The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
This month’s syncroblog addresses “Guns and Gods” from a faith perspective. See the bottom of this post for blogger’s posts on this topic.
When told of this subject, someone close to me remarked, “Gods and guns? He doesn’t have any.” In evaluating almost everything, I ask myself, “Does this build up or tear down the Holy?” In the case of guns, my answer is a clear “Tear down!”
Like every emotional matter, my answer is colored by personal experience. A favorite teacher who was also a neighbor was gunned down the year after I graduated from high school. Many friends and acquaintances have lost family members to gun violence. I was held up while working at a motel. There are more than a few I know who came thisclose to ending it all at the end of a gun.
In any of these instances, the weapon could have been a different one – an iron pipe, a baseball bat, a drug overdose. What I am most concerned about from a faith perspective is the reason for all this violence.
It seems many people have died spiritually. You need not be “religious” or go to service every week to still have a sense of the Holy. You need not call yourself a Christian to believe that life is worth living. But when services and Christians do nothing to foster a sense of Holy both inside and outside their buildings, but focus more on “butts in seats” and building larger buildings, these services and these Christians have failed.
Too many religious people focus on getting ready for the second coming or forcing gratitude for Christ’s bloody death for all of our sins instead of the message of hope contained in all traditional religious literature. Too many of us – and I am including myself – turn a blind eye to poverty, inequality, racism, sexism, gentrification and misuse of holy texts, instead of doing the hard work of not just saying “enough!” but actually creating solutions to counter these aspects of our society that cause spiritual death.
The one question we asked each other every week in my covenant discipleship group in seminary was, “How is it with your soul?” Asking this question, and honestly listening for the answer – in body language and not just words – could go a long way to healing all of us.
Together, not in a Pollyanna way, but in a united, intentional way, we truly have the power to demolish strongholds. And we don’t need guns to do it.
Other bloggers’ posts:
- Jeremy Myers – Why I Joined the NRA
- Chris Jefferies – The Gun of Self-Defence?
- Glenn Hager – Gun God
- Carol Kuniholm – Guns, God, Mercy
- Gibby Espinoza – Gun Control?
- Liz Dyer – Turn the Other Clip, This One is Empty
- Marta Layton – Christian Ethics at the National Review and the Dish
- Kathy Escobar – What Do We Want to be Known For?
- Yeshua Hineni – Guns and G-d
Religious Refuse 
I join you in grieving the lives lost to guns. I have friends who live in an urban neighborhood where gun deaths are common – drive-by shootings, revenge murders, fatal gun accidents. When Mayors Against Illegal Guns plead for more consistent, more comprehensive gun regulation, (more than 900 mayors from both parties) I know they are thinking of the havoc in their own cities and towns caused by poorly regulated guns.
You’re right that this is a question of strongholds. I find myself wondering, what are those strongholds? How do we address them? My rights over your well-being? My safety over your harm? A stronghold of industry money, and politicians who live in fear of being targeted by the NRA?
I love your question: How is it with your soul? How do we nourish our own souls? How do we care for the souls of others? And what could we do to help our churches devote more care to the healing of souls? Plenty to think about! Thank you –
Thanks for your comments, Carol. I agree the NRA is one stronghold, and they definitely have power over politicians.
I am shocked that you have known so many who have been threatened by guns or, indeed, murdered. I have known three people who committed suicide (one by gun), but have never had a friend or family member threatened or killed by gun. And I’m nearly 65.
You make a good point about helping those in need. We should surely all do more.
Chris, it is shocking considering most of the instances are in a rural area of PA, not here in DC.