In light of the recent killing of 11 Jews in a synagogue, a suggestion was made by President Trump, that it might not have happened if there was an armed guard in the building.
Yeah, and if you bought a Powerball ticket, you might have won.
An extension of this argument has been raised – let’s arm clergy.
My answer to that – not this clergy person. No way, no how. How can I possibly preach consistently if I am armed with a weapon? Or is our safety more important than the Gospel? How do I preach with my mouth a message of love, forgiveness, trust, and mercy, and then go and carry a weapon on my body in worship? How do I preach a message that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us and at the same time carry a weapon in worship? It is not congruent. How do I proclaim a message that Jesus tells us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow him and at the same time arm myself with a weapon – which exclaims the polar opposite. The actions that I do are louder than the words that I speak. I will not carry a weapon – especially in worship. I would rather quit.
A clergy person arming themselves in worship means they don’t believe what they are preaching. A clergy person arming themselves proclaims for all to hear that Jesus doesn’t call for us to die, so that resurrection can happen. It proclaims that protecting our lives is more important than anything Jesus proclaims or promises.
The Gospel isn’t some feel good, comfortable message. It is a message that is very uncomfortable, that calls on us to die to self and our selfish desires – even our own safety. It is a message that calls on followers of Jesus to pick up our cross – the very thing that will kill us – and to willingly carry it to our deaths. That’s what Jesus did and that’s what Jesus calls on his followers to do. Don’t take my word for it – read Scripture. Read Jesus’ words. It’s all there.
The Gospel message isn’t a message about preserving our safety. Or our rights. It is a message about giving up everything in life to follow Jesus. Jesus plays for keeps – he wants the whole kit and caboodle. We don’t get to compartmentalize our lives with Jesus – choosing what parts of our life fall under Jesus’ jurisdiction and what doesn’t.
Following Jesus was never meant to be safe. Following Jesus cost people their lives – it still does in parts of the world. Following God cost 11 Jews their lives this past week. Would an armed guard have been able to stop the man who did it? I doubt it. Maybe, but is arming everyone the answer to this sickness and addiction to violence and guns? No.
I do know this much – our nation and culture has become literally insane. Too many Christians believe that the way to stop violence is through more violence – the exact opposite of what Jesus taught and lived. Too many Christians are willing to excuse murder, violence, and dehumanization of people in the name of political rights and false safety. Too many Christians aren’t willing to name the sin that exists – the worship of guns and violence in our nation.
Too many Christians fully embrace the theology of glory and reject the theology of the cross. In 1518, Martin Luther wrote “A theologian of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theologian of the cross calls the thing what it actually is.” (Heidelberg Disputation, point 21). The violence that is occurring is a sin. It is evil. Is it wrong.
Talking about guns has become more taboo than discussing the divine nature of Christ. I don’t say that lightly. Far too many Christians think that following Jesus means we get to pick and choose what we follow. Too many Christians believe that Jesus has no say over their ideology, political beliefs and loyalty. Apparently Jesus isn’t allowed in politics. Apparently Jesus isn’t Lord of everything – God forbid he be allowed to speak on political matters, or about our money, or our rights, or our freedoms. We might not like what he has to tell us. We might not like the implications of what he is commanding us to do if we are to continue claiming the label as his follower. And then what? What happens when there is a conflict between our ideological/political beliefs and our faith? Too often our faith is set aside, excuses are made, and we reject Jesus in favor of doing things our way – we think we are smarter than God.
Instead of doing something to end the violence, we choose to do nothing and suffer the consequences – blood on our hands for valuing guns above people. Blood on our hands for valuing violence over people. Blood on our hands for valuing death over people. Sound extreme? Then explain how we continue to allow this to happen as we sit by and do nothing. We have made our decision as to what is more important and valuable to us as a society – it isn’t the people of the society. It isn’t even our cherished safety. Safety is just a line that is used to maintain the status quo. It is the idols we create. That’s what we have chosen.
Lord have mercy on our souls.
Laced up Lutheran 
I tread lightly here. You are too young to remember the days when guys took their guns to school and stored in the “cloak room” (ever hear that term for a school closet🤗?) because after school they were going hunting. Hard for some to shake that memory to conceive what the purpose of guns has become today…….still for hunting but in addition to feel they are armored to protect themselves….for some that is the only reason to carry!
I, too, cannot imagine sitting in church listening to a pastor who has a concealed weapon on his person. The day that we have an armed guard at the doors is the day I will know we have gone to hell in a handbasket….yes, incongruent! But for many the thought of being unarmed equates to being sitting ducks. But how would a guard at the door be able to kill a would be intruder before such intruder kills the guard? How would one member be able to overcome the intruder before being killed himself.
Perhaps if everyone fell to their knees in prayer, which would not be easy in the middle of chaos, the event might have a different outcome. Just saying. Maybe. Trust. Willing to die in the name of faith….still scary.
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Lynne, you’re right there was a time when bringing a gun to school was not an issue. I wish those times remained. But they are long gone.
As for sitting ducks, that’s exactly what Jesus calls us to be.
Luke 14:26 has Jesus saying the following: “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”
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I very much appreciate your position with this.
Here in Texas we have churches that teach concealed carry classes to their members. Pastors armed is old news here. It also is NOT the Gospel of Jesus.
Jesus did not say, “Take up your M-16 and follow me”; instead, he said, “Take up your cross and follow me – OR YOU CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE”. Ouch!
Like anyone else, I fear the REAL Jesus too. He is more dangerous than any madman with a gun! And in a pinch, I, like Peter, may well flinch.
But right now while it’s all a safe conversation on a blog, we had better get right with Jesus. We can hope he will be gracious with us if we dodge our crucial responsibilities, but running around taking his name in vain in the meantime?
I wonder why bother calling on his name at all??? His own crucifixion is the centerpiece of his whole story and the reason I love him. Twisting that up and/or muddying the waters for others is a next order level of evil.
Great post!
Thanx for preaching this!
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Thanks for reading it and commenting X. Blessings.
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Well said, Matthew! Very well said!
What becomes of the Christian commitment to non-violence? I will not do it! I will not arm myself, or ask a guard to arm himself for my protection or that of others. Were the early disciples stupid for not being prepared to save Stephen from being killed by the mob? I don’t think so; counter-violence was not part of their perspective.
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What’s more insane, the person who uses violence to get their way, or the person who proclaims a God of peace and then turns to violence to stop violence. When will it end? We practice non-violence in order to end violence and acknowledge that violence is not the way, and it does not have a grip over us. It, and it’s promises, are empty. Thank you for your faithfulness Tim.
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Before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus actually told his disciples to sell their cloak and buy a sword if they didn’t have one. He knew their time for one-on-one teaching and learning in His presence was coming to an end and their time to live out what they’d learned from Him was upon them. Turning the other cheek isn’t always an option. That whole concept is taken out of context all too often. We, as believers, can very effectively preach the love of Christ while at the same time loving our own congregation enough to do our best to protect them while they sit in a worship service. In November of 2017, I received a phone alert at the beginning of our church service about the Sutherland Springs church shooting in Texas. As I sat there and as more alerts came in real-time, the casualty count continued to rise. I looked around me, noticing that we literally were “fish in a barrel”, much like the people in the little Texas church, who are going through the unthinkable at that very moment. It was right then that I decided I’d get my concealed carry permit to be able to at least give myself and those I love and worship with every week a fighting chance if evil – yes, evil – raised its ugly, but very real head in our midst. Last January, I, my wife, and my dad, the pastor, obtained our CCW permits and concealed carry every where we go, including church. Notice that we carry concealed…very few people are even aware…only the ones we’ve told. How can we preach life and love while carrying a weapon for self-defense? Because we believe in life and love.
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Tim, thanks for your comments and your perspective. While I don’t agree with the decision, I understand where you are coming from. Each church and pastor has to make this decision for themselves in their context. While yes, Jesus did say that, he also said to Peter those that live by the sword, die by the sword. He also said for us to pick up our cross, which would kill us. I could go on, but that’s not the point. This isn’t an easy subject and there are only messy options because of sin and brokenness. I had someone in my congregation suggest that I wear a bullet proof vest and conceal carry. I said no. For me I don’t believe I can be congruent in what I preach and then go and carry a weapon. I know other pastors that can. My biggest hope is that churches never have to use a weapon – which I’m sure is your hope also.
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