But. . .
When events like yesterday happen; when our country once again has to deal with a disturbed individual who felt the only recourse for his problems was to take the lives of others, that's when my spot in the middle becomes turbulent. My Facebook feed yesterday clearly showed the dichotomy at work. Many treasured friends were calling for stricter gun control measures, while other loved ones sought more guns, more protection, more shelter from villains and criminals.
Two completely different views. Both well thought out and based in various facts. But they have polar opposite methodologies. So which one is right? Which one represents the path that good Christians like us should follow?
In these cases, I am so glad for the guidance of scripture. Of course, the Bible doesn't specifically mention firearms, as they were created thousands of years after the texts came into being. But scripture does talk about weapons, warfare and the use of violence; all the things that undergird our modern problem. So when you read the Bible, some of the text might seem pro-gun. Protection was important then, as it is now. Many sections deal with armies at war, or travelers carrying swords to protect them from thieves. One friend on Facebook even pointed out that Jesus himself seems to endorse arming oneself. In Luke 22, he tells his Followers to “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one!" However, it must be noted that later on, when Jesus is about to be arrested, he tells his followers to ""Put away your sword, [for] Those who use the sword will die by the sword." (Matthew 26:52)
See how complicated this gets? Even in the Bible a conflicting viewpoint/argument rages.
Thankfully, scripture does eventually clarify its views when it comes to what people should ultimately do with their weapons. The Prophet Isaiah discusses it in Chapter 2:1-4 of his work when he sees a vision of the "End of Days." It's great times when all the righteous are united in God forever and "In the last days," Isaiah writes that:
"the mountain of the Lord’s house
will be the highest of all—the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
3 People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
his word will go out from Jerusalem.
4 The Lord will mediate between nations
and will settle international disputes.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore."
As Christians, we believe we can limitedly live into this eternal reality now by following Christ. So since this is our goal, when it comes to gun control, doesn't it make sense to seek the overall peace the verse discusses right now? It's a place far from gun violence and more importantly, there is nothing in the section about adding more weapons to the pile to bring forth the Kingdom. Rather, the solution involves working to manage and dissemble the arms we already have.
To me, that is a clear indication about the path we should take. The Bible shows that we need protection to navigate this broken world, but our greater purpose should be lessen the need for arms. We should be working to turn swords into plowshares even now. So why don't we? What would it look like for us as people? As communities? As a nation? As a world? That path is what we should seek, and I would love to hear where you think it might lie.
Feel free to respond, friends. But lets keep it respectful and sacred. Thanks everyone.
Bryson
