What should Christians say about guns?

Last updated on: July 17, 2014 at 2:33 pm by Morgan Guyton

What should Christians say about guns? 2014-07-17T14:33:59-05:00 Morgan Guyton

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In the wake of the Colorado shooting tragedy, there’s been a lot of talk about why the politicians are not talking about guns. The only thing that President Obama is willing to say concretely is that he is committed to protecting 2nd amendment rights. Over the past twenty years, our politicians have been consistently punished electorally for advocating any sort of gun control, so it’s become a toxic issue that they want to avoid touching at all costs. The NRA has never been in a more powerful position in our society. In this context, what are Christians supposed to say about guns? Certainly plenty of Christians own guns for hunting and protecting their families. Other Christians who believe that Christianity requires a radical commitment to nonviolence would say that guns are always bad and no Christian should own one. I’m not sure exactly where I fall on that spectrum, but I do think that Christians have a responsibility to say something.

I suspect that the reason many evangelical Christians are opposed to any kind of gun control is because they’re looking at the issue through the lens of their opposition to “big government,” in which the government is seen as the secular humanist solution to problems that we believe are solved by Christ alone. In this paradigm, any kind of restriction on individual freedom is also an attack on God’s sovereignty because God and government have been pitted against each other. That’s the only way I can make any sense of a follower of Jesus Christ believing that civilians should be allowed to carry weapons which are designed for no other purpose than to kill lots of people in a short span of time, like the assault rifle that the Colorado shooter used. I’m sorry, but it’s very hard for me to wrap my head around prioritizing my right to own a super-deadly weapon as a collector’s item over the rights of random moviegoers to live in a country where they’re not going to get mowed down because someone who was mentally unstable had access to the same weapon.

One of the other reasons that evangelical Christians tend to have a nihilistic attitude about the laws of our land is because we look at our time on Earth as a form of exile. If we’re “just pilgrims passing through,” then why should we have anything to do with reducing the violence in our culture? We see our only responsibility as rescuing other people from the clutches of the world, not making the world better, since “a friend of the world is an enemy of God.” Well today, at my parents’ church in Durham, NC, the sermon text was Jeremiah 29. My attention was drawn to verse 7, where God tells the Israelites who were in exile to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city where I have sent you.” I think that’s an important word for us today. How should this consideration shape the way that we talk about guns and what we hold our politicians accountable to? What if politicians were actually worried about losing the votes of Christians who were seeking peace in their cities?

More important even than God’s word to seek peace in our cities are the eternal repercussions of our politicians’ fear of doing anything systemic to address gun violence. In that theater in Aurora, Colorado, there were people who died without having a chance to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is beyond abominable that Jesus’ Great Commission would be thwarted because too many Christians have put their personal right to collect really cool, destructive man toys above the physical ability of people we are called to evangelize to hear the gospel before their lives are snatched away in two minutes of rampage. I don’t know the ins and outs of the gun control issue, where lines should be drawn, what loopholes should be closed, etc. But I do believe that we have a responsibility not only as citizens but as witnesses to God’s kingdom to reduce the violence in our society so that nobody will be cut off from this planet before they have had a chance to meet Jesus. So what are Christian leaders saying and advocating about this issue? If you know of resources, please share them.

Previous Post

July 19, 2012

How can blood tear down a wall? Sacrifice in Ephesians 2:11-22

Next Post

July 24, 2012 Winning arguments vs. winning each other for Christ (Romans 14)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Advent Beauty Will Save the World Bible Big Picture: Ephesians Bloggers Book Christian salvation and the Beautitudes Culture Daily Office Danceable Homiletics Deadly Sins Deep Roots: Genesis Devotions Dominican Republic May 2011 El Principio Misericordia (The Mercy Principle) Five verses God tattooed on my heart Fundraising FutureGospel Good Biblical Words Henri Nouwen Interview Jennings' Christian Imagination Jesus inside the beltway Jesus Is My Candidate Jesus vs the Pharisees Jesus vs. Plato Journey to Eternity Looking Back on 2012 Love Actually Monday Merton Monday Merton Music Occupy the manger On Earth As It Is In Heaven Original Sin Podcast Poetry Politics Prayer Psalm 119 Radical Jesus 101 Reviews Sermon on the Mount Sermons Spanish Bible study Special Series Spiritual but not religious Synchroblog Theology Things that made me think Thomas a Kempis Ugliness Into Beauty Uncategorized Viaje Dominicano 2013 Walking in the Valley (Lent) Welcome: It's More than a Mat Wild Goose 2013 Wrestling

Select a Month March 2022 January 2022 December 2021 September 2021 April 2021 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book directly follows Joshua?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Leviticus Numbers Judges Ruth