Paul: Reclaiming the radical visionary behind the church’s conservative icon. HarperCollins e-books.

Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan introduce us to the apostle Paul by providing historical contexts for his life and teachings. Early on they explain why only a small collection of documents were actually written by the apostle who wrote the first “books” in the New Testament.

Scholars affirm seven letters (aka books) were actually written by Paul: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon.

Scholars believe the pastoral epistles were written later by other authors. These are 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. Finally, scholars disagree about the authorship of Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians; however, according to Borg and Crossan, most believe these were not written by Paul.

The different teachings in the three groups of letters named above challenge readers because they offer different views on such matters as the equality of women and men as well as slavery.

In their brief biography of Paul, the authors remind us that like Jesus, Paul was a lifelong Jew. And we learn about the Roman Imperial religion that offers an important context for Paul’s writing about Jesus as Lord (instead of Caesar) and the special terms used to refer to Caesar and to Jesus. Terms like God, Son of God, and the one who brings peace to the world are applied to Roman Emperors and to Jesus.

The biography also reveals some differences between the Paul presented by the writer of Acts and by Paul in his own letters. Readers of the New Testament know Paul called himself an apostle. Borg and Crossan explore the meaning of apostle by considering who sent Paul and to whom Paul was sent.

Chapter two is particularly useful as it helps readers learn how to read one of Paul’s letters. The focus is on the short letter of Philemon and the topic is Paul’s view of slavery. After reviewing the text, the authors show how Paul’s view in Philemon differs from the views presented by the letters Paul did not write. Next, the authors provide a similar analysis on the subject of the head of the household and equality for women and men.

In chapter three, the authors look at the contents of Acts and Paul’s letters to discover areas of agreement or disagreement. In chapter four, we see how Paul contrasts Roman and early Christian theology. The focus is especially on Rome’s pursuit of peace through violence and Christ’s approach to peace through the nonviolent pursuit of justice.

Why was Christ crucified? That’s the message of chapter five. The authors see the crucifixion, a Roman method of execution, as part of Paul’s anti-imperial stance. Thus, Paul doesn’t just preach Jesus died but emphasizes Christ crucified. The authors also take on the theology of substitutionary atonement and the understanding of Jesus sacrificial death. They suggest understanding Jesus’ sacrifice as being for the sake of those he loved like a parent who might sacrifice their life so their child might live. In this view, “The death of Jesus as God’s Son is a parable of God’s love for us (p, 54).”

Chapter six deals with justification by grace through faith. The authors emphasize Paul’s focus on transformation in this life rather than a focus on the afterlife. And they do not pit faith against works. Instead, they contrast faith-without-works to works-without-faith. And they clarify that faith refers to commitment rather than an affirmation of belief statements as seems common in some branches of Christianity.

The final chapter is about Life Together “In Christ.” The authors note that the phrase “In Christ” appears more than a hundred times and it usually refers to living in community.

Reflections

I recommend The First Paul to readers interested in a scholarly examination of traditional teachings attributed to the apostle Paul. How Christians interpret Paul’s theology has had a significant impact on the lives of billions.

First, there are practical matters that have made a difference in how the church has historically viewed slavery, women, and people who experience same-sex attraction. Those Christian views largely come from the teachings of Paul or texts attributed to Paul.

Second, there are theological matters. Many in the church have focused on the meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection in a different way than do these authors who challenge the doctrine of atonement.

Borg and Crossan do not hesitate to consider areas of disagreement in the relevant texts. This lack of hesitation is a contrast to the resistance found in evangelical circles where clergy often take a fundamentalist approach to the texts as if the letters were dictated by God rather than produced by first century Jewish men like Paul.

One matter the authors did not address is that even letters written by Paul may have a personal bias and be subject to the limitations of human memory. Given other works by these authors, I do not think they would overlook these cognitive factors but they did not explicitly identify them when dealing with historical events such as those in Acts.

I think some evangelical women have missed out on a sound biblical argument favoring the equality of women and men when they do not distinguish between the letters written by Paul and those he probably did not write. There's a difference in Paul's affirmation of equality in those were he wrote compared to those that sound more like a taming of Paul to fit the male hierarchy in the culture.

The First Paul available on AMAZON