Honestly, it’s hard for me to imagine (and not just because they lived long before the proliferation of gunpowder)… especially when I am reading what they have to say to me, in the bible. However, it is becoming more and more common for people to “pack heat” in church. It seems that there is more than one issue at play in churches deciding to “arm themselves” with weapons of a warfare that certainly appeared alien to the earliest church. Some churches are doing it to make a statement about gun rights, trying to defend the meaning of the founding documents of our country (news article #1, news article #2, Question: Is it the role of the church to protect the founding identity of any nation? Shouldn’t our concern be the founding documents of our faith?) Other Churches are putting in place armed security guards, because church shootings are becoming all too common (news article #3). While it is in one sense a great tragedy when a brother or sister is harmed, I have a hard time thinking of Jesus and the apostles warning of persecution and saying… “There are going to be some people coming in to bring harm to you because you love Jesus, so set up security guards, and defend yourselves to the death! Shoot someone who tries to shoot at you!”
Especially after reading Matthew.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you… You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth forr a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also… You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your niehbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:10-12, 38-44)
And John.
“My Kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” (John 18:36)
And 1 Corinthians.
“When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.” (1 Corinthians 4:12)
And 2 Corinthians.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every though captive to obey Christ… Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from revers, dangers from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers…” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5; 11:24-25)
And Hebrews.
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on earth… some where tortured refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated- of whom the world was not worthy…” (Hebrews 11:13, 35-38)
And 1 Peter.
“For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this a gracious thing in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 2:20)
It seems like even though persecution is painful and undesired, in another sense it is a blessing from God. The hero according to Hebrews, is not the person who gets shot at, and in the end kills the bad guy. The hero is the one who loves his enemy and preaches the gospel to him while he is getting shot at. It seems that in times of persecution we have a chance to say, “You can take my life, but you can’t take my soul! I live for a kingdom that is not of this world!” It seems that when Paul says not to be “frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of you salvation, and that from God” (Philippians 1:28), that he is trying to tell us… “When someone puts a gun to your head, and you aren’t afraid, they wonder: ‘why isn’t she afraid? … I would be afraid. It is because when I die I will be destroyed, and when they die, they will be with God in everlasting joy!’”
Feel free to comment.
Jeff,
You bring some sobering truths to light here, but in the final analysis I find myself agreeing with you. It is hard to reconcile the commandments, teachings, and lifestyles of Jesus and the Apostles with the enthusiastic gun ownership and promotion among many Christian quarters today. If we were simply examining this question from the perspective of church history, there would be no dispute: early Christians prior to the Constantinian captivity of the church were almost universally pacificist in their beliefs. With the wedding of church and state, however, this deeply-held Christian conviction became inconvenient (an ‘inconvenient truth’?), and church theologians surprisingly came to the defense of the Roman Empire by urging Christians to take up arms to defend temporal powers. This was a strange development, and one that we are still struggling to overcome today. Regardless, your post demonstrates an acute attention to detail and a desire to be faithful to New Testament teachings, and for this you are to be commended.
I cant help but have the feeling that the New Bethel Church are simply doing this to make a pro-gun political point.
Surely focusing on what the bible says about the matter is more important?
What does the bible say about owning guns?
Hey Jeff,
Thanks for the post…something I’ve been thinking about over the past months as some good friends of mine continue to amass ammunition and MR-15 magazines.
You’ve made some good points. I’ve often asked myself what the difference is between the five missionaries who were murdered by the Acuas who had handguns with them and myself if someone decided that I deserved to die because I loved Christ.
The primary unresolved question is not self-defense. In my thought that isn’t a valid reason to take another’s life if they are persecuting you because of Christ. But what happens when your wife is being threatened at gun point? What do you do when your daughter is being raped? Is it not under your jurisdiction of authority and therefore your responsibility to do something to protect them?
1 Tim 5:8 can be seen to be referring to more than just providing food–as a householder you provide food, shelter, protection and a good many other things for your family. Does this not mean that we are being unfaithful if we do not protect (or take reasonable measure to protect) our family?
God bless you Jeff! I’m going to miss seeing you here in Portland.
Jeff,
I wrote a similar blog post recently and it didn’t go over too well. no public comments, PLENTY of private ones, arguments to my position, etc.. I felt this position needed little biblical backing, that Jesus’ sermon on the mountain was pudding-proof enough for me, but not so with some folks in my circle. I’m linking here from my blog. I don’t know if it’ll change my friend’s/family’s minds but you more articulately and specifically scripturally back a mind-space that I’m in and can only babble about.
It smells more like fear to me. I think we’re afraid, (I know I am sometimes), of losing our rights. We’re so fearful that we forget that we’re actually already dead and right-less etc..
I can’t help wondering along the same lines as Joseph Patric, tho.. As someone who feels compelled in life toward dangerous situations & places I sometimes feel concerned about my family’s future. What if someone WAS raping my daughter? This is specifically a question I’ve thought about a lot. My obvious human impulse is a quick dispatch of the handiest brand of violence available to me at the moment.
But… What’s real, what’s right? It’s difficult because its not so cut and dried. Modern firearms aside, do you simply pull a “bad-guy” off of your daughter? Can I have a few little punches in there?
Someone did muse with me after my blog post that if someone were threatening my daughter’s LIFE, (my wife’s my own, whatever), that it may be good to remember that our fate is sealed, and our destiny is great and good after the trigger’s pulled. The “bad guy”, on the other hand… If I splatter his brains on the wall, (and parts of my neighbor’s walls as well, as the type of guns that we have a right to own would ensure), he would almost certainly end up fulfilling a different destiny.
The rubber definitely meets the road for me as a parent on this one. I guess as a follower of the Jesus Way I must concede that it would be better for me, (or one of my family members who know and Love Jesus), to die than our attacker. But it doesn’t address wounding, partially maiming, raping etc.. I also note the purposes of God and the enemy’s consistent barrage on the feasibility of carrying out our bits of that larger purpose. At what point do we know so well, so clearly that we are to DO what has been laid out for us, that we won’t let just any old thing stop it? And what does it do to the effectiveness of a person for someone they love to be sacrificed, (to death or not), on an altar of cheek-turning.
Ugh. This stuff’s hard. I don’t know what to do. We’re thinking of going to Zambia for a time. It would be a little bit silly not to have a gun around on account of lions & tigers & bears. Or Hippos. Or other African beasties. I guess they’re pretty prevalent where we’re looking along the river, and the generally accepted wisdom among the post-Mennonite-pacifist crowd in which I run is that you just keep a gun around for when the Hippos get rowdy.
Enter Fear&Temptation. Tricky. Tricky. Help me out on this one.
Nick,
You have pointed out many of the difficult issues that need to be thought through on this topic. Things definitely become more cloudy when others are involved. It is then no longer simply a matter of us resisting an evil person for our own defense, but rather, for the defense of others. I think one thing that can help us work through these issues is remembering the law of charity. “Love God, and love others”. As husbands and fathers we especially need to think carefully about this, because there is an implicit charge for us to protect our families by laying down our lives.
If there was someone who came into my home, set on harming my wife or children, it would not be loving to the criminal, or to my wife and children, to passively allow this crime to take place. If this man is not stopped he will someday stand under the judgment of God for the heinous sin he is about to commit… similarly, to watch my family suffer when I can otherwise suffer for them would be a dereliction of duty. Yet, if I was to go as far as to take this man’s life, it would be neither loving to this man, nor my family. I would cut this man off from any more opportunity to repent of his sins and cling to Christ, and I would model for my family the false notion of certain restrictions for what we may suffer for the sake of the gospel. Rather, I should do everything in my ability to restrain this man, by standing in harms way, laying down my life for him and my family… but I will not take his life.
what do you think?