“Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.’ But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not” (Jeremiah 20:9).
I challenge you all to never utter his name.” That was the advice Doug- las County Commissioner Chris Boice gave to a group of Roseburg, Oregon, residents who held a vigil after a man killed nine people on October 1, 2015, at Umpqua Community College. The 26-year-old student killed one assistant professor and eight students in a classroom. Some witnesses say the perpetrator asked if students were Christians before shooting them. Roseburg police detectives engaged the killer in a brief shootout. After the gunman was wounded, he committed suicide.
Anger, pain, and grief poured over the victim’s families and the community as details of the event unfolded. Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin also said he would not “name the shooter. … I will not give him credit for this horrific act of cowardice. Media will get the name confirmed in time … but you will never hear us use it.” The practice of withholding a perpetrator’s name is controversial.
Jeremiah, an Old Testament prophet whose life was threatened by authorities who did not want to hear his messages, often became discouraged. His prophecies of coming tragedy weighed so much on his heart that he was known as the “weeping prophet” (see Jeremiah 9:1). When he considered not mentioning God’s name or messages, he concluded, “His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not” (Jeremiah 20:9).
The names of some murderers are not worth remembering. The violent and deranged acts of people are not worth meditating upon. But one name and one message should always be spoken—God’s name and God’s message. The message of salvation is offensive to the resistant but is a word of hope and life to the open hearted. When a Christian receives Christ into her heart, she cannot keep silent, even when a gun is pointed in her face.
Lord, may I stand boldly for You in all situations, willing to give my life for the honour of Your name.
