Each new mass shooting in the U.S.
reignites debate over the country's treatment of gun rights as virtually
sacrosanct. Americans own more guns than anybody else on earth, even adjusted
for population. (Yemenis are second.) Firearms are involved in the death of
more than 30,000 people in the U.S. annually, about two-thirds of which are
suicides. Guns are also integral to the story of the nation's founding. The
National Rifle Association, the dominant pro-gun group, has been on a
decades-long winning streak convincing courts and lawmakers to loosen gun
restrictions and to prevent the passage of new ones. (Bloomberg Quick Take)
According to
the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the most recent data shows the
overall homicide rate in the U.S., per 100,000 people, is 4.8. In nations with
stricter laws, the rate is significantly less. In the United Kingdom, the
overall homicide rate is 1.2, in Israel it is 2.1, in Japan it is 0.4, in Spain
it is 0.8, in France it is 1.1, and in Germany it is 0.8.
The Second
Amendment to the United States Constitution: "A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a
free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be
infringed." This is the version authenticated by Thomas Jefferson.
Now, you are thinking this article is all
about gun control. Sorry to disappoint you, my friend, but I am writing this
article to give my fellow Christians some guidance on the use of a violent and
possibly lethal defense of themselves, family, and those around them. Recently,
my wife and I have begun to hear frequently stories from fellow Christians
concerning the purchase of guns and ammunition for defense against violent and
drug-crazed armed invaders into their home. Some have expressed the fear of a
coming insurrection where this country cuts off funding to the poor and, in
turn, the poor take by violent means their valuables and possessions. These are
well-educated and professional people. I do understand their desire to defend
and protect their families, but as Christians, we must question our faith when
we let fear direct our lives and actions and not turning to and leaning on God
for direction and protection. As a war veteran, I told myself and God that I
never wanted to use a gun in anger against my fellow man ever again. The words
hereafter support my views against violent self-defense by Christians and,
hopefully, aid other Christians struggling with this plight of faith. I fully
realize the courage it takes to throw fear aside in this difficult matter, but
God is always with us to give us his strength and courage to do that which he
wills us to do and sets the personal example for this nonviolent perspective through
his son, Jesus Christ. I do not intend to shame or condemn, but merely to give
strength to the position of Christian nonviolent defense. I go against many
good friends. However, if they are truly friends, they will respect my
difference of opinion and give it thoughtful consideration just as I gave their
arguments for armed-violent defense before making my decision in favor of non-armed
and nonviolent defense.
Michael W. Austin is a professor of
philosophy at Eastern Kentucky University, where he specializes in ethics. I
present an excerpt here from an article that first appeared in Christian
Research Journal, volume 36, number 06 (2013). Mr. Austin co-authored this
article, THE GUN CONTROL DEBATE: Two
Christian perspectives, with Ron Gleason, Ph.D and pastor of Grace
Presbyterian Church in Yorba Linda, California. Mr. Austin took the stricter
gun-control position in the article. I think it is a very enlightening and
informative article for Christians struggling with this formidable issue. I am
not reproducing the entire article due to our concern being that of Christian
ethics and obligations, and not of gun control.
Mr. Austin sets these points before us in
his section entitled: Kingdom Ethics and
the Gospel of Life:
When applying Scripture and Christian theology to a contemporary issue
such as gun control, many difficulties arise given the distance between our
cultural context and that of the ancient Near East. Nevertheless, Scripture has
revealed things to say concerning this and many other contemporary issues. In
what follows, I start from two assumptions. First, I assume that Jesus is the
exemplar of for the Christian(see Phil. 3:17; 2 Peter1:3-11; 1 John 2:6; and
3John 11). We are to follow him by imitating him, by seeking to acquire and
practice the moral and intellectual virtues we see in his life and teaching. My
second assumption is that ethics of the kingdom of God affirm the value of each
individual human as being made in the image of God, and because of this,
Christian ethics essentially include a strong resistance to killing. As Glen
Stassen and David Gushee put it in their book, Kingdom Ethics, "The kingdom of God consists of peace with
justice, of life unmarred by killing."
First, it is clear that scripture reveals a God whose heart is with the
downtrodden (James 1:27). God longs for and works toward the realization of
peace, justice, and compassion for all in our world (see Isa. 32:15-18; 4:10;
60:17-18; and Rom. 14:17). Gun violence is prominent in areas of economic
struggle, and is all-too-common in cases of domestic violence against women and
children. Surely these are reasons, from a Christian perspective, to limit
access to guns.
Second, in both His teaching and example, Jesus is clearly and
consistently antiviolence. In the Sermon on the Mount, a norm of nonviolent
love of one's enemies is taught (Matt. 5:38 -48). Jesus forbids the use of
violence for building God's kingdom (Luke 9:51-56). His followers are to accept
even the plundering of their own possessions for the sake of the gospel (Heb.
10:32-34). Romans 13 teaches that the government bears the sword to carry out
God's judgement on wrongdoers; this is not the task for individual believers.
Early followers of Christ seem to have internalized His antiviolence teachings,
as they did not participate in the revolt against the oppression of Rome in AD
66, which resulted in the destruction of the temple in 70. Instead, they fled
Jerusalem.
As New Testament scholar Richard Hays puts it, "From Matthew to
Revelation we find a consistent witness against violence and a calling to the
community to follow the example of Jesus in accepting suffering rather than
inflicting it." Given all of this, it is hard to imagine Jesus using a
gun, if one were available to Him. And as our moral, spiritual, and
intellectual exemplar, we should strongly consider the implications this has
for followers of Christ.
Mr. Austin expands
on the non-violent approach when he states,
"The paradigm of Christian courage is that of the martyr, rather than the action hero. Because of this, courage
"can find expression as much or more in suffering and weakness as it can
in striking out against a threat." Such an understanding of courage will
lead us to rethink the role of force in the life of the Christian who seeks to
possess the courage of Christ.
As Mr. Austin
eventually states in the article that he is not advocating a ban on firearms
for peaceful purposes, neither do I advocate such things.
Perhaps my aversion to the taking of a
human life extends from my pacifist Quaker family history as well as the
atrocities I viewed in war. But I would like to think that mine as well as my
ancestors reticence toward violence is from faith in the words and actions of
our Lord. If I had inherited a disposition of nonviolence, I certainly would
not be working on improving my rage and temper in dense traffic. I have the
same tendency to anger when I or my family are threatened that other very
normal people exhibit. What I am attempting to point out is that if we live in
faith that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and the example to live our
lives by then we should seriously examine our attempts to prepare ourselves to
defend our lives and the lives of our families by arming ourselves for a
violent defense. Shouldn't we instead work toward becoming a living-loving
example of Jesus Christ - bringing ourselves closer to the presence of God. We should
strive in our pathetic human way to honor our Lord's voluntary torture and
death nailed to a cold wooden-cross by at least attempting to become perfect
like Him in every respect which includes the courage to face life's violence
with nonviolence.
Do
you think I write this free from fear? No, I am just like you - a coward. But
isn't that why God walks side by side with us through life's trials and
tribulations holding our hands and offering us the strength to continue and the
courage to say no to the natural instinct to do unto them before they do unto us?
Didn't the loving and nonviolent actions of Christians so-many centuries ago
defeat the hatred of the pagan Roman Empire? Don't those same qualities soften
hardened hearts and perplex pagans in today's world in such places as India,
Iran, Syria, Egypt, China, etc? Trembling, I go forward in my poor attempt to
make myself a better example of my Lord in today's world whose reaction to
every problem seems to be violence. But aren't we as Christians meant to be
different - not of this world?
John 18:36 (NIV), "Jesus said, 'My kingdom is
not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by
the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.'"
Athenagoras, a Christian, wrote in 177
A.D., "For when they know that we cannot endure even to see a man put to
death, though justly; who of them can accuse us of murder or cannibalism? Who
does not reckon among the things of greatest interest the contests of
gladiators and wild beasts, especially those which are given by you? But we,
deeming that to see a man put to death is much the same as killing him, have
abjured such spectacles. How, then, when we do not even watch, lest we should
contract guilt and pollution, can we put people to death? And when we say that
those women who use drugs to bring an abortion commit murder and will have to
give an account to God for the abortion, on what principle should we commit
murder?"
Cyprian, a Christian, wrote this in 250
A.D. concerning taking lives in the name of war, "The whole world is wet
with mutual blood, and murder, which in the case of an individual is admitted
to be a crime, yet is called a virtue when it is committed wholesale. Impunity
is claimed for the wicked deeds, not on the plea that they are guiltless, but
because the cruelty is perpetrated on a grand scale."
L. B. Cowman, a Christian, had this to say
in 1925, "How often we thwart God's intervention on our behalf by taking
up our own cause or by striking a blow in our own defense!"
Last but not least, Paul Pavao, a man that
is definitely a Christian and, if you have never read any of his books or
articles, you are missing wisdom from one of God's blessings. He presents the
stark truth about another of my pet peeves, state-sponsored religion, in this
quote, "Once you make every citizen a Christian by the choice of
government, you have to make huge adjustments to apostolic doctrine. Let pagans
be pagans unless we can get them to deny themselves, bear their cross every
day, and follow Jesus. All those of us who do, we don't care what country we're
in because we're carrying around an instrument of execution anyway." I
know it is off track but I just had to introduce you to Mr. Pavao and his mind-refreshing
take on theology. Take the Ten Commandments off the capitol lawn my brothers
and sisters. We do not want our government forcing upon us a slanted and
self-serving interpretation of God's word and practice. We give unto Caesar
what is Caesar's, but not what is God's.
I end with my favorite Martin Luther King
quote about nonviolence. "Nonviolence means avoiding not only external
physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to
shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him."
Acquiring firearms for an eye-for-an-eye
purpose labeled as self-defense is a decision you have to make by examining
your faith with the question, do I want to believe with a practicing faith that
I am going to work toward becoming a living-loving reflection of Jesus Christ putting
my faith and trust in him as he desires or merely turn to him in times of great
anguish when reliance on man fails me? Unlike man but like my God, I will do my
best to still love you and serve you no matter which decision you make. I of
all people should be understanding of how terribly difficult it is to turn
one's face from the ways of the world. In God's peace, I leave you.
