As if Highland Park’s mass shooting wasn’t enough to be politicized, at least one activist media member felt it appropriate to bring attention to a man who tried to comfort the residents of the community following the tragedy. Problem? This man was a Christian who shared his faith with others, which can be a problem for some people.
USA Today media activist Sophie Carson posted a thread where she documented her coverage of Monday’s shooting at the Fourth of July parade. One of her tweets highlighted a Christian man from Indiana who came to the area to share the gospel with the residents. She posted a photo of the man who was carrying a cross. She wrote:
This man, who is not related to the victims, came here from Indiana with a cross to share his message of Christianity.
Highland Park has a large Jewish population. Some of the women I was speaking to were a little rattled by this.
This man, who is not related to the victims, came here from Indiana with a cross to share his message of Christianity.
Highland Park has a large Jewish population. Some of the women I was speaking to were a little rattled by this. pic.twitter.com/QwITzextZg
— Sophie Carson (@SCarson_News) July 5, 2022
Of course, the Tweet was deleted shortly after it was posted.
Notice how the alleged reporter didn’t quote any women who were “a bit rattled” by a Christian coming to share his faith. It doesn’t seem like most people were bothered at all by him. You can see that he is being interviewed by other journalists. At the time of writing, no reports suggest that he was disrupting in any way that could rattle anyone.
Yes, Highland Park is home to a large Jewish community. One-third of residents of Highland Park are Jewish. This means that it is likely that many Christians also live in the area. An old man preaching the gospel with a cross seems very insignificant considering what happened on Monday.
These questions raise some additional obvious issues. What if the man was a Muslim who shared his Islamic faith? What if the man were a Buddhist who offered comfort? Carson or any other activist media member would post this tweet?
No.
Carson doesn’t criticize him directly, but it is clear that her tweet was meant to make him look bad for sharing his faith. It doesn’t seem like his presence was a hindrance for those trying to understand what happened. What does it matter if you have the chance to meet Christians?
