Guns And The Gospel!

I am thinking this morning about an interesting conversation I had  with a colleague the other day.  A person who is a much clearer thinker than myself.  I was telling him about my book, that was recently publish, concerning the way people try to limit God. 

The subject of liberal and conservative theological thinker came up. He said something like: “It is not about conservative or liberal.  It is just about what Jesus taught.”  

That caught me off guard a bit.   So I just listened!

I didn’t get his point at first; because he was being a little vague. Going in a direction away from what he was thinking.  Which was gun control. And instead, actually talking about Sunday’s Gospel!

And so I asked, what does that have to do with the issue of conservative and liberal thinking?  

He looked at me, with a huge question mark on his face, and said: “Clearly, it is against everything Jesus represents!”

He was talking about the recent school shooting in Florida.  And the government's, seeming, lack of interest in gun control. In his mind it was clear cut!  And since he knew what the connection was; because his mind had been on the sermon before I came in. He verbalized his sermon prep.  

I smiled, and thought to myself, I do that all the time!  And people often say to me: ‘What are you talking about!”

Anyway, with the topic cleared up, my mind began to engage in his thinking process.  The conversation went on for sometime.  I listened mostly!  Agreeing with all of what he was saying.  

Today my mind is truly engaged in the issue of gun control and the Gospel.  And I am astounded at my lack of Gospel passion on the subject. My first thought this morning was:  I abhor guns, what they represent, and the irreversible damage they can do. However, I haven’t spent a great deal of time truly processing all of that.  At least in a theological way!

Now to be fair, to my simple mind, Jesus never spoke of guns.  That could be the reason I never broached the subject.  

And yet, at the some time, I have been very aware of the theological dichotomy in how some people deal with the abortion issue in our culture today.  Where the theme is “thou shall not murder!”  And then they use guns to kill those who preform abortions.  Right?  I have written about such dichotomies from time to time.

My mental juices are flowing full force now.  

All these years that I ha have preached about Jesus’ radical reversal of the innate human need to destroy life.  And yet, guns have never been the topic of my sermons or writings.  I have always been against guns.  Since I was a little girl they were “wrong.”  But I never connected guns with the Gospel.  

Interesting!

Then, last night when, I watch the nightly new; and I watched those teen-agers, stand strong in their convictions.  Challenging the establishment’s stand on gun control.  So informed!  Very articulate!  Not intimated! I was so extremely proud of them.  

And a lot ashamed of myself!

Jesus’ call to love has no place for the destructive mentality of our present leadership.  Actually the mentality of many people in our world today.  

4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.(Is. 2:4)

How did I ever not connect that with the Gospel?????