Every time a school shooting rocks our nation, the same question resurfaces: Why? Politicians debate policies, experts analyze patterns, and communities grieve. But beneath all the noise, the truth is simpler and far more unsettling: we’ve created a culture that sets children up to fail, and for some, to destroy.
The Participation Trophy Generation
We tell kids they can’t fail. We hand out participation trophies, not because they earned them, but because we’re afraid of what disappointment might do to their self-esteem. We shield them with “safe spaces” instead of teaching them how to overcome adversity. We lie to make adults feel good, while harming the mental development of the children who grow up believing life owes them something.
And when life delivers its first “no”? They break.
The Absence of Christ and Discipline
Scripture says,
“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” — Proverbs 3:11–12
But in too many homes today, discipline is absent. Corporal punishment is labeled abuse. Correction is replaced with excuses. Christ is replaced with culture. Without God as the foundation, morality erodes, truth is subjective, and children grow into young adults who don’t know how to process pain, failure, or responsibility.
Excuses don’t solve problems. Complaints don’t bring peace. Trust in God does.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
The statistics back this up.
- In school shootings over the last 15 years, the median age of shooters is just 16. Nearly 70% of them are under 18. Almost all are male, and the majority accessed guns from home. Many reported being bullied or facing unaddressed trauma.
- In contrast, the average mass shooter in the U.S. overall is 34 years old, with most workplace shooters ranging from their 30s into their 50s.
- And yet, the deadliest shootings in recent years, from Parkland to Uvalde, have been carried out by individuals 21 or younger.
Why? Because kids who haven’t been taught how to handle rejection, hardship, or adversity fall apart when reality collides with the bubble they were raised in. Adults may crack later in life, but young people often erupt where it all began: the school system that shaped them.
The Cultural System Issue
This is bigger than guns. Bigger than politics. It’s a cultural system failure. One that begins in the home, festers in the schools, and tragically, for some, ends there.
We’ve traded resilience for comfort. Truth for self-gratification. Discipline for indulgence. Christ for culture. And now we are reaping the fruit of that exchange.
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33
Trouble is guaranteed. Pain is guaranteed. What isn’t guaranteed is the response. Children who are never taught to overcome adversity with faith, discipline, and perseverance will look for other outlets. For some, that becomes catastrophic.
The Answer
The solution isn’t found in another law, another policy, or another debate on Capitol Hill. It begins where the problem begins, in the home, in the heart, and in the way we raise the next generation.
- Parents must teach resilience. Failure isn’t the end of the world, it’s the classroom where strength is built. Stop padding every fall. Let your kids get back up on their own feet and discover that they can.
- Discipline must return. Love corrects. Love sets boundaries. Love says “no” when “yes” would destroy. Scripture reminds us: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” — Hebrews 12:11
- Christ must be the foundation. Without Him, kids are left to define truth for themselves in a culture that constantly shifts. With Him, they learn that identity, value, and purpose are unshakable, even when life hits hard.
This is not about producing perfect children. It’s about producing prepared ones. Adults who know how to face adversity, process failure, and keep moving forward without collapsing into violence or despair.
Until we return to raising children with truth, discipline, and Christ at the center, we’ll keep seeing the same bitter fruit. The change won’t start in Washington, it will start at the dinner table.
Troy P Zehnder 