Jesus and Guns?
This is a conversation that came up on Facebook...
The question:
So, we are called to live like Christ. How would Christ handle personal and home protection in today's society??
My response.
These are things I have been wrestling with for a couple of years now. This is where I am personally on it (this does not mean that I judge anyone who is in a different place).
Christ taught a radically different way to deal with enemies. He taught that we should love, serve and do good to those who would hurt or persecute us. An eye for an eye seems fair. But Jesus specifically said 'you have heard it said 'an eye for an eye...but i say....." Except for one incident where Jesus made a whip to drive out the money changers in the temple and one time where he told his followers to carry swords with them (though he did not encourage them to use them and later instructed them NOT to carry swords) he consistently taught non-violence. Review the sermon on the mount. Even in the money-changers episode, it doesn't say he actually whipped anyone. He simply chased them and the animals away.
In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus allowed himself to be taken because he knew that he had to die on the cross. Still, when Peter cut off the soldier's ear, Jesus could have just chastised Peter and left the nasty soldier there without an ear. But he healed the soldier as well as if to show Peter - "We don't harm, we heal." That said, I don't think Jesus taught us to be doormats either. He taught that we should stand up to people in a way that reveals the other person's evil. If you are slapped, you make them slap your other cheek. That's YOU telling THEM what to do. If they take your outer tunic you hand over your robe. If you are forced to carry someone's pack 1 mile, carry it an additional mile of your own accord. These examples addressed specific things that happened to people in his time under reign of the Romans. If we take the spirit of his teaching and apply it to today I think that it means that we should first seek non-violent response to any attack, persecution or humiliation. As Christ followers we will be known for our extraordinary capacity to love in the face of anything thrown at us. Therefore, I believe it is important to practice this as often as possible. Watching old news footage from the days of the Civil Rights Movement is a good example of how this works. What do you think of the people turning hoses on a bunch of people who are not physically fighting but standing up to injustice? Even when the hoses are on, they refused to attack. Those with the hoses are revealed for their evil in their hearts.
Because we still live in a violent world and Jesus knows this, I do not believe that he condemns anyone who arms themselves for safety. There is grace and all of us cannot just wake up one day and be Zen Masters of non-violence a la Jesus. BUT, I believe that as a Christ follower I should be moving toward it and be mindful in listening to the Holy Spirit's leading in any situation. While it's hard to, I want to avoid having a blanket spirit of 'I've got my gun and my fists and I'll use 'em if you come near'. The challenge Jesus gives us is this: In the long run, violence only begets more violence. It's a cycle and the only way to break it is to refuse to live by it (if you live by 'the sword' -by violent means of problem solving - you will die by it). If I cultivate in myself His Spirit of love and encourage others to do the same then I have done my part in moving the world toward being a reflection of the Kingdom. And that is all that Jesus asks of me.
For me personally, as you know, I have chosen not to carry a fire arm for my own protection. . I would be lying if I said I didn't like the idea of being a bad ass gun master with an arsenal of weaponry but in my own mind I can't find where this reflects the heart of Christ. I have chosen to be 'armed' with non-lethal protection with an aim to get away from an assailant rather than carry a weapon that is created to kill. BUT I have also said that I would carry at school if I was ever asked to. In the face of an armed mass murderer, I would shoot to kill to protect 'my' kids and I would deal with the weight of that in the aftermath. And in the midst of it I hope I would have the presence of mind to seek the wisdom of the Spirit on the best way to handle that situation that would hurt the least number of people.
On the world stage, I am a proponent of Just War theory with a heavy lean toward pacifism. I will always support non-violent responses to security threats for as long as possible. JWT has a very strict criteria for when it is 'OK' to go to war. Most conflicts do not pass muster under JWT.
It is not an easy issue. The world is complex and evil exists. But God's ways are not mine. I'm not supposed to be conformed to the patterns of the world. The cycle of violence is one of the patterns of the world and I want to at least aim to be outside of that.
The question:
So, we are called to live like Christ. How would Christ handle personal and home protection in today's society??
Sure maybe he'd give all his stuff or not even have stuff to start
with. What if someone came at him with the intent to harm? Would he act
the same as he did in the Garden of Gethsemane and just let his
attackers do what they will? If yes, does that mean, as Christ
followers, we are called to NOT arm and protect ourselves, but let an
attack happen?
My response. These are things I have been wrestling with for a couple of years now. This is where I am personally on it (this does not mean that I judge anyone who is in a different place).
Christ taught a radically different way to deal with enemies. He taught that we should love, serve and do good to those who would hurt or persecute us. An eye for an eye seems fair. But Jesus specifically said 'you have heard it said 'an eye for an eye...but i say....." Except for one incident where Jesus made a whip to drive out the money changers in the temple and one time where he told his followers to carry swords with them (though he did not encourage them to use them and later instructed them NOT to carry swords) he consistently taught non-violence. Review the sermon on the mount. Even in the money-changers episode, it doesn't say he actually whipped anyone. He simply chased them and the animals away.
In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus allowed himself to be taken because he knew that he had to die on the cross. Still, when Peter cut off the soldier's ear, Jesus could have just chastised Peter and left the nasty soldier there without an ear. But he healed the soldier as well as if to show Peter - "We don't harm, we heal." That said, I don't think Jesus taught us to be doormats either. He taught that we should stand up to people in a way that reveals the other person's evil. If you are slapped, you make them slap your other cheek. That's YOU telling THEM what to do. If they take your outer tunic you hand over your robe. If you are forced to carry someone's pack 1 mile, carry it an additional mile of your own accord. These examples addressed specific things that happened to people in his time under reign of the Romans. If we take the spirit of his teaching and apply it to today I think that it means that we should first seek non-violent response to any attack, persecution or humiliation. As Christ followers we will be known for our extraordinary capacity to love in the face of anything thrown at us. Therefore, I believe it is important to practice this as often as possible. Watching old news footage from the days of the Civil Rights Movement is a good example of how this works. What do you think of the people turning hoses on a bunch of people who are not physically fighting but standing up to injustice? Even when the hoses are on, they refused to attack. Those with the hoses are revealed for their evil in their hearts.
Because we still live in a violent world and Jesus knows this, I do not believe that he condemns anyone who arms themselves for safety. There is grace and all of us cannot just wake up one day and be Zen Masters of non-violence a la Jesus. BUT, I believe that as a Christ follower I should be moving toward it and be mindful in listening to the Holy Spirit's leading in any situation. While it's hard to, I want to avoid having a blanket spirit of 'I've got my gun and my fists and I'll use 'em if you come near'. The challenge Jesus gives us is this: In the long run, violence only begets more violence. It's a cycle and the only way to break it is to refuse to live by it (if you live by 'the sword' -by violent means of problem solving - you will die by it). If I cultivate in myself His Spirit of love and encourage others to do the same then I have done my part in moving the world toward being a reflection of the Kingdom. And that is all that Jesus asks of me.
For me personally, as you know, I have chosen not to carry a fire arm for my own protection. . I would be lying if I said I didn't like the idea of being a bad ass gun master with an arsenal of weaponry but in my own mind I can't find where this reflects the heart of Christ. I have chosen to be 'armed' with non-lethal protection with an aim to get away from an assailant rather than carry a weapon that is created to kill. BUT I have also said that I would carry at school if I was ever asked to. In the face of an armed mass murderer, I would shoot to kill to protect 'my' kids and I would deal with the weight of that in the aftermath. And in the midst of it I hope I would have the presence of mind to seek the wisdom of the Spirit on the best way to handle that situation that would hurt the least number of people.
On the world stage, I am a proponent of Just War theory with a heavy lean toward pacifism. I will always support non-violent responses to security threats for as long as possible. JWT has a very strict criteria for when it is 'OK' to go to war. Most conflicts do not pass muster under JWT.
It is not an easy issue. The world is complex and evil exists. But God's ways are not mine. I'm not supposed to be conformed to the patterns of the world. The cycle of violence is one of the patterns of the world and I want to at least aim to be outside of that.
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