On far too many occasions I have heard grown American Christian men talk about the violence they would do if somebody were to jump them in the street or break into their house while they were there. Many people, at least the people that I have been around, have no moral hesitation when it comes to fighting and killing in the name of self defense. I want to challenge that absent hesitation.
I don’t really think I can count the number of times that I have heard somebody say “Well, once I turn the other cheek that’s it. It’s my turn to punch.” Please! Jesus commandments deserve a little more respect and intellect then that.
To a degree I want to make the point that self defense is exactly as self centered as it sounds. It is the exaltation of self over God. When it comes to the issue of defense this is where the rubber meets the road, or where the Christian should be meeting God.
Many of my Christian brothers have shared with me how they keep pistols in their houses for a just in case situation. Others carry guns on their body at all times. I can’t help but wonder whether they have already made up their minds as to who/what will be their defender in the day of trouble. It appears to me that they have already prepared their hearts for murder. How is this situation any different then predetermined murder? How is there any faith in the course of action that they have already for-planned?
The Christian life is to be a life of faith, love, and hope. Thus, to have a fixed plan of defense that charges violence upon the head of any future enemy has nothing to do with those three virtues. Rather than constructing a philosophy of self defense we should be preparing our hearts and minds to trust God even in the most uncertain moments.
Unless God defends us, we defend ourselves in vain. When our enemy is most untrustworthy let us not trust ourselves for the answer but may we learn to trust God.
In a culture of individualism, naturalism, and mucho machoism, it has become really hard for us to discuss this idea of non-retaliation. I wish not to make people angry with me but to cause people to converse with me at least about the possibility of non-retaliation. That we may do so from a biblical perspective. This really is an argument that can be so well argued on both sides that at times I just don’t know what I believe concerning it. Though I am more biased to non-resistance I cannot say for sure what my heart would choose in the day of trial. I do hope though, that if the day does come when I am faced with the threat of danger that I would be sensitive enough to hear Holy Spirit speak to me.
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6 comments:
I appreciate your thoughts here. People need to ask these kinds of questions.
I am absolutely against trigger happy Christians claiming their rights, as given to them by the state, and being willing to hurt or kill people at the drop of a hat, the loss of property, or unsubstantiated threats. Anyone who thinks about God ought to think about human life more critically than that.
I also think though that a man has a clear and universal right to protect his family, his property, and his life. When a person threatens any of those things, I generally advocate a reasonable defense. I think that killing someone should only be an absolute emergency though, when there is no other solution except violence to ensure survival, the protection of innocent life, or to prevent a reoccuring threat (i.e., when all-out war is necessary to end a continual threat against a peaceful existence).
Check out Luke 22:35-36:
Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?"
"Nothing," they answered.
He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you do not have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one."
He does not just say "By the way, take a sword too if you have one sitting around somewhere." He basically says "If you don't have a sword, sell your clothing to afford one." As in - you really need a sword right now.
This is the same Jesus who says "I tell you, do not resist an evil person." So what is the conclusion? How do we think about self-defense? Why in the world would we need a sword if God is looking out for us? These are good questions, and I don't know how to reconcile the whole matter.
I have a gun, and I sometimes carry one, because the world is an evil place. I generally think it is God's will that I prepare myself to survive the evils that are inherent in this world.
I had a coyote walk up on me recently in a dark, empty desert. I pulled my pistol out in a panic and was ready to shoot the poor thing when I realized it had come to my camp looking for a bite to eat. So I put the gun away and pulled out a muffin instead. I think that's generally how things should be handled.
I advocate people living by the Holy Spirit, and not running into situations with their minds made up, especially regarding use of force against others. I don't expect God to ever have me kill somebody. That would be horrible. I don't know what lies ahead though. The day might come where killing is the only way to prevent a more aweful outcome, and if that happens, I accept the reality of it.
I don't have a problem with Christians being armed or fighting to preserve innocent human life, including their own life - I personally think everyone should be armed all the time. Call me crazy, but I wish that every non-felon male over the age of 25 had a gun on them by law, and you'd only have to get a special permit if you wanted to carry hand grenades.
Maybe I am the product of Texas culture... I can't lie here though. I believe good people need to protect themselves, and the world at large, against the ever-present threat of evil.
Call me a pascifist, but everything you've said is right on. Not only do I believe and find affirmation that if Jesus were in any situation where the decision were to injure another or to be injured, he would take the blow.
We are the living embodiment of Jesus Christ, and I can honestly say that I don't think Christ would ever carry a handgun. Not only do they have fatal consequences for rash decisions, but they rob someone of a chance to know Jesus Christ.
We, who already know and understand his grace, should be willing to lay down our lives so that others may know him--even those who threaten our own lives. Isn't that EXACTLY what Christ did for us on the cross?
I wrote William a personal email last night in a state of moral despair.
Lydia, your comment perfectly identifies my problem: I think maybe my culturally-relevant ideas here are hogwash.
My thinking does seem contary to Jesus, and that is a very serious problem...
I have this thread of deep-south Texas culture running right through the heart of my Christian ideals, and I think that maybe that is wrong.
I would say "I repent!" but as of this moment, I could not do that honestly - I still need to work this out.
What I know for certain is that God protects His people who trust in Him. There is no "what if" or "just incase." And I know that the Lord's will for the Church is non-aggression.
So what else is left to be said? I suppose by the same impulse of conscience that I am not willing to cancel my family's health insurance, nor am I willing to cancel my home's fire and theft insurance, I am not willing to give up my pistol, though now I think that I would only use it to scare someone away...
How many unnecessary things have I surrounded myself with? "If the Lord does not protect the house than the watchman stays awake in vain."
And just last night I read in Isaiah "They shall learn war no more... nor shall they cause harm in all my holy mountain."
I will tell you this - I think that I am fundamentally wrong. How to be right on this matter though, I am still discovering (as in, right now). I need God to change my thinking.
Hey Daniel,
Dude, I appreciate the time and writing that you put into commenting here. I hope that as I post more on this matter that both you and I might come into a clearer understanding of God’s will for us in matters such as these.
Cousin in Law--Lydia,
Thanks for commenting. If I had to choose sides I would side with the pacifists. In my mind I would rather err on the side of peace making than on the side strife. The biblical evidence for pacifism and non-retaliation has proven to strong for me to choose against it. I used to not always think this way, and as a matter of fact, I couldn’t stand those who did. To speak truthfully and honestly, even though it may seem like I have my mind made up I am still searching for a greater revelation on this subject. Perhaps there is a balance somewhere that I just haven’t found yet.
Balance. That's the key.
I really think that the Bible has a tendency to present two opposite extremes that we are supposed to find a balance in.
Pacifism vs. Aggression
Predestination vs. Free Will
That's all I've got for now.
Regardless, cousin-in-law, I think it's important for people with opposite views to talk about them--not in an effort to change one another's minds but to offer a chance to experience a different perspective.
Daniel, no need to drop your pistol now, but I hope you'll continue to think about how our lives are in such stark opposition to the life of Christ in so many ways--even (and sometimes more often) because of what the Church has taught us.
A decade ago, a group of boys in the town where I lived and pastored broke into the home of one of my church members and beat her severely with her telephone. I was called to the hospital early on a Sunday morning and sat with her in the ER, trying to help keep her from bleeding everywhere. I was totally at a loss.
The following night, the same boys broke into the home of another woman in my church. As she willingly handed over her purse, car keys and a jar of pennies, she began praying in the Spirit, which freaked the guys out and they left without harming her. After the police and her son, she called me, and I arrived packing heat. She actually recognized one of the boys through his ski-mask as someone she used to babysity, and who had grown up in church. When she said his name, I went looking for him. I don't know what I would have done had I found him, although it was not my intention to kill him. I was known as the "pistol packin' preacher" for a long time after that.
I have to admit that I own guns, and I keep one loaded and handy in my home. We used to live behind a bar in a sometimes-rough neighborhood where there were shootings on occasion. One night someone pounded on my door after midnight and I met them gun-in-hand. Calling through the door, I discovered one of my young church members who was just stopping by to tell me something important. But I wasn't taking any chances.
I do not believe that Jesus' teaching about turning the other cheek had anything to do with standing by and letting your home be invaded by criminals or watching pacifistically while your family is brutalized. In fact, I think there would be enough evidence in Scripture to support a man defending his family against criminals. Criminals are not a personal enemy, they are a threat to civilized society and should be treated as such.
Would I actually shoot someone who broke into my house? I do not honestly know. With a family to defend, I would be prone to. But I also recognize the awesome power of God in such situations.
I'll never forget the words of an old missionary to Africa. He has stories to tell that would raise the hair on the back of your neck. When I was a kid, this missionary told about how the natives were sometimes hostile and would besiege his camp. My dad asked him what he would do if they ever attacked him, and the missionary replied, "I would rebuke them in the name of Jesus, and if they didn't 'buke', I have a gun."
These are just some random thoughts, so maybe it's something I should give a little more consideration to in the future.
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