The Institute (協会)

There is a special place in Hell with his name on it. I hope they send him to a high-security prison where even the most hardened criminals will look at him with disgust.

Before going to seminary I worked in correctional facilities for several years. I can honestly say that the lowest rung on the ladder of criminal offenders are sex offenders and particularly those who molest children. That's not my opinion but the opinion of those who are incarcerated. A headline I read about this case said "He Will Die Behind Bars." That's true. However, chances are slim that he will die a natural death. Rather it is highly likely that he will die at the hands of his fellow inmates. Remember Jeffery Dahmer?

Yet Devlin's fate is truly secondary. The abuse he inflicted on this young man has left him permanently scarred and damaged. Only the Gospel can heal those wounds. I pray that he and his family will be healed and that Christians in his community will reach out.

Devlin's behavior is shocking and there are several possible explanations. He might have been abused himself suffering at the hands of another perpetrator. His actions might be result of addiction to pornography and the need for more and more stimuli. He might have grown up in a less than perfect home and found an outlet for anger in abusing those weaker than himself. It could be a combination of these things or other factors too. My point is that such behavior just doesn't happen randomly -- a person gets to this point over a period of years.

In seminary I audited a class in family and marital counseling. One of the standard techniques that counselors use to map one's family history to show personalities and relationships. This information doesn't let anyone off the hook for their behavior but shows the person being counseled the 'relational environment' where they live and/or were raised. I bet that Devlin's upbringing had a lot to do with his behavior as an adult.

Again, I'm not blaming his environment for his sins. He is 100% guilty for what he did. My point is to raise the question for anyone who wants to do some serious research into criminal behavior. There are not enough people in this field who are bringing a biblical world and life view to bear on criminal behavior -- its roots, its causes, and how to treat it. Prison chaplains aren't equipped to deal with these things. Treatment directors who work in correctional facilities rarely operate from a biblical world and life view. There is a crying need for well-equipped and well educated Christians to work in this realm. Where are they?

Where is capital punishment? Why are we going to sustain this man's life after what he has done? This man should not be alive.

Dave's points are impressive! Man those are helpful thoughts.

I think it is so important to highlight what you do Dave, that while Devlin is utterly responsible, having committed all of these things himself, his community is implicated as well.

In some ways you are also saying that the awful but "normal" things Devlin was more than likely living and experiencing add up to this when followed to their end. Things like lust, anger and being the victim of an abusive relationship beget more and more of the same evil...and all in the name of either justice or personal desire.

The things Dave is saying are the responses Christians can be giving to a world that is helping to produce other "Devlin's" and doesn't know it because they simply want to demonize him. Which means as Christians we can't simply demonize someone like Devlin. To be certain we can point at it and say ,"Wrong", but ultimately haven't we as Christians experienced the sorts of things that Devlin was experiencing like lust, anger and being the victim and leaving a trail of victims? Wasn't the only difference between you and him the intervention of the grace of God as you lived your life?

We understand the problem and are right to point it out and condemn it but is that all we can do?

Here's my point: As Christians what has the Gospel offered us that in turn can be offered to people like Devlin and especially Shawn Hornbeck? Does it offer them anything? Does it only offer Shawn Hornbeck, the victim, something?

Is my thinking off base here? I don't say any og these things to piss anyone off I say them to create some helpful discussion.

What do Christians need to be saying and thinking about this sort of thing?

We should really stop and thank God for His wonderous and beautiful grace. The grace I am talking about is the grace he gives us that keeps up from becoming monsters just like Devlin. It's in us, guys. It's in every one of us. We all have the seeds of Manson and Hitler sitting deep in our depraved hearts. God, and God alone, keeps us from ALL being just like this. What wondrous love is this?

The good news for Devlin, and this is hard to believe, is that the blood of Christ is powerful enough to wash away even these sins. Devlin must pay for his crimes here on earth. He should probably be put to death, but everlasting torture in hell is not a foregone conclusion. He can repent, turn, and be made whole again through the work of Christ on the cross. Do you believe that? That is the power of the blood!! And can it be that I should gain....?!?!

Garrett,

Yes, I realized that I implicated Devlin's community too. At some level people just looked the other way at his behavior.

Here's the challenge for the Church: such people are out there right now 'incubating' in abusive homes, taking revenge on the weak, addicted to drugs or pornography, having no one strong enough to tell them 'No', etc. How might the church intervene? These same questions can be applied to our cities as well where the social breakdown is even more acute. Where is the Church? What can the Church do to intervene with youth who are at risk?

Random Guy,

Your point is ackowledged. We all have the seeds of Manson and Hitler within us. The question is what we are doing with those seeds. If we are watering and nurturing them, watch out! Devlin apparently took great care to make these things grow.

If I was the chaplain at Devlin's correctional facility there's no question that I would present the Gospel to him. Yes, the blood of Christ is powerful enough to wash away his sins. However, Devlin must see his deeds as needing to be cleansed and I'm not sure that there's any evidence of that thus far.

Dave said, "Here's the challenge for the Church: such people are out there right now 'incubating' in abusive homes, taking revenge on the weak, addicted to drugs or pornography, having no one strong enough to tell them 'No', etc. How might the church intervene? These same questions can be applied to our cities as well where the social breakdown is even more acute. Where is the Church? What can the Church do to intervene with youth who are at risk?"

Whew, bro, GREAT STUFF!!! Awesome. The church needs more thinkers like this!

Great point by Dave; recent events among those I love tell me that a great way to reach into those families is to simply care enough to listen to what people are saying. Someone will eventually tell you what's going on, and you'll get a chance to interact with either the perpetrators or victims.

Pray for me as my wife & I do exactly that with some extended family members. No details, but if y'all would pray, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for posting about this. I had not heard that this case was in the trial stage. I had heard rumors that he was sexually assaulted but nothing like this. This poor young man. I long for the new creation and the new earth when I hear of something like this.

Christ, have mercy. On both of them. And on us.

This is a good example how our mentally ill society can make someone a cruel "devil". Sometimes we can experiment what really lives in someone's deep inside. My oppinion is both of them are victims but in a different way.