Trayvon Martin, Self-Defense, and Christian Non-Violence: A Response to Preston Sprinkle's "Fight"

July 31, 2013 by Greg Garrett

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But the central message of Fight—that this is not what Jesus would do, and thus is not what we should do—stands there, haunting.

And the conclusion reached in Fight is clear and cannot be nuanced: the Christian tradition does not make an exception to violence in the case of self-defense:

In every instance where the New Testament portrays or discusses someone facing a personal physical threat, there is no clear allowance to use violence to defend oneself. Again, as we've seen throughout the New Testament, Christians are to follow their Lord in not violently resisting evil people, in turning the other check, in going the extra mile, and in never retaliating with evil for evil. These are all personal attacks. There is nothing in the New Testament that advocates self-defense, yet many passages place great value on suffering when wrongfully attacked. (247)

I wish this weren't the truth, but the Bible tells me so. (Augustine, by the way, agrees in this matter). And the Florida law—and those like it—that allow people to kill others in defense of their homes or safety may be popular and may seem expedient or practical.

But they are not Christian.

And Christians should not pretend that they are.

For more conversation on the new book Fight—and to read an excerpt and author interview—visit the Patheos Book Club here.**

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About Greg Garrett

Greg Garrett is (according to BBC Radio) one of America's leading voices on religion and culture. He is the author or co-author of over twenty books of fiction, theology, cultural criticism, and spiritual autobiography. His most recent books are The Prodigal, written with the legendary Brennan Manning, Entertaining Judgment: The Afterlife in Popular Imagination, and My Church Is Not Dying: Episcopalians in the 21st Century. A contributor to Patheos since 2010, Greg also writes for the Huffington Post, Salon.com, OnFaith, The Tablet, Reform, and other web and print publications in the US and UK.

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