What Christians can do for Mark Becker: Forgive

By Jennifer Bioche

I am heading north on Council Street in Cedar Rapids on a typical weekday. Council is under construction and after Blairs Ferry, two lanes merge into one. On most days, drivers are courteous as we converge single file.

On this afternoon, however, I was impatient, and rather than yield to the truck on my right, I accelerated and cut him off to get into the single lane. I didn't want to be behind the large vehicle for visibility purposes, but my ego was mostly taking over as I wanted to “win.”

The truck drive laid on his horn. Three minutes later, his horn was still going full blast. It made for lousy driving, distracting me from the road, and scrambling for an explanation for my children. “Maybe his horn is stuck,” I offered.

Reaction to the trial of Mark Becker for the murder of Parkersburg community leader and football coach Ed Thomas has been a blaring horn that didn't let up. Experts took the stand, disagreeing on his mental state at the time of the shooting. His mother has described a troubled son with a history of mental instability. And the bloggers had a field day.

My question is: Can we forgive him?

Lent is here and for Christian Iowans, this means remembering Christ's death on the cross and resurrection. The message of our risen Lord is not that he returned from His Passion and “blared” at everybody. In fact, just the opposite. He spoke of forgiveness and salvation, and prepared his apostles to go out and preach the same.

Becker is a litmus test for true Christianity in Iowa. I'm not advocating he not be brought to justice. But focusing solely on the trial outcome (unknown at the time I wrote this) won't bring about true healing for our community.

Reconciliation, one of Easter's ultimate messages, can be a tall order, even for Christians. The loss of this precious coach's life was unthinkable. But real healing will come from embracing Becker and bringing him back to the community. This means visiting him in prison or in whatever facility he is sent - and perhaps some people already have - with the agenda of showing him the face of forgiveness. We have to be determined to rehabilitate him. We might not succeed, but in trying we do more for true healing than we would with a “throw away the key” mantra.

We can practice forgiveness in smaller ways. We can pardon that inconsiderate person on Council Street. We can overlook a tacky statement by a neighbor about our barking dog.

We have to teach forgiveness in the home and from the pulpit. That doesn't mean we don't feel loss and grief; we just refuse to be ruled by it.

Like many Iowans, I was watching for the jury's decision on Becker. But I don't delight in whatever punishment might be given, nor hope anyone else does. It's a loss all the way around. We haven't just lost a wonderful coach, we've lost a young man who could have done something great with his life.

Perhaps if we all rally around him, it's not too late.

Jennifer Bioche of Marion is a longtime freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous local and national publications. Contact her at jbioche@mchsi.com