Francisco Goya's 'The Third of May, 1808' has always intrigued me. I sensed even as a child the bleak hopelessness in this work, the seeming meaninglessness as slaughter unfolds beneath a black sky. There is no light in the sky, and there is no light at the church. As this macabre ritual unfolds, there is no intervention.

The church resides in the background; it is utterly disconnected form the horror that unfolds on her doorstep.

So Mr. Dobson, perhaps these horrors unfold because a benighted church has forgotten that to be the presence of Jesus Christ in the world is to live in the world as manifestations of God's kingdom. Perhaps Mr. Dobson, you have forgotten the incarnation of the Christ, the peace of God, and denied your baptism. You certainly show a curious way of celebrating Advent, Mr. Dobson, to see the Newtown shooting as God's response to gay marriage. How do you account for the slaughter of those Amish children in West Nickel Mines, Ohio?

Mr. Dobson, you have been complicit in the spirit of genocide which defines our society, shaping it in the interest of the wealthy and powerful. It is your abandonment of the peace and justice of God which sees our society languish. You have acquiesced your profession of Jesus Christ by refusing to be as God's presence. I have news for you, Mr. Dobson. God was present when that horror unfolded. God is a witness to all things. God is also witness to the darkness in which you are shrouded when you attempt to project your sins on others. That Christians reject entirely. Jesus Christ is the burden bearer. Go to him and repent. Then come to us and tell us what word you may have from Yahweh.