What the Bible Tells One Christian about Gun Control

Since the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary, I have been overwhelmed and a little disturbed by how people of various political inclinations have rushed to capitalize on the opportunity to launch a debate over gun legislation. What has concerned me even more is how many people have tried to use Judeo-Christian Scriptures to justify pro-gun arguments.

One popular passage used by those opposed to gun control is Luke 22. In verses 35-38, Jesus tells his disciples,

“When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “No, not a thing.” He said to them, “But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was counted among the lawless’; and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.” They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” He replied, “It is enough.”

Some argue this means that Jesus is telling the disciples to arms themselves, and proponents of this interpretation often assert that Jesus is endorsing the use of weapons for self-defense.

However, by the reference to Hebrew Scripture, Luke’s implication seems to be is that Jesus tells his followers to bring swords to fulfill the words of Isaiah 53:11-12:

The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

If you read a little further, the self-defense interpretation makes less sense. Luke next describes Jesus’ time of prayer on the Mount of Olives and the arrival of a crowd intending to arrest Jesus.

When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police, and the elders who had come for him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!” (Verses 49-53)

Thus, in Luke’s gospel, Jesus reprimands his follower for cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant, who was among those coming to arrest Jesus (see also John 18). He does the same in Matthew, where elaborates on his opposition to violence, telling his disciple,

“Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matt 26:52-54)

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7) — one of his most extensive sermons in the canon — is full of arguments in favor of nonviolence:

• The Beatitudes:

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. … Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. … Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (verses 5-9)

• He even goes so far as to call for doing good to, and even loving, one’s enemies: 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. (verses 38-42)

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous … (verses 43-48)

Please understand, I am not saying that guns are bad, or evil. Growing up in Appalachia, I would have to have willfully ignored the number of people for whom hunting is important to keep food on the table. I also believe in self-defense. I don’t even think private citizens’ gun ownership should be banned. But regulation is not the same as prohibition. As I have noticed many gun control advocates observe, if we recognize that people should be instructed and licensed in order to use a car to reduce the risk of accident and injury to self and others, why wouldn’t we want the same for guns?

Most of all, though, I believe that Christians have a responsibility to look for nonviolent ways to respond to threatening situations. For one thing, it is irresponsible to deny that accidents with guns will happen, just as they do with motor vehicles. But more than that, for those who would call themselves followers of Jesus, it is important to follow his example of responding to others with empathy and love.

We should love enough to reach out to young people who may be suffering emotionally and/or psychologically. We should not react to the perpetrators of violence with hate, and rather than chastising their families or whomever we might lay the blame upon we should work to promote a culture of caring.

From a practical standpoint, hate and blame-laying don’t change what has happened in the past. But treating others with love and respect is a good start toward reducing the chance of future pain. We cannot eradicate evil from the world, but we can stand against it by letting the Spirit work through us to counter evil with God’s love.

Mental Health and Faith Communities

It has been almost a year since I last posted, but when I read the following I knew it was time to start sharing here again. 

Glen Roseman is a successful entrepreneur who was diagnosed with bipolar and obsessive compulsive disorders 25 years ago. His story, which he shared through the National Alliance on Mental Illness's NAMIFaithNet March newsletter, is remarkable in several ways. 

Glen's symptoms started at age 17. This didn't stop him from earning his college music degree, though. He lived with these health conditions for 10 years before seeking professional help. He writes:

"I will never forget my psychiatrist’s reaction to my condition: She told me I was a miracle. I was one of the few patients she had ever encountered who had never tried to ease the symptoms with drugs, alcohol or sex. I attribute this to my deep faith in God, which carried me through all my years of darkness."

What an amazing testimony to the power of faith and the strength of the human spirit! Unfortunately, other Christians did not always behave as such toward Glen:

"I lost 12 jobs in the first 10 years of marriage due to consequences of my illness. Many of my employers were churches where I worked as a minister of music. Though I possessed all the gifts for this work, this environment often proved unforgiving. I was repeatedly let go by clergy who expressed no desire to understand my disease. I spent years working in places I did not belong."

As leaders and members of faith communities, we have to be on guard against such prejudice against those with mental health conditions. The last place people such as Glen should feel like they don't belong is within churches. It is vital to remember that when Jesus taught that we should love one another, he didn't make exceptions for those we don't understand, or those who might make us uncomfortable.

There are many organizations, including NAMI, that offer guidance for those who want to eliminate the stigma attached to mental illness in faith communities as well as other organizations. Check out the links below for more information.

Related links

• Read Glen's complete story (Scroll down to the article "Faith, Creativity and Managing Recovery"
• Visit the business Glen and his wife created
• Nonprofit foundation Glen and his wife founded 
  

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

• NAMI home page
• NAMI FaithNet
• State and local information/resources 
  

Other Organizations 

• Mental Health Advocacy Coalition (MHAC)
• National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH)
• Mental Health section on MedlinePlus (a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine)

How should we define tithing?

I came across this blog post "Giving Joyfully" via Shane Raynor's recommendation. The author, Jessica Miller Kelley, suggests that tithing does not have to go exclusively to one's religious community — that gifts to other charitable causes can be considered appropriate beneficiaries. It's an interesting concept, and I see the merit in it. At the same time, I know how churches struggle to pay the bills, and how disturbing this idea must be to those fighting to keep congregations afloat.

This brings to mind a prominent theme in the United Methodist Church today, that we are called to "extravagant giving,"  and what that means in a place and time where there are thousands of worthy causes unaffiliated with religion.

(There is plenty of information about this concept online and particularly in the writings of Rev. Robert Schnase and elsewhere online, but if you are looking for a quick introduction, try these links to a sermon introducing the idea and a list of scriptural sources upon which the idea is based.)

What I have read about extravagant giving is focused on giving to the church, but should the people of the church focus so specifically on church-sponsored efforts? Or should donations to other resources come from what one can give after the church's 10 percent is met?

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that it's easier for me to voice these questions because I have so little in the way of monetary assets anyway as a full-time grad student. Still, it's an issue that I know I will deal with again in a more meaningful way, presuming that gainful employment at a living wage is awaiting me after graduation.

I'm interested in what you think. How do you allocate your giving to various causes and organizations, and how do you deal with these questions about how and to whom we should give?

Studying Natural Revelation

Yesterday, I was cramming for my final exam in Intro Christian Theology. This class has been challenging for me because of all its complexities — who said what when, how Greek philosophy fits in, all those Latinate terms, etc. It doesn't take long for me to feel like I'm drowning in several millennia worth of discourse, doctrine, and dogma. So, when my cycling through my notes brought me to kinds of divine revelation, I opted to go outside and study natural revelation for a while.
For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of Dr. Lancaster's class, the best explanation I can offer of natural revelation is described in Psalm 19:1-4:

The heavens declare the glory of God;
         And the firmament shows His handiwork.
 Day unto day utters speech,
         And night unto night reveals knowledge.
 There is no speech nor language
         Where their voice is not heard.
 Their line has gone out through all the earth,
         And their words to the end of the world. (NKJV)

 So, out I went to see what experience of divine revelation might be waiting for me. The sun was bright and warm, the sky a brilliant blue, the breeze almost playful. But what I noticed most was how very green it was. In a few places around my apartment complex grass has just sprouted, and some of the trees were unfolding their leaves. The new growth was such an intense green that it seemed almost phosphorescent. This green didn't just look healthy and new; it emanated life and energy. 

I had to force myself back inside eventually and return to my notes on this laptop with its feeble battery. My studying felt more fruitful and interesting, and I didn't panic too much when I faced the exam this morning. A determination on the quality of my essays is pending, but I'm not too worried about that right now. (I know this is a shock to those of you who know how obsessive I can get about grades). That doesn't matter so much right now because I'm still basking in the reflected light and life I absorbed during my natural revelation study session.

Thank you, Professor God!

The Church as Our Family

This morning, I was at Linworth United Methodist Church for there was an interesting mix of news and prayer list items. During announcements, we heard about a debt reduction campaign and the upcoming annual garage sale. There were two rosebuds on the altar in honor of two babies born, one of whom was at an earlier service, and a couple announced their engagement. Moving from joys to concerns, we were reminded the memorial service for a member of the church was set for the afternoon. It struck me that this was quite a diverse microcosm of life.

Then, Pastor Rae Lynn Schleif talked about the church as a family. This made a lot of sense to me, just in light of the news shared shortly before. In my close extended family, there are always a dozen significant matters going. Seldom is there a clear time for weeping or dancing, as Ecclesiastes tells us; the tears of joy follow the same track down our faces as the tears of sorrow. What means so much to me is that family is there for me no matter what.

At some point, though, we all need a surrogate family. One of the clearest reasons I ended up in seminary is that I feel compelled to try to help bring others that essential sense of family love and support. I pray I can learn to convey this more effectively, both now and when I am back out in the “real world.”

Geese, revisited

I was taking a walk on a nice day earlier this week on campus and enjoyed catching a familiar sight: Canada geese swimming in the pond and strutting around on the bank.

(By the way, the die-hard copy editor in me feels the need to point out that, yes, it is Canada geese rather than Canadian.)

A few times, I was amazed that one of the ones waddling didn't topple over, tripping over its webbed feet as it swayed widely with each step. Then I would look at the ones gliding across the water's surface, knowing those feet were paddling like mad below.

These geese were a pleasant reminder that spring is coming back soon. And as I watched them, I  reflected the concepts I shared in my recent post on the goose as a symbol for the Spirit. Another parallel popped in my head today after listening to several fellow seminary students talk about call experiences.

It seems to me that a really good, inspired preacher is a lot like a goose. Such a speaker sometimes shows an audience a beautiful image of a life filled with the Spirit that makes the soul glow with joy. The secret is that the speaker puts a lot of effort and energy into research, prayer and contemplation, and delivery, and the great ones make it look easy.

But then again, all of us have to step outside our element sometime. There will always be some situation in which we look like those bumbling geese on land.

My hope is that when I'm playing the waddling goose, others won't laugh too hard, and my goal is to be as generous when those around me have their turn on dry ground.

The Holy Spirit, descending like a wild goose?

I found the following on the Web site of Wild Goose Creative (http://www.wildgoosecreative.com/Wild_Goose_Creative___About.html)

We found that the wild goose is an image from the ancient Celtic church. They used the wild goose, as opposed to the traditional dove, to represent the Holy Spirit. They felt that a life in pursuit of the Spirit was a messy, noisy, exciting process, sometimes successful, sometimes not. ...

We also found that geese model a number of things we hold dear: they mate for life, they live in community, male and female share responsibilities, and they share leadership, most notably in the shape of the flying V, where a different goose takes the lead after one tires.

I like this idea of envisioning the Spirit as something a little more approachable — more relatable. I'm a pretty clumsy person, and I tend to feel pretty awkward, so I feel a lot less intimidated by this image of the Spirit, and by extension God's grace, in a form that's not so "graceful." It reminds me of a friend who often addresses her prayers to "Papa God."

Giving up "X" for Lent

I find this interesting: Pastors debate value of Lenten sacrifices - UMC.org. Growing up, I went to a church that did not observe Lent. I might not have heard of it until college, I think. It struck me as an odd practice, since I didn't see how giving up chocolate, caffeine, or the like makes one closer to God, or more humble and penitent.

Once, someone mentioned that her mother, who is a pastor, teased her about giving up ice cream. She asked her daughter in a mildly ironic tone whether she thought God really cared about that particular eating habit. Her response was, "Shut up, Mom, I'm doin' it for Jesus!"

It seems to me that giving up something one enjoys only makes sense if the time and/or money freed up goes instead to the church or a charity. If anything, this sounds more like a New Year's resolution. I have to agree with the minister who challenged her daughter about ice cream; I don't think God cares about me depriving myself of my favorite treat. I can't imagine caffeine withdrawal to be in the same category as self-sacrifice by crucifixion.

So what is my Lenten sacrifice this year? I'm cutting my time vegging in front of the TV or computer and trying to use that time for more service to my church and reading and reflecting in an effort to become a better person. I hope God sees this as a good implementation of this ritual.

Young clergywomen blaze new trails - UMC.org

It takes a lot strength for these women to overcome perceived gender roles and the disapproval of family to follow the path they feel a calling for. I admire them greatly, and at the same time feel grateful that my family remains loving and supportive when my beliefs diverge from theirs. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Epiphany | gaiarising.org

I am interested to hear opinions on this article. I found its take on historical context thought-provoking. Here's an excerpt:

A careful reading of Luke’s first two chapters reveals that Luke’s purpose was actually to create a birth story for Jesus that would counter the birth story for the Roman Emperor, Augustus. Augustus was hailed as king of kings, lord of lords, god of gods, begotten not made, born of an earthly woman (Atia), fathered by a heavenly ruler (Apollo). Luke countered the birth of Empire with the new birth of Covenant. Worse (from the point of view of imperial public relations departments), Luke declared that the crazed prophet known as “the Baptist” was the one who prepared the way for the one who was soon to be born, “King of the Jews.” ...