I have close friends, family members, and students whose lives have been unalterably shattered by this epidemic.  The conversation about gun violence is personal as my community represents ground zero of this issue nationally. As a result, I am increasingly angered and frustrated by the partisan and myopic rhetoric I hear surrounding solutions to this problem by our national leaders.

Private schools, specifically, those with a religious mission, have proven to be effective alternatives to a struggling public school system. In 2007 5,072,451 students attended the nation’s 33,740 private elementary and secondary schools. 74.5% of these were Caucasian, non-Hispanic, 9.8% were African American, and 9.6% were Hispanic.

This week I found myself involved in a spirited facebook debate on the impact of the Obama presidency. This debate, held among members of my church community, was filled with such acrimony that it became obvious why many churches avoid politics like the plague. Clearly, there were well-defined camps of both liberals and conservatives, and neither seemed willing to acquiesce an inch to the other side. I forgot for a moment I was witnessing a debate among people with the same Lord and faith.