Hello my friends,

As you know, I don't typically send out a midweek newsletter. Given the tragic events of this week however, of yet another mass shooting, many of you have emailed me asking for this previous newsletter. So, I thought I would send it to all of you. In this newsletter, I wanted to focus on reimagining our Christian response to gun violence in the United States. This topic is extremely important to me and one that I believe damages our Christian reputation so deeply in our culture's eyes when we respond to it in the wrong way.

I have updated a few things since sending it out last time. I pray you find it helpful and motivating in our continued advocacy for the victims of gun violence and our continued work towards making peace in this world.

Before we take a look at this topic, here are some things that have me thinking this week.

RESOURCES TO CONSIDER

-One of the best podcast mini series I have ever heard about the relationship between guns and American Christianity is called "No Compromise." It won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting. It explores a specific social media empire with an unapologetic vision of gun rights, which is tied to the Christian homeschooling movement I was raised in. It is a must listen.

-I also highly recommend reading this excellent article written by Tyler Huckabee called "No One Said Destroying Our Idols Would Be Easy." Through the lens of the Old Testament, he brilliantly shows that guns can only become an idol when violence is already an idol. It is such a thought provoking read.

-We also cannot talk about Christian gun ownership without how it has been influenced by Evangelical notions of masculinity. One of the most pivotal reads on this topic is, "Jesus and John Wayne," written by historian and scholar, Kristin Kobes Du Mez. For those of us raised in Evangelicalism as I was, it is a difficult, yet healing read. It gives us historical context to what we experienced growing up and why the movement is what it is today. It gave me the words to describe my experience.

-After writing on this topic, I will always get questions about Luke 22:36-38, where Jesus is heard telling his disciples, "if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one." This is a passage that has been used to for a host of things from justifying the Christian use of deadly force to being the Biblical foundation for the 2nd Amendment. I wrote a short commentary on this passage of scripture in a recent newsletter called, "Did Jesus really tell his disciples to sell their cloaks to buy swords? It's really important to untangle this passage from the ways it has been used and hear the point of what Jesus was trying to convey, which is, in his own words, "the fulfillment of prophecy."

-I know I have recommended this book before, but it is worth recommending again. "The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: The Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire" by Alan Kreider, illuminates how and why the early church grow in the first four hundred years despite disincentives, harassment, and persecution. Alan Kreider is a veteran scholar and delivers the fruit of a lifetime of study as he tells the amazing story of the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Challenging traditional understandings, he shows that the church grew because the virtue of patience (including nonviolence) was of central importance in the life and witness of the early Christians.

-I would also recommend you checking to see if there is a local chapter of "Moms Demand Action" in your area. They are specifically working to end gun violence.

-Lastly, another one of my favorite podcast mini series is called, "Extremely American" by Boise State Public Radio. Heath Druzin takes you inside the world of the ascendant Patriot Movement. You get to meet the militia members and far-right activists who are simultaneously preparing to fight the government and become part of it, in places like Idaho. Gun rights are a central platform for these militia groups. Especially in light of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, this podcast helps shed needed light on this once-shadowy movement.

Okay, onto today's content.

The Gun Problem Is A Sin Problem

In the tragic wake of more mass shootings in our country, I continue to hear the phrase “it’s a sin problem, not a gun problem” used by Christians as a defense against regulating guns in any way. According to some recent polls, we are already have more mass shootings in America than we've had days in 2023.

Recent data from the CDC also shows that guns are now the leading cause of death among children in our country, even outpacing motor vehicles. You can read more details about that here from the New England Journal of Medicine.

In the face of continued tragedies and statistics like these, imagine what our culture must think when it hears Christians respond with phrases like "it's a sin problem, not a gun problem" or "we are sending our thoughts and prayers," all while so little actual gun regulation or affordable mental healthcare measures are supported by the Christian community to actually confront the issue of gun violence head on. What is more, imagine what our culture must think when it hears the majority of Evangelicals not only oppose common sense gun laws, but even advocate that "more guns" is the needed solution. It is no wonder so much animosity is directed towards Christianity from our culture on this issue.

As a native Idahoan, one who grew up in gun culture, owned guns, maintained a concealed weapons license for years, and now as a pastor, I want to earnestly invite us to consider a question: How do we feel when someone claims they are absolutely free from sin? Some red flags might go up, right? So, are we so bold as to claim that our relationship with guns is totally free from sin? Let's think about this for a moment.

Being born and raised in a place like Idaho, I don’t have a memory without guns. The first time I was trained to hold and fire a gun was when I was 5 years old. Being taught gun safety as a young kid was just a normal part of rural Idaho life. Hunting and self-defense were just common cultural elements.

But what stands out to me as an adult now is more than just being introduced to guns at a young age, it was what guns began to symbolize in Idaho culture for me and my friends.

The gun was a symbol of pride and independence. The way the 2nd amendment was presented in my social circles, I understood it to be on the same level of sacredness as my Christian faith and patriotism. In my church, it was also made clear to me that faithful Christian patriots would play a pivotal role in defending the cause of Christ during the tribulation period of the End Times and we needed to be prepared. I thought about this often as I learned how to reload ammunition in my garage as a kid. The gun was not only presented as a symbol of my patriotism but also my faith.

Then add into this context the narratives of my favorite block buster movies growing up, like Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Commando,” or Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” and “Patriot,” and many others, created this sense of valor, strength and personal identity as a young man whenever I held my gun and fired at the shooting range, which was a regular activity. I understood that it is what truly brave men did. It was not only part of who I was as an American, it was my duty as a Christian man. These notions would be solidified by pastors of mine who called themselves "pistol packing preachers" and attending events like the “God and Country Rally,” which I would attend annually with my youth group.

By the time I received my concealed weapons license as a 19 year old, I understood it as a social rite of passage. I had finally checked one of the central boxes of manhood in my rural Idaho culture. I was also told numerous times by many, including the sherif who taught my concealed weapons course, that police officers would look more favorably on me now that I had done the work to receive my concealed weapon’s license. I conceal carried my Glock everywhere, from work, shopping, and even church. For years, it was just something I put on as I grabbed my wallet and keys before leaving the house. It made me feel prepared and safe, but also it made me feel like a strong and honorable man in the eyes of those I admired.

I left my guns in Idaho when I moved to Kansas City for seminary. It felt like I was leaving part of my identity behind. Yet, something happened I wasn't expecting. As I studied church history and scripture more closely than I ever had before, the symbolism around guns began to change for me.

I read the nonviolence of early Christian martyrs and their critique of the violence of the empire in shocked awe. I was stunned to see how Emperor Constantine introduced violence into the Christian faith when he made Christianity the official religion of Rome. I then read Isaiah, Micha, Joel, and other prophets like Zechariah, blown away as they prophesied about weapons being hammered into garden implements and nations not training for war anymore when the Messiah came.

I was blown away at the reality of how Jesus, the commander of legions of angel armies, insisted on swords being sheathed and enemies being loved rather than hated and eliminated. How he road into Jerusalem, not on a war horse and with an armed militia to secure his rightful rule as king, but seated on a donkey, non-violently resisting the violent ways of Rome with his disciples, and preaching a radical message of forgiveness. I was so undone when I read passages like John 13:1-17, where Jesus knew that God had given him all power and authority and he immediately turned and expressed that power by washing his disciple’s feet. Not even to mention how when he talked about the glory of God being revealed through him, he was talking about being lifted up on the cross.

The narratives of patriotism, Christianity, and especially masculinity just didn't seem to fit what I was seeing in Jesus.

Revelation 19 even shows Jesus riding on a white horse with the legions of angel armies behind him, armed to the teeth, and the battle of armageddon. It was one of my favorite passages growing up, where Jesus seemed to fit all the narratives of glorious battle and manhood I had learned. A battle I had always believed I would play a major role in when the time came. Yet when I read this chapter closer, this battle turned out to not be a battle at all. The angel armies never engage. They just stand there. Jesus never draws a weapon, but puts an end to evil, death, and the dominion of sin with a single word. A word which is sharper than a double edged sword, more powerful than any weapon could ever hope to be. Even now I can’t even write these words without being in awe at the power of that kind of radical love.

I came to realize that it is a fragile god who needs weapons and armies to fight their battles for them. So different from the God revealed in Christ Jesus. The God of scripture, the God of angel armies, creates and ends paradigms, not with weapons, but with a Word. The Word made flesh. Jesus Christ, God incarnate. The one who sounds like a lion, has all the mighty power of a lion, but when you turn and look, like John did in Revelation 5:5-6, you see the Lion of Judah exercise His power as the slaughtered lamb.

Needless to say, getting to know Jesus, the early church, and scripture in a more intimate way, caused me to dramatically reimagine the beliefs surrounding my patriotism, my faith, and my masculinity, especially in how they related to weapons. I would eventually let my concealed weapon’s license expire and would part ways with my Glock.

I write this not out of being for or against the 2nd Amendment or being for or against self defense. I write this to encourage a more thoughtful dialogue around dismantling and reimagining the narratives around guns in cultures like ours. It is an invitation to see how and why guns have become so tied to Christianity in our country. To see how powerful gun lobby groups have exploited such a tie for their own personal and political gain, while people in our country suffer and die.

According to The Violence Project, a nonpartisan research group that tracks U.S. mass shooting data dating back to 1966 has found that 98% of mass shootings have been committed by men (https://rb.gy/fiv2jq). In light of data like this and in the wake of so many mass shootings in this year alone, I cannot help but think of my experience growing up with guns every time the shooter is male.

An article from Bloomberg states, US gun owners possess 393.3 million weapons, according to a 2018 report by the Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based organization, which is higher than the country’s population now of about 330 million. The gap is likely growing after Americans went on a gun buying spree beginning in 2020. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which the Federal Bureau of Investigation collects and is a widely used as a proxy for firearms purchases, jumped 40% in 2020 from the previous year to 39.7 million. The frenzy only cooled slightly to 38.9 million checks in 2021, which are usually done before purchases or to receive gun permits.

Matthew Soerens wrote an insightful article for Christianity today, in which he writes, "The United States is the only country in the world with more civilian-owned firearms than people. We have a rate of death from gun violence higher than in Somalia, Syria or Afghanistan and far, far higher than in other countries with economically-prosperous democracies: eight times higher than Canada, 100-times higher than in the United Kingdom and 200 times higher than in South Korea or Japan.

In the United States, though, white evangelicals are both more likely to own guns than the overall population and less likely to support stricter regulations on gun ownership, and most evangelical gun owners cite “protection” (not hunting) as the primary motivator. Candidates seeking to appeal to evangelical voters proclaim their support for “God and guns” in the same breath – suggesting a syncretism that many global Christians view as idolatrous.

That view is also shared by many non-white evangelicals within the U.S. While few white-majority evangelical denominations have a stated denominational position on gun policy, the Asian American Christian Collaborative responded to the recent string of mass shootings with a biblically-rooted, policy-specific call for reforms that was also affirmed prominent leaders of national networks of Latino and African American Christians.

“We are called to bring attention to the dangers and sin of political idolatry,” the statement says, “especially when they lead to the destruction of life. As followers of Christ, our allegiance is primarily to Christ and His Kingdom. Christians must stand together to denounce all forms of idolatrous worship, including the idolatry of individual rights (and all its entailments) over God’s commandment to love our neighbors.”

Soerens goes on to point out the recent findings from a Pew Research survey, which shows that "nearly four-in-ten white evangelicals believe that the U.S. Constitution – which includes the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms – is divinely inspired. Plenty of non-U.S. Christians admire the U.S. Constitution, but they’re troubled by the seeming equation of this human-composed document with a descriptor they would ascribe only to the Bible. Our sisters and brothers from other parts of the world – and from historically marginalized Christian communities within the U.S. – are challenging us to recognize guns as a Second Commandment concern, lovingly imploring white Christians to examine whether gun ownership has become an idol for many American Christians."

When I read about statistics like this, I cannot help but think how the gun was a symbol of my patriotism, my masculinity, and my faith. How it was presented as a tool of independence and strength. How my Evangelical community would call people from other religions who tied their theology to their guns and their nation's flag "terrorists," all while calling Christians in America who did the same thing, "patriots." I cannot help but think of how easy it would be for someone to use these narratives to then ultimately justify using a weapon to forcefully express not only their anger towards others, but their patriotism and faith just like the heroes of masculinity we learn about growing up. Add to these narratives the reality of mental illness and the easy access of guns, and as we have seen, the results can quickly become deeply tragic.

I had the picture of manhood, patriotism, and Christianity I was given by my rural Idaho culture radically transformed the more I got to know the person of Jesus. It is my deep prayer that we Christians in America take seriously, not only the problem of how easy it is to access guns, and the realities for better mental heath care, but also the narrative around guns that is presented in our culture, our churches, and our homes. Dismantling and reforming these narratives wherever necessary with the life and teachings of Jesus is an incredibly powerful way for us to do even more to prevent further gun violence.

When we take this seriously, perhaps when boys like me find ourselves discontented and angry with the world, even when we are suffering from anxiety and depression, that instead of picking up a weapon as an expression of our anger, patriotism, and faith, and bring about terrible tragedy in an attempt to to reclaim our strength and identity, we will instead model Christ's definition of power in humility, see the areas we need help and ask for it, and choose to bring transformation and healing to ourselves and the world around us by the power of His self-sacrificial love.

As genuinely honest people in a culture like ours, especially in light of the continued horrid tragedy of gun violence, we American Christians must authentically consider how our relationship with guns has been influenced by sin and how that sin makes us resistant to making some common sense changes to gun laws in our nation for the sake of others.

If we don’t consider how sin has impacted our relationship with guns, we may not only continue to wrongly blame other causes for gun violence in our culture, but we may remain unrepentant in how we might have and continue to contribute to this ongoing crisis in our nation. I don't think that is the kind of people Jesus is calling us to be.

My prayer is that our culture would see us Christians be a people who not only choose the ways of the cross rather than the ways of sword, but who are bold enough to honestly consider how the way of the sword has impacted what we believe about the way of the cross.

Otherwise, if our sin is not genuinely addressed, we may tragically confuse the way of the sword as the way of the cross.

For the sake of our culture, for the sake of the victims of gun violence, and for the sake of our public witness, may we boldly address how our gun problem is a sin problem.

Now I want to hear from you. How does this resonate with you? Is there something from your own experience you'd like to share? Feel free to share your thoughts with me.

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Thank you all for reading and for all the ways you support me and this project every week.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

-Ben

PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS

​Trading Jesus Christ for Jesus Barabbas​

​We Don't Define Power The Way Jesus Does.

​The Sin Of Christian Wrath​

​Hate Masquerading As Christian Love​

​Not Everything Happens For A Reason​

​Starting From Radical Compassion

​And who is my neighbor?​

​The Gospel Comforts the Disturbed and Disturbs the Comfortable​

​A Wrestling Faith​

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