Christian artists slam Charleston killings, condole with victims' kin

Church-goers wait to enter the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 21, 2015, for the first service in the church since a mass shooting left nine people dead during a bible study.Reuters

The tragic Charleston church shooting, which claimed the lives of nine individuals from the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, has broken people's hearts' from all over the world. Among them are the Christian artists who expressed condemnation over the wicked act and words of comfort and consolation to the families of the victims.

On their social media accounts, concerned artists expressed their sadness and Breathe Cast collected their thoughts:

Kari Jobe wrote on her Twitter account (@karijobe) "My heart is so heavy" while rapper Lecrae wrote on his page (@lecrae) "Heavy, the weight of it all is heavy." He then shared the Bible verses John 16:2-3 which said, "Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me."

Fellow Reach Records rapper KB (@kb_hga) also tweeted, "We can do more than pray but we can never do less than pray...heavy heart this morning for my people."

Rapper Tedashii also tweeted (@tedashii) that the incident was "heart breaking." He also added, "Those who are progressive in the area of race somehow leave behind those who aren't afforded the luxury to move on. It seems that if the majority ignore the issue we are all required to do the same. Moving on isn't the same as moving forward."

Matthew West agreed on his tweet (@matthew_west) that the incident was "heartbreaking," adding that "the evil in this world makes me long for Heaven a little more each day."

Jars of Clay singer Dan Haseltine (@scribblepotemus) wrote, "Saddened to hear about Charleston. We mourn and hope that civility will find its way into our humanity."

Hasteline urged people not to be afraid of people who are different from them, because humans fear what they don't understand, then try to control or destroy what they can't pin down. "Violence will live on," he warned. "Don't be afraid."