{"id":5039,"date":"2020-11-03T02:32:49","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T02:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learn.elca.org\/jle\/?p=5039"},"modified":"2020-11-03T02:32:49","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T02:32:49","slug":"the-messianic-reign-in-isaiah-111-10-a-message-to-foster-children-post-traumatic-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learn.elca.org\/jle\/the-messianic-reign-in-isaiah-111-10-a-message-to-foster-children-post-traumatic-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"The Messianic Reign in Isaiah 11:1-10: A Message to Foster Children Post-Traumatic Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

[1]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/b>Just as warfare was a cultural problem in ancient Israel, traumatizing children and adults, gun violence is a cultural problem in the United States.\u00a0The impact of gun violence on children and adolescents is not only burdensome but can also be disastrous.\u00a0<\/strong><\/b>Guns are not the only means to perpetrate harm but \u201cthe significance of gun violence is that its fatality rate is much higher than that of assaults with other weapons.\u201d[1]<\/a>\u00a0Over 1.2 million Americans have been shot in the past decade,<\/strong><\/b>[2]<\/a>\u00a0millions more have witnessed gun violence in their social network and nearly every American will know at least one victim of gun violence in their lifetime.<\/strong><\/b>[3]<\/a>\u00a036,000 Americans are killed by guns each year\u2014an average of 100 per day.[4]<\/a>\u00a0100,000 Americans are shot and injured each year.[5]<\/a>\u00a01,500 children are shot and killed each year.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

[2]\u00a0Gun violence is rooted in the social and economic structure of the United States, including poverty, race, and the war on drugs. Gun violence does happen everywhere, but its heavy presence is located in low-income areas, where 80-90% of children and adolescents experience violence in their community and school.[7]<\/a>\u00a0Black children are ten times more likely to be killed in a gun homicide than white children.[8]<\/a>\u00a0Black children and their communities are disproportionately hurt by gun violence as it hits underserved and underprivileged communities of color much more than wealthy and middle-class white communities.<\/p>\n

[3] This paper is not interested in discussing the gun debate and gun safety laws but is focused on the effect of gun violence on children and youth from a biblical perspective.\u00a0<\/strong><\/b>In this paper, we will explore Isaiah\u2019s vision as presented in Isaiah 11.\u00a0The prophet Isaiah, in chapter 11:1-10, speaks a message of hope not only for his war-traumatized community but also for our community of children traumatized by gun violence. Isaiah speaks to the Israelites traumatized by the<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0Syro-Ephraimite War. He gives confidence to children that they will no longer experience violence and trauma, but that they will play safely in their neighborhood. Isaiah leads his traumatized community to foster post-traumatic growth and to become resilient.<\/p>\n

[4]\u00a0<\/strong><\/b>In this paper, we will pay attention to anticipatory trauma that develops from fearing future events and causes potential pre-traumatic symptoms that are like the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. One way to overcome anticipatory trauma is by fostering post-traumatic growth. Studies show a strong association between religion and post-traumatic growth. This work aims to illustrate the role of religion in helping traumatized children to find meaning for their future and have hope for their life. It also seeks to demonstrate the part of the church in tackling the root of gun violence on political and social levels<\/p>\n

Trauma in a Culture of Gun Violence<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

[5] It is unhelpful to discuss childhood trauma and gun violence without defining trauma. In this paper I will discuss two types of trauma: trauma as a result of an adverse event and anticipatory trauma. The English word trauma is derived from the Greek word meaning \u201cwound.\u201d In academic conversation, trauma refers to injuries of the most severe physiological and psychological kind.[9]<\/a>\u00a0Old Testament scholar, David M. Carr, describes trauma as an \u201coverwhelming, haunting experience of disaster so explosive in its impact that it cannot be directly encountered and influences an individual\/group\u2019s behavior and memory in and direct ways.\u201d[10]<\/a>\u00a0A traumatic event, according to Judith Herman, is one that \u201coverwhelmed the ordinary systems of care that give people a sense of control, connection, and meaning.\u201d[11]<\/a>\u00a0Usually, traumatized people feel helpless and dehumanized, which impacts negatively on their interpersonal relationships. \u201cTraumatic events destroy the victim\u2019s fundamental assumptions about the safety of the world, the positive value, and the meaningful order of creation.\u201d[12]<\/a>\u00a0The traumatic experience whether minor or major leaves a great impact on the victims and can ruin their lives if the victims are left untreated.<\/p>\n

[6] However, trauma is not only a result of a single event that happened in the past, but it can also be a process of anticipatory trauma. Children who hear about traumatic events of gun violence from their family, watch the news,\u00a0[13]<\/a>\u00a0or lose a family member to gun violence often suffer what is called \u00a0secondary trauma. Media plays a crucial role in intensifying children’s and youth stress, depression, and anxiety. Madison Armstrong and Jennifer Carlson, in their article \u201cSpeaking of Trauma,\u201d describe secondary trauma also as \u201canticipatory trauma\u201d an anticipation of continued traumatic events rather than a memory of the events. It emerges \u201cfrom routinized harm perpetrated against a subordinated group when it is recognized in the public arena and sanctioned or reinforced by government and the legal forces.\u201d[14]<\/a><\/p>\n

[7] Anticipatory trauma causes children to live in constant fear, often agitated and hyper-alert in order to be hypervigilant.[15]<\/a>\u00a0They are continually on guard, scanning their surrounding for potential danger.\u00a0 The slightest noise may agitate them. Tanya L. Hopwood, et al<\/em>\u00a0termed this psychological reaction as an \u201canticipatory traumatic reaction (ATR).\u201d[16]<\/a>\u00a0They argue that ATR\u2019s symptoms are similar to PTSD with one crucial difference; the victims of ATR are not always directly exposed to an adverse event. In comparison, people living with PTSD are involved in a past traumatic event.[17]<\/a>\u00a0In other words, the victims of ATR develop anxiety towards the future, whereas the people with PTSD are living in the past.<\/p>\n

[8] Anticipatory traumatic reaction affects children quality of life. They develop negative thinking and deal with higher anxiety and stress. Out of fear, children may avoid certain areas at certain times or avoid going outside at all to avoid gunfire.[18]<\/a>\u00a0Some become emotionally desensitized to violence, and this can lead to\u00a0 violent, anti-social behavior and decreased empathy.[19]<\/a>\u00a0Youth and children who are continually anticipating violent events or witnessing violenceto to end up carrying guns to protect themselves. But evidence shows that carrying a gun for protection increases risk to both suicide and homicide among children and adolescents.<\/p>\n

[9] Another example of anticipatory trauma connected\u00a0 to gun violence relates to police brutality and racial bias against black citizens and their communities. Armstrong and Carlson illustrate, black parents have with their children \u201cthe race talk,\u201d and white parents have \u201cthe gun violence talk.\u201d\u00a0 Black parents use the race talk to help their children to mitigate the risk of generating gun violence and exposing themselves to the risk of incarceration or death.[20]<\/a>\u00a0The race talk makes children anticipate trauma, but this talk is very important for black children\u2019s survival.\u00a0 Journalist Ron Thomas accuses black parents of a negligent act if they do not have the race talk with their children.[21]<\/a>\u00a0 The big difference between the race talk and the gun violence talk is that black parents describe police as the enemy, and explain their children\u2019s behavior might provoke police violence. Even the most innocent behavior may be understood as a threat or criminal. Unlike black parents, white parents present the police as friends of their children, and explain that their behavior is not the cause of violence but the behavior of the perpetrator.[22]<\/a><\/p>\n

Using Bible Study to Think About Trauma<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

[10] Study of trauma is not exclusive for sociologists, doctors and therapists. Biblical scholars and pastors have benefited from trauma studies and used it in their ministry. Biblical trauma hermeneutic has emerged in conversation with diverse discipline such as psychology, physiology, sociology, and comparative literature. Trauma hermeneutic connects the traumatic experience with historical events and uses biblical texts to explore the impact of trauma on individuals and communities.[23]<\/a>\u00a0Primarily, the biblical hermeneutic of trauma \u201cis attuned to the fact that language can encode and respond to traumatic experience in ways that correspond\u00a0 to the effects of trauma as well as to mechanism of survival, recovery, and resilience.\u201d[24]<\/a><\/p>\n

The Context of Isaiah Chapter 11<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

[11] The major traumatic experiences that influenced the writing of the Old Testament were\u00a0the crisis of the\u00a0Syro-Ephraimite War in 735-732 BCE (2 Kings 16; Isaiah 7-8), the exile by the Assyrians in 701 BCE (2 Kings 15), Babylonian exile in\u00a0587 BCE.\u00a0(2 Kings 25;\u00a0Jeremiah 39\u20134; and Lamentations),\u00a0and the persecution of Jews during the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167\u2013164 BCE. These were the major communal disasters that shaped the Israelites identity and history. \u00a0Assyrian and Babylonian military invasion of Judah and Israel had terrorized people.\u00a0 \u201cSieges could be prolonged, causing starvation and prompting the consumption of human waste and cannibalism, including the eating of one\u2019s children (2 Kings 18:27; Lamentations 4:10).\u201d[25]<\/a>\u00a0There are stories of killing children and the elderly, horrifying accounts of rape and the ripping open of pregnant women\u2019s wombs. These accounts in\u00a0Scripture\u00a0have\u00a0drawn biblical scholars to trauma theory to understand these stories. In this context, Isaiah 11 is one text that can be read as an account by a person trying to construct their trauma to find meaning for their survival and resilience.<\/p>\n

[12] Israelite children grew up in an environment that would cause anticipatory trauma. Military threats and raids were expected at any moment. Israelite children were afraid to be separated from their parents, and so they were hypervigilant. The children in antiquity experienced violence at the hands of adults. They were victims of slavery when their parents failed to pay off their debts or when their enemies deliberately took them as captives and turned them to slaves. Assyrian military conquest involved massive deportation and resettling of the conquered population on different lands causing massive trauma for individuals and the collective group. Children lived in constant fear. Their lives were sadly similar to the lives of some children in the United States.<\/p>\n

[13] In the book of Isaiah, the first ten chapters tell of constant danger that has disrupted not only the well-being of the individual but the fabric of the entire community. The Assyrian Empire threatened the existence of the small state Judah and controlled their destiny. The Israelites were afraid of the Assyrian imperialism and suffered at the hands of the Assyrians\u2019 corrupted leaders. Yet,\u00a0the prophet Isaiah also accuses the kingdoms of Judah and Israel of exploiting the poor, having a corrupt political system, and\u00a0maintaining \u00a0an\u00a0unjust economic system (1:21-26). The rich were getting richer, and the poor were getting poorer (3:13-4:1). The corruption of the political leaders and socio-economic inequality evoke God\u2019s anger. The angry voice in Isaiah\u2019s text here represents a voice of protest of the trauma caused by the politics of the governing elite in Jerusalem. Isaiah prophesies a divine judgment against these two kingdoms.<\/p>\n

[14] Isaiah 6:1-9:6 provides historical information about the\u00a0Syro-Ephraimite War, and \u201calso adds to the understanding of the traumatic climate as a precursor and indicator of traumatic events.\u201d[26]<\/a>\u00a0It also provides a picture of Judaeans’ life in the pre-exilic period. In the eighth century BCE, the Neo-Assyrian Empire was a superpower under the leadership of Tiglath-Pileser III, and its dominion reached Syria, Israel, and Judah. These states became vassal-states to the Assyrian Empire and were obligated to pay tributes. Tiglath-Pileser III required more taxes from these states.\u00a0Pekah, king of Israel (often called Ephraim, the main tribe in Israel), and\u00a0Rezin, king of Aram-Damascus, formed a coalition against Assyria. They coerced King Ahaz of Judah to join them, but he refused. King Ahaz asked Tiglath-Pileser III to help him to maintain Judah\u2019s independence of action. As a result, King\u00a0Pekah\u00a0and\u00a0Rezin\u00a0put Jerusalem under siege (1 Kings 15-16).<\/p>\n

[15] The prophet Isaiah in Chapter 7 gives more detailed information about the\u00a0Syro-Ephraimite War and narrates his encounter with King Ahaz. Isaiah asks King Ahaz not to worry because the coalition and invasion will be unsuccessful. God will not let this happen. Isaiah assures him of God\u2019s salvation, and he encourages Ahaz to ask God for a sign. Ahaz refuses to ask for a sign not because he does not want to test God, but because he trusts only in Tiglath-Pileser III to rescue him. To explain, the anticipatory trauma has resulted in a feeling of hopelessness\u00a0and fear that war and deportation were imminent. The constant anticipation of and exposure to war influenced the Israelites lives, so they\u00a0were \u00a0hypervigilant. They had lost trust in God.\u00a0 To respond to traumatized Ahaz and to give him hope, Isaiah\u00a0announces to him that God will give a sign, \u201cImmanuel,\u201d God is with us (Isaiah 7:14-16).\u00a0The name carries a metaphorical meaning of hope and salvation.<\/p>\n

[16]\u00a0God is with Judah, but before Judah experiences the saving act of God, God will punish Judah for its social and economic injustices.[27]<\/a>\u00a0Later in the next chapter, Isaiah mentions another child,\u00a0Maher-shalal-hash-baz,\u00a0<\/em>\u201churry to the spoils\u201d to assure Ahaz that God will direct Assyria to plunder Syria and Ephraim. Rather than fearing the political powers and military threats, Ahaz should fear God (8:11-15). Isaiah envisions an ideal future where the two kingdoms are reunited under a glorious ruler from the Davidic dynasty (8:23-9:6). Isaiah also envisions God punishing Assyria for its evil and aggressive behavior. All people will rejoice in their liberty from Assyrian tyranny (Isaiah 9). Isaiah describes their joy as moving from darkness to light. The images of punishment and joy aims to give hope to the traumatized people and help them to find meaning for their suffering.<\/p>\n

[17] But Isaiah repeats that God will also punish Israel for creating an unjust economic system that steals from the defenseless and needy (9:7-10).[28]<\/a>\u00a0The militarist Assyria will be the means of God punishing Israel and Judah, and eventually, Assyria will experience a great defeat (Isaiah 10). At the end of chapter 10:33-34, Isaiah gives hope to his traumatized community by assuring them that God\u2019s judgment and rejection of Israel is not permanent. The remnant of Israel will be reunited with the remnant of Judah, and they will exercise dominion on the surrounding nations. These last two verses function as a bridge to Chapter 11, where Isaiah shifts away from the reality of political and military threats to an idealistic vision of the future.<\/p>\n

The Vision of Peace: The Righteous Reign of the Messiah<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

[18] Too many people have\u00a0the wrong assumption that the entire Old Testament is a violent book. Indeed, the best images and visions of peace are in the Old Testament not the New Testament (Eg.\u00a0Psalm 23; 31; Ezekiel 37:25; Isaiah 8:23-9:1 (9:1-2); 9:6,7;\u00a032: 16-17;\u00a0Jeremiah 31; Amos 9:11-15; Micah 7:14-20). It seems that the Old Testament has two traditions: one is promoting war in the name of God and the other is promoting peace. Those who were traumatized by war and understood its impact on people, particularly children; they envisioned a righteous and just Messiah who would bring peace.<\/p>\n

[19] The spectacular vision in the book of Isaiah 11 sounds like a fairytale. Isaiah describes an unprecedented and glorious ruler who is full of divine wisdom, rules people with righteousness, and protects the poor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/b>The vision of Isaiah Chapter 11:1-10 is related to the crisis of the\u00a0Syro-Ephraimite War. Verses 11-16 are associated with the post-exilic period because they describe the restoration of the deportees to their homeland.[29]<\/a>\u00a0Isaiah 11 can be read as an expression of anti-war sentiments even as it certainly comes from a tradition that announces punishment of Assyria and restoration of Davidic monarch.[30]<\/a><\/p>\n

[20]\u00a0<\/strong><\/b>Chapter 11 is an example of a vision of peace. This vision attests that God rejects violence and wants people to live in harmony with one another and creation. Amid darkness and fear of Assyrian\u00a0threat, God, through the prophet Isaiah, gives a word of assurance to the remnant of Judah, who will survive the judgment by trusting in God\u2019s saving power. Isaiah describes a \u201cmessianic\u201d vision and a promise devastated by war. The word “messiah” is not mentioned in the text, but the vision speaks of a new David, not just another king from David\u2019s line,\u00a0[31]<\/a>\u00a0who will meet God\u2019s criteria of a righteous King in a way King Ahaz does not.[32]<\/a>\u00a0The messiah is the\u00a0beacon of hope for traumatized Israelites.\u00a0Ahaz failed to be a just and righteous King, but the future king will execute justice to the poor and the humble. Shawn Zelig Aster explains that \u201cthe expressions of the \u2018belt of the hips\u2019 and the \u2018belt of the loins\u2019 (verse 5)\u00a0refer to locations in which battle equipment was kept so that girding the hips or the loins is often a reference to preparing for conflict. Yet here, the metaphoric imagery describes righteousness, rather than weaponry, in this location.\u201d[33]<\/a>\u00a0God\u2019s problem with the kings of Judah and Israel is a lack of comprehension about their responsibility for the dire situation the citizens are facing. Justice and righteousness are essential to the stability of the two kingdoms and healing traumatized people.<\/p>\n

The Edenic Elements of the Messiah\u2019s Realm<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

[21] Isaiah takes his audience back in time to the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve committed their first sin and the world fell under the curse. The world of Isaiah was chaotic, and he reversed the order. The creation is transformed and renewed. Isaiah talks about reconciliation between animals: prey and predators (v. 6.) The peace is secured so that a child can control the wild animals.[34]<\/a>\u00a0This transformed and peaceful nature of animals point to Genesis 1:29-30. Isaiah’s vision illustrates the removal of the curse and the enmity between woman and serpent (v. 8). The holy mountain, Zion, is the new Eden. Children will be safe on this mountain as Adam and Eve were safe in the garden of Eden. Isaiah 11 sensitively merges the imagery of children, and by doing so, intentionally identifies the source of a critical trauma of Israelites parents losing their children. What is clear is that they wish for a righteous king and a safe environment for their children.<\/p>\n

[22] Isaiah ends his vision talking about the remnant of Israel and Judah, who will be reunited. The conflict and animosity between them will end and they will work together to exercise dominion and control over their enemies (vv.10-14). God will destroy the enemy (v. 15) and will also prepare a highway from Assyria (v.16) to bring the remnant of Israel and Judah back to their home. This is similar to Isaiah comparing this saving act of God with the act of deliverance from slavery in Egypt and leading one united Israel to the Promised Land.<\/p>\n

Post-traumatic Growth<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

[23] Isaiah 11 is an excellent example of Judah\u2019s post-traumatic growth. Psychologists like Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun explain post-traumatic growth (PTG) as a positive psychological change resulting from a struggle with a traumatic experience.[35]<\/a>\u00a0This positive change takes from days to years and produces positive thinking and attitudes after the realization that the victims cannot return to the time before the trauma.[36]<\/a>\u00a0Tedeschi and Calhoun assert that change is transformative. The positive change occurs on the cognitive, emotional, and social-behavioral lives of the survivors.[37]<\/a>\u00a0In other words, survivors create meaning amid trauma. In sum, \u201cPTG occurs as a result of a struggle with the aftermath of a major life crisis. The struggle that leads to PTG is not usually at first a struggle to grow or change, but rather to survive or cope.\u201d[38]<\/a>\u00a0Even though Tedeschi and Calhoun argue that PTG happens in the aftermath of trauma, I believe that growth can happen to the survivors of an anticipatory trauma, too. Survivors of anticipatory gun violence trauma can grow and thrive amid their fear of gunfire, if they find help.<\/p>\n

[24] Tedeschi and Calhoun also argue that the growth might occur without intervention. However, growth can be led by specific interventions.[39]<\/a>\u00a0One of these interventions is religion. Faith facilitates growth among survivors, even with children and adolescents.<\/p>\n

\u201cReligion acts as a trigger for PTG. One key element that provides the foundation for PTG is a challenge to one\u2019s fundamental core beliefs. Religious beliefs can be one such core belief framework. A highly stressful event, especially an unexpected one, may shatter or shake one\u2019s religious beliefs. Serious challenge to one\u2019s central religious beliefs may lead to emotional distress, which in turn activates the cognitive processing that may foster PTG.[40]<\/a><\/p>\n

The Old Testament is a product of traumatized Jewish scholars who survived Assyrian and Babylonian oppression and exile and used their faith to confront their trauma and to foster post-traumatic growth. The image of a safe environment for children in Isaiah 11 is a result of attempting to make sense of the traumatic events of the\u00a0Syro-Ephraimite War and the Assyrian invasion of Israel and Judah. Isaiah encourages his traumatized community to dare to hope and he turns their\u00a0hopeless situation around.\u00a0The messianic vision of peace invites parents to imagine a scenario in which their children enjoy life without fearing Assyrian weapons of war. From the perspective of Isaiah, the failure of total destruction of Judah means survival. Isaiah dares to confront the traumatic event of the\u00a0Syro-Ephraimite War and encourages his community to do so. Isaiah understands that his community is yearning for a better world to grow after trauma. He enhances his community resilience by inviting them to imagine a peaceful kingdom out of the traumatic devastation. By doing so, Isaiah restores his community resilience and identity and puts them on a healing path without forgetting the cause of suffering.<\/p>\n

[25] Survival and resilience are a painful process. They do not happen quickly and easily. Isaiah\u2019s community worked together to survive and heal. Likewise, a community that lives in an anticipatory trauma environment needs each other to survive.\u00a0When individuals and community are facing trauma such as war or gun violence, anxiety or depression, the values of community working together becomes a candle of hope and a tool to cope with the attack of trauma.<\/p>\n

The Role of the Church in Post-traumatic Growth<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

[26] Religion creates an environment to help survivors to find the meaning of their suffering, providing coping strategies, and above all, spiritual and social support.[41]<\/a>\u00a0The church focuses on God giving hope to the survivors. Those who have experienced traumatic events or are dealing with anticipatory trauma endorse a set of negative core self-beliefs. The first question that comes to the survivors\u2019 mind is why God allowed this to happen. The second question may well be to wonder where God is. The survivors of gun violence may believe that God declined to protect them or that God put them in a traumatic situation because they were unworthy of God\u2019s love and protection. God placed them in a dangerous neighborhood, where gun violence is the norm. The Israelites faced the same problem. They faced a spiritual crisis and believed that God punished them for their sins by allowing the Assyrians to attack them and deport them.\u00a0Today this crisis is exacerbated by political rhetoric that suggests victims, communities, and neighborhoods are themselves criminal or dangerous and by security training that suggests that proper behavior can prevent one\u2019s own victimization.<\/p>\n

[27] To create the meaning of their trauma, Isaiah 11 corrects the Israelites\u2019 cognitive self-belief errors and reconciles them with God. The role of religion is to shift the negative effect of trauma as a cause for feeling unworthy of God\u2019s love and protection to a message of love and value in God\u2019s estimation. The church provides spiritual counseling to traumatized children and adolescents by focusing on their feelings and helping them to look to God for strength and support.<\/p>\n

[28] In Christianity, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the most traumatic event. Christian theologians use the story of the crucifixion to speak to the victims of trauma. They identify Jesus with all survivors. Because Jesus was able to transform his pain and suffering to greater growth, survivors of the trauma can do the same. Jesus Christ is the central point to help survivors to experience PTG. Christians who hold on their faith are more likely to experience PTG.[42]<\/a>\u00a0The use of confession, prayer, meditations on Scripture, and worship help the survivors to foster PTG.\u00a0\u00a0This growth does not deny the existence of violence and death but preaches hope of resurrection from death.<\/p>\n

[29] And yet, while spiritual counseling can contribute significantly to\u00a0PTG,\u00a0 it\u00a0does not tackle the roots of gun violence. Children receive spiritual and social support from the church, but many of them are living in the context of violence. They do not have the means to move to a safer neighborhood and school. The church needs to do more than spiritual counseling to foster change and a new reality for children.<\/p>\n

[30] The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) tackles the roots of gun violence by providing resources to change and confront the culture of gun violence. The ELCA engages with communities to create awareness of the effect of gun violence on our children and adolescents. In 2019, the ELCA launched a resource \u201cA 60-day Journey towards Justice in a Culture of Gun Violence.\u201d[43]<\/a>\u00a0It provides church teaching, prayer, and advocacy to encourage readers to face the painful truth of gun violence and to work to prevent it. The 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted a resolution to establish June 17 as the \u201cEmanuel 9 Day of Repentance,\u201d commemorating the death of nine victims of gun violence\u00a0at Mother\u00a0Emanuel<\/em>\u00a0African Methodist Episcopal on June 17, 2015, in Charleston, South Carolina.\u00a0 The 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted a gun violence prevention social policy resolution concerning legislation on background checks and gun violence. The resolution does not reject gun ownership, or the recreational activities associated with guns as morally wrong. In 1994, the ELCA issued a social statement on community violence, calling for advocacy to end the cycle of violence in the United States of America. \u201cFrom 2013 to 2019, at least eight public messages from the Presiding Bishop have responded to gun attacks on police and mass shootings at synagogues, mosques, churches, nightclubs, and schools.\u201d[44]<\/a><\/p>\n

[31] The ELCA has spoken out in different ways through social statements, teaching, social-policy resolutions, and advocacy.\u00a0<\/em>The ELCA national advocacy office in Washington, D.C. and public policy offices in various states work for change in public policy based on the Lutheran faith and Scripture. They work through political channels to reform gun laws and to advocate to build relationships with legislators to issue just laws that reflect our faith values. The ELCA works with ecumenical, inter-religious partners, and organizations that share the ELCA\u2019s goals to help legislators to focus on protecting our children instead of protecting weak gun laws.<\/p>\n

This Essay Leads to the Following Conclusions:<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

[32] First, children traumatized by gun violence are not necessarily exposed to a specific traumatic event. Children and adolescents living in gun violence environments are suffering from secondary trauma that is anticipatory trauma. They are living in fear of a possible traumatic event. The symptoms of a traumatic event are similar to the symptoms of anticipatory trauma. Both kinds of trauma create PTSD-like symptoms. Children and adolescents experiencing anticipatory trauma need health care and social support equal to their peers exposed to an actual traumatic event of gun violence. Anticipatory trauma and stress have long-term health complications for children and adolescents if they are left untreated.<\/p>\n

[33] Second, religion plays a crucial role in preventing the long-term effects of anticipatory trauma. Religion can foster post-traumatic growth and put traumatized children on the healing path. It also nurtures their faith and restores confidence in themselves and God\u2019s love. Prayer and meditation on Scripture calm the anxious mind. Isaiah 11:1-9 helped traumatized Israelites to trust in God\u2019s presence in their life and the life of their traumatized children. Isaiah 11 assisted the Israelites in experiencing post-traumatic growth and finding meaning for their future.<\/p>\n

[34] Third, the role of the church\u2014clergy, lay leaders and congregants\u2014is more effective when the church tackles the roots of gun violence by working with legislators to create laws to protect children, not guns. The ELCA continually urges congregations to advocate at the local and national level for laws that prevent or reduce gun violence. The ELCA provides educational resources to create awareness of gun violence and make it available. The advocacy work of the ELCA is instrumental in uprooting the problem of gun violence and laying the groundwork for safer communities.<\/p>\n

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BIBLIOGRAPHY<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

Armstrong, Madison, and Jennifer Carlson. \u201cSpeaking of Trauma: The Race Talk, The Gun Violence Talk, And\u00a0The\u00a0Racialization Of Gun Trauma.\u201d\u00a0Palgrave Communications<\/em>\u00a05, no. 1 (November).\u00a0http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1057\/s41599-019-0320-z<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Aster, Shawn Zelig.\u00a0Reflections of Empire in Isaiah 1-39: Responses to Assyrian Ideology<\/em>. Atlanta: society of biblical Literature, 2017.<\/p>\n

Boase, Elizabeth, and Christopher G. Frechette, eds. \u201cDefining \u201cTrauma\u201d as a Useful Lens for Biblical Interpretation.\u201d In\u00a0Bible through the Lens of Trauma<\/em>. Vol. 86. Semeia Studies, 13. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2017.<\/p>\n

Carr, David M.\u00a0Holy Resilience: The Bible\u2019s Traumatic Origins<\/em>. New Haven: Yale University press, 2014).<\/p>\n

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). \u201cFatal and Non-Fatal Injury Reports.\u201d\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/em>. Accessed August 7, 2020.\u00a0https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/injury\/wisqars.<\/a><\/p>\n

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). \u201cFatal Injury Reports.\u201d\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/em>. Accessed August 7, 2020.\u00a0https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/injury\/wisqars.<\/a><\/p>\n

Cook, Philip J., and Jens Ludwig. \u201cThe Costs of Gun Violence against Children.\u201d In Children, Youth, and Gun\u00a0 Violence<\/em>. Vol. 12. The Future of Children, 86-99. Princeton: Princeton University, 2002.<\/p>\n

Esterhuizen, Elizabeth. \u201cA Study of the Tension between Despair and Hope in Isaiah 7 and 8 from a Perspective of Trauma and Posttraumatic Growth.\u201d PhD diss., University of South Africa, 2016.<\/p>\n

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. \u201cA Sustained Journey How the ELCA Has Addressed the Issue of Gun Violence.\u201d Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Accessed July 31,2020.<\/p>\n

Frechette, Christopher G. \u201cThe Old Testament as Controlled Substance: How Insights from Trauma Studies Reveal Healing Capacities in Potentially Harmful Texts.\u201d\u00a0A Journal of Bible and Theology<\/em>\u00a069, no. 1 (2015): 20-34. file:\/\/\/C:\/Users\/Niveen\/Downloads\/The_Old_Testament_as_Controlled_Substan.pdf.<\/p>\n

Goldingay, John. The Theology of the Book of Isaiah<\/em>. Downers Grove:\u00a0IVP Academic, 2014.<\/p>\n

Herman, Judith Lewis. Trauma and Recovery<\/em>. Rev. ed. New York:\u00a0BasicBooks, 1997.<\/p>\n

Hopwood, Tanya L., Nicola S. Schutte, and Natasha M.\u00a0Loi. “Anticipatory Traumatic Reaction: Outcomes Arising\u00a0From\u00a0Secondary Exposure to Disasters and Large-Scale Threats.” Assessment 26.8 (2019): 1427-1443.https:\/\/download.elca.org\/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository\/60DaysGunViolence_Summary_Overview.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kalesan, Bindu, Janice Weinberg, and Sandro Galea. \u201cGun Violence in Americans\u2019 Social Network During Their Lifetime.\u201d\u00a0Preventive Medicine<\/em>\u00a093 (2016): 53-56.<\/p>\n

Motyer, J. Alec.\u00a0The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary<\/em>.\u00a0Downers Grove:\u00a0InterVarsity Press, 2015.<\/p>\n

Mrug, Sylvie, Anjana Madan, and Michael Windle. \u201cEmotional Desensitization to Violence Contributes to Adolescents\u2019 Violent Behavior.\u201d\u00a0Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology<\/em>\u00a044, no. 1 (February): 75-86.\u00a0http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1007\/s10802-015-9986-x<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Strawn, Brent A. \u201cTrauma,\u00a0Psalmic\u00a0Disclosure, and Authentic Happiness,\u201d in \u201cSemeia Studies.\u201d Special issue,\u00a0Bible through the lens of trauma<\/em>\u00a0(Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature Press, 2016): 143-60.<\/p>\n

Sweeney, Marvin A.\u00a0Reading Prophetic Books: Form, Intertextuality, and Reception in Prophetic and Post-Biblical Literature<\/em>.\u00a0Forschungen\u00a0Zum\u00a0Alten\u00a0Testament 89. Heidelberg: Mohr\u00a0Siebeck, 2013.<\/p>\n

Tedeschi, Richard G., Jane Shakespeare-Finch, Kanako\u00a0Taku, and Lawrence G. Calhoun.\u00a0Posttraumatic Growth Theory, Research, and Applications<\/em>. New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis, 2018. Kindle.<\/p>\n

Thomas, Ron. \u201cThe Talk\u2019 Has a Double Meaning for Black People.\u201d\u00a0Huffpost. September 23, 2013.\u00a0https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/the-talk-has-a-double-mea_b_3645809?guccounter=1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation. \u201cUniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Supplementary Homicide Reports, United States, 2016 (Icpsr\u00a037064).\u201d\u00a0Institute for Social Research University\u00a0Of\u00a0Michigan.\u00a0<\/em>June 28, 2018.\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3886\/ICPSR37064.v1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Zimmerman, Marc A., Rebecca Cunningham, and Patrick Carter. \u201cCommentary: The Facts On\u00a0\u00a0 the Us Children and Teens Killed by Firearms.\u201d The University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. August 6, 2019.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a>\u00a0Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig, \u201cThe Costs of Gun Violence against Children,\u201d in\u00a0Children, Youth, and Gun Violence<\/em>, The Future of Children (Princeton: Princeton University, 2002), 12:89.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a>\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), \u201cFatal and Non-Fatal Injury Reports,\u201d\u00a0accessed August 7, 2020,\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/injury\/wisqars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a>\u00a0Bindu Kalesan, Janice Weinberg, and Sandro Galea, \u201cGun Violence in Americans\u2019 Social Network During Their Lifetime,\u201d\u00a0Preventive Medicine<\/em>\u00a093 (2016): 53\u201356.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a>\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), \u201cFatal Injury Reports,\u201d accessed August 7, 2020,\u00a0https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/injury\/wisqars<\/a>. Figures represent an average of the five years of most recently available data: 2013 to 2017.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), \u201cNonfatal Injury Reports,\u201d accessed August 7, 2020,\u00a0https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/injury\/wisqars<\/a>. . Figures represent an average of the five years of most recently available data: 2013 to 2017.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a>\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), \u201cFatal Injury Reports,\u201d accessed August 7, 2020,\u00a0https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/injury\/wisqars<\/a>. Calculations include children ages 0\u201317 and were based on the most recently available data: 2013 to 2017.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a>\u00a0Sylvie Mrug, Anjana Madan, and Michael Windle, \u201cEmotional Desensitization to Violence Contributes to Adolescents\u2019 Violent Behavior,\u201d\u00a0Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology<\/em>\u00a044, no. 1 (February 2017): 75,\u00a0http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1007\/s10802-015-9986-x<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a>\u00a0United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation, \u201cUniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Supplementary Homicide Reports, United States, 2016 (Icpsr 37064),\u201d\u00a0Institute for Social Research University Of Michigan<\/em>, June 28, 2018,\u00a0https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3886\/ICPSR37064.v1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After car crashes, gun violence is the second-leading cause of death among children.\u00a0 Among people of color, black people had the highest rate of death by firearm.\u00a0 For more information read\u00a0Marc A. Zimmerman, Rebecca Cunningham, and Patrick Carter, \u201cCommentary: The Facts On the Us Children and Teens Killed by Firearms,\u201d The University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, August 6, 2019,\u00a0https:\/\/ihpi.umich.edu\/news\/commentary-facts-us-children-and-teens-killed-firearms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a>\u00a0Brent A. Strawn, \u201cTrauma, Psalmic Disclosure, and Authentic Happiness,\u201d in Semeia Studies, special issue,\u00a0Bible through the lens of trauma<\/em>\u00a0(Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature Press, 2016): 144.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a>\u00a0David M. Carr,\u00a0Holy Resilience: the Bible\u2019s Traumatic Origins<\/em>\u00a0(New Haven: Yale University press, 2014), 7.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a>\u00a0Judith Lewis Herman,\u00a0Trauma and Recovery,\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0rev.ed. (New York: BasicBooks, 1997), 133.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a>\u00a0Ibid., 51.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a>\u00a0Tanya L. Hopwood, Nicola S. Schutte, and Natasha M. Loi. “Anticipatory Traumatic Reaction: Outcomes Arising From Secondary Exposure to Disasters and Large-Scale Threats.”\u00a0Assessment<\/em>\u00a026.8 (2019): 1427.<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a>\u00a0Madison Armstrong and Jennifer Carlson, \u201cSpeaking Of Trauma: The Race Talk, The Gun Violence Talk, And The Racialization Of Gun Trauma,\u201d\u00a0Palgrave Communications<\/em>\u00a05, no. 1 (November),4, \u00a0http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1057\/s41599-019-0320-z<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Madison Armstrong and Jennifer Carlson define anticipatory trauma as \u201ca mechanism by which certain acts of gun violence are defined as \u2018really\u2019 about certain social problems (e.g., race or gun violence) and not others; it is a method by which the experiences of gun violence become hypervisible versus invisible; and finally it is a mechanism by which policies are rallied and policies drafted.\u201d see\u00a0Armstrong and Carlson, 3.<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a>Black and white parents teach their children to hide under beds or in bathtubs at the sound of gunfire. At night, children need to put their mattresses on the floor because the bullets would come through windows. In this hostile environment, children grow up with a high level of anxiety about their future, afraid to play outside, and fearful of gun violence at school and their communities.\u00a0 see\u00a0Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig, \u201cThe Costs of Gun Violence against Children,\u201d 12:91.<\/p>\n

[16]<\/a>\u00a0Tanya L. Hopwood, et al, “Anticipatory Traumatic Reaction,\u201d1428.<\/p>\n

[17]<\/a>Ibid., 1428-29.<\/p>\n

[18]<\/a>\u00a0Traumatized children feel like prisoners in their homes and neighborhood. In low-income areas, families tend to leave to live in a safer community and school which comes “at the cost of economizing on space, enduring a long commute, and losing easy access to the cultural amenities of the central city.” See\u00a0Philip J. Cook and Jens Ludwig, \u201cThe Costs of Gun Violence against Children,\u201d 91.<\/p>\n

[19]<\/a>\u00a0Sylvie Mrug, et al, \u201cEmotional Desensitization to Violence Contributes to Adolescents\u2019 Violent Behavior,\u201d\u00a075.<\/p>\n

[21]<\/a>\u00a0Ron Thomas, \u201cThe Talk\u2019 Has a Double Meaning for Black People,\u201d Huffpost, September 23, 2013,\u00a0https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/the-talk-has-a-double-mea_b_3645809?guccounter=1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[22]<\/a>\u00a0See Madison Armstrong and Jennifer Carlson, \u201cSpeaking of Trauma,\u201d6-10.<\/p>\n

[23]<\/a>\u00a0Elizabeth Boase and Christopher G. Frechette, eds., \u201cDefining \u201cTrauma\u201d as a Useful Lens for Biblical Interpretation,\u201d in\u00a0Bible through the Lens of Trauma<\/em>, Semeia Studies (Atlanta: SBL Press, 2017), 86:13.<\/p>\n

[24]<\/a>\u00a0Ibid., 13.<\/p>\n

[25]<\/a>\u00a0Christopher G. Frechette, \u201cThe Old Testament as Controlled Substance: How Insights from Trauma Studies Reveal Healing Capacities in Potentially Harmful Texts,\u201d\u00a0A Journal of Bible and Theology<\/em>\u00a069, no. 1 (2015): 27, file:\/\/\/C:\/Users\/Niveen\/Downloads\/The_Old_Testament_as_Controlled_Substan.pdf.<\/p>\n

[26]<\/a>\u00a0Elizabeth Esterhuizen, \u201cA Study of the Tension between Despair and Hope in Isaiah 7 and 8 from a Perspective of Trauma and Posttraumatic Growth\u201d (PhD diss., University of South Africa, 2016), 75.<\/p>\n

[27]<\/a>\u00a0John Goldingay,\u00a0The Theology of the Book of Isaiah<\/em>\u00a0(Downers Grove:\u00a0IVP Academic, 2014), 16.<\/p>\n

[28]<\/a>\u00a0 Ibid.,\u00a018.<\/p>\n

[29]<\/a>\u00a0Marvin A. Sweeney,\u00a0Reading Prophetic Books: Form, Intertextuality, and Reception in Prophetic and Post-Biblical Literature<\/em>, Forschungen Zum Alten Testament 89 (Heidelberg: Mohr Siebeck, 2013), 50.<\/p>\n

[30]<\/a>\u00a0Ibid., 53.<\/p>\n

[31]<\/a>\u00a0J. Alec Motyer,\u00a0\u00a0The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary<\/em>\u00a0(\u00a0Downers Grove:\u00a0InterVarsity Press, 2015), 121.<\/p>\n

[32]<\/a>\u00a0John Goldingay,\u00a0The Theology of the Book of Isaiah<\/em>, 20.<\/p>\n

[33]<\/a>\u00a0Shawn Zelig Aster,\u00a0Reflections of Empire in Isaiah 1-39: Responses to Assyrian Ideology<\/em>\u00a0(Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2017), 234.<\/p>\n

[34]<\/a>\u00a0J. Alec Motyer,\u00a0\u00a0The Prophecy of Isaiah,<\/em>\u00a0124.<\/p>\n

[35]<\/a>\u00a0Richard G. Tedeschi et al.,\u00a0Posttraumatic Growth Theory, Research, and Applications<\/em>\u00a0(New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis, 2018), 297, Kindle.<\/p>\n

[36]<\/a>\u00a0Ibid., 351. Kindle.<\/p>\n

[37]<\/a>\u00a0Ibid., 355-356. Kindle.<\/p>\n

[38]<\/a>\u00a0Ibid., 362-363. Kindle.<\/p>\n

[39]<\/a>\u00a0Ibid.,\u00a0<\/em>367. Kindle.<\/p>\n

[40]<\/a>\u00a0Ibid.,\u00a0<\/em>564-567. Kindle.<\/p>\n

[41]<\/a>\u00a0Ibid.,\u00a0<\/em>570. Kindle.<\/p>\n

[42]<\/a>\u00a0Ibid.,\u00a0<\/em>614. Kindle.<\/p>\n

<\/a>\u00a0[43] https:\/\/download.elca.org\/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository\/60DaysGunViolence_Summary_Overview.pdf<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[44]<\/a>\u00a0Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, \u201cA Sustained Journey How the ELCA Has Addressed the Issue of Gun Violence,\u201d\u00a0Evangelical Lutheran Church in America<\/em>, accessed July 31, 2020,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction [1]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Just as warfare was a cultural problem in ancient Israel, traumatizing children and adults, gun violence is a cultural problem in the United States.\u00a0The impact of gun violence on children and adolescents is not only burdensome but can also be disastrous.\u00a0Guns are not the only means to perpetrate harm but \u201cthe significance of gun […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,77],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-child-youth-family","category-violence"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Messianic Reign in Isaiah 11:1-10: A Message to Foster Children Post-Traumatic Growth - Journal of Lutheran Ethics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/learn.elca.org\/jle\/the-messianic-reign-in-isaiah-111-10-a-message-to-foster-children-post-traumatic-growth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Messianic Reign in Isaiah 11:1-10: A Message to Foster Children Post-Traumatic Growth - 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