COLUMBINE: THE TRENCH COAT MAFIA
by Jerry Vines
Scripture: ROMANS 1:19-32
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COLUMBINE: The Trench Coat Mafia
Romans 1:19-32
Jerry Vines
5/23/99
The culture war in America exploded into literal war on April 20th at Columbine
High School in Littleton, Colorado. A scene, which is now familiar, which took place in
the Library of that school, brought the war into sharp focus. On one side there was a girl
with a Bible. On the other side there was a boy with a gun. The girl was a member of a
group we call Christians. The boy was a member of a group that called themselves the
Trench Coat Mafia.
There have always been groups in schools. When I was in high school there were
basically two groups—the rich kids and the rest of us. I started another group while I was
in high school, by the way. I started a group known as the All-out, 100%, teetotally,
sold-out, on fire, Christian for the Lord Jesus Christ. As you moved along in high school
you will notice that groups and cliques have always been a part. In the early 60s you had
two groups—the fresh-scrubbed kids who were the preppies, and the leather-clad rebels
who were known as the hoods. Today there are so many groups in high school you can’t
name them all. That’s true in Colorado. That is true in Jacksonville.
There are the White Caps who are the athletes. The preppies and the gang-
bangers, the skaters and the nerds. Then there are those who are looked on as the
outcasts—the more extreme—the punkers, the ravers, the Gothes, and the Trench Coat
Mafia.
A lot of these extreme groups and cliques are really just a mass cry for attention.
Marilyn Manson said this. “I guess it’s just my way of getting the attention I’ve always
wanted.” Many young people are disturbed. They feel excluded. They feel rejected. I
don’t guess there’s anybody here today who has ever been in high school who has not felt
the sting of rejection or exclusion. By the way, here’s a chance for Christian young
people to have a real positive impact on their ...
Romans 1:19-32
Jerry Vines
5/23/99
The culture war in America exploded into literal war on April 20th at Columbine
High School in Littleton, Colorado. A scene, which is now familiar, which took place in
the Library of that school, brought the war into sharp focus. On one side there was a girl
with a Bible. On the other side there was a boy with a gun. The girl was a member of a
group we call Christians. The boy was a member of a group that called themselves the
Trench Coat Mafia.
There have always been groups in schools. When I was in high school there were
basically two groups—the rich kids and the rest of us. I started another group while I was
in high school, by the way. I started a group known as the All-out, 100%, teetotally,
sold-out, on fire, Christian for the Lord Jesus Christ. As you moved along in high school
you will notice that groups and cliques have always been a part. In the early 60s you had
two groups—the fresh-scrubbed kids who were the preppies, and the leather-clad rebels
who were known as the hoods. Today there are so many groups in high school you can’t
name them all. That’s true in Colorado. That is true in Jacksonville.
There are the White Caps who are the athletes. The preppies and the gang-
bangers, the skaters and the nerds. Then there are those who are looked on as the
outcasts—the more extreme—the punkers, the ravers, the Gothes, and the Trench Coat
Mafia.
A lot of these extreme groups and cliques are really just a mass cry for attention.
Marilyn Manson said this. “I guess it’s just my way of getting the attention I’ve always
wanted.” Many young people are disturbed. They feel excluded. They feel rejected. I
don’t guess there’s anybody here today who has ever been in high school who has not felt
the sting of rejection or exclusion. By the way, here’s a chance for Christian young
people to have a real positive impact on their ...
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