Why so many problems begin with frustrated desire
Every day, headlines assault us with troubling news. These recent titles from a local news website are just a small sampling:
- Two Shotgunned to Death [source]
- Joyriding Gang Member Slain; Crash Injures Family [source]
- Local Soldier Dies in Afghanistan [source]
- School Gets Tough on Commencement Outbursts [source]
- Wife Gets $184 Million in Divorce Ruling [source]
From international to household warfare, roadway to classroom outrage, and mortal to financial loss, such stories reveal our fallen, human propensity to sin.
The cause of these impulsive, sinful outbursts is no secret: When we want what we cannot get, we lash out.
What causes fights and quarrels among
I've blogged on tragedy before:
-
Church shooting at Sash Assembly of God, Sash, Texas and a survivor's reaction ("God Protected Her")
- Katrina ("On Moral Levees," and "Nature, God, Blame and Shame")
- Former A/G youth pastor, Eric Brian Golden, who murdered his wife ("Youth pastor slays wife, confesses. Why, oh why?", with several updates)
- And 9/11, five years later ("September 11 and a Terrible Joy")
But since the massacre at Virginia Tech, I've been at a loss for words. I've wanted to try to research this to put it into perspective for myself and perhaps my readers — as if anyone could. But it's still too grisly and horrifying. I
An alert reader notified me that on Tuesday, October 17, Eric Brian Golden admitted to murdering his wife, DeeDee Marie Golden late one night 11 months ago, on November 17, 2005.
If you're new to this blog, I wrote about Brian Golden previously. He was an ordained Assemblies of God minister, serving as youth pastor at Southside A/G, in Savannah, Georgia. Here are the former posts:
I recently received this question in an email:
« Where does it say that we are not to torture others? No where in Scripture does it say "Thou shalt not torture." »
While it is true the proscription against torture can be nowhere found in the Book, we can also say that nowhere is doctrine of the Trinity explicitly spelled out. But this is an argument from silence, which says that because a text is silent on an issue, it has nothing to say to the issue.
But this argument from silence ignores the whole testimony of Scripture as to the expected character of the righteous man.
I would find it extremely ironic that the same God who instructs the righteous to care for animals would not expect us to extend similar care for prisoners (Proverbs 12:10, Deuteronomy 22:4, Exodus 23:5, Deuteronomy 25:4).
Previously:
On Wednesday, February 15, WSAV News reported that Eric Brian Golden, the 35–year-old Southside Assembly of God youth pastor who killed his wife, was formally indicted on several charges in Chatham County, Georgia (in Savannah). According to the Chatham County Courhouse website, the case was filed on the 15th, and the next event will be a conference hearing on April 20. Hon. Perry Brannen, Jr., is the judge, and Golden is being defended by attorney John P. Sugrue.
I don’t know what is typically accomplished at a conference hearing in Georgia criminal courts, but from what I’ve read about other kinds of conference hearings, it will probably provide an opportunity for the court to do some quick work and avoid a trial and also review and litigate possible appeal issues such as how the arrest and confession were handled, and so fort. Since Brian Golden has confessed, 
unless his confession is recanted or unless there is some critical need to spend taxpayer’s money for a court case, I suspect there may not be one. However, as you can see, Brian has an attorney now (and he didn’t when he made his initial confession), so, who knows?
This is an update to: Youth pastor slays wife, confesses. Why, oh why?
Note: On 12/15 I updated this post with a comment found off the Web, and some commentary.
Eric Brian Golden had his first day in court yesterday. Golden’s confession was read to the the court by Detective LaPrentice Mayes, and other testimony was apparently provided, including some of Golden’s statements to the police outside the transcript. (Remember, “anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”). Judge Lawrence Dillon is sending Golden to the grand jury, charged with murder.
New information paints a more troubling picture of the Golden family life. According to Brian Golden, marriage had already been “rocky” for two years—with the trouble apparently beginning after their move to Southside. There was drinking going on (Golden claims
I struggle whether to blog on tragic news events with real victims still suffering, and about which I can do nothing. I am not a journalist, the story is not local, and I don't want to prey off of others' sensational misfortune just to garner a minor increase in blog traffic. But, being a Pentecostal (Assemblies of God) blogger, I do feel that when something newsworthy happens in our niche of culture, it's worth at least knowing about if only for reflection and with a view toward "big picture" issues.
This should go without saying, but I will say it anyhow: please pray for the church and families involved in what I am about to describe. My commentary and reaction follow my summary.
Happily married couple...
![]() |
I just learned about an Assembly of God church shooting in Sash, Texas, not far from where I went to Bible college:
The suspected gunman, A.P. Crenshaw, walked into a North Texas church and opened fire, police said. Two people were killed, including church member Ernest Wesley Brown, 61, and pastor James Armstrong, 42. A third person inside the church was also shot.
Crenshaw, who is believed to be in his 50s, then allegedly shot and killed Holly Love Brown, 50, and her unnamed passenger before taking the woman's car, officials said.
Please pray for the family, loved ones, and church members of this little community. As of now, there are no answers about why this happened, and the gunman killed himself after a standoff with SWAT.
Update: More details here. It started with words exchanged in the parking lot. Crenshaw returned, killed the man he was arguing
