Jesus and the American Right to Safety
Two weeks ago, I found a group of young adults loudly arguing in our church cafeteria. The group quieted some after I entered the room, but a young man from Nigeria was challenged — or dared — to repeat what he had been arguing to me. When he began to speak, I was rather disappointed at the lack of compassion and understanding he was being shown. They were all friends, but the conversation was dominated more by youthful zeal than by charity. I sat down to really take in what he was saying, and the conversation that ensued led me into a theological tailspin that still leaves me reeling a bit. Admittedly, I’m blogging with questions. Not necessarily with answers.
Muslim herdsmen and Christian farmers have been violently clashing over the past several months in Jos, Nigeria. The conflict revolves around religion and land: Christians fleeing discrimination in the north of Nigeria have been resettling in the areas around Jos but have only been met with more hostility from local Muslim cattle herders.[1] The young man mentioned above hails from that same city and has been agonizing over the safety of his family and loved ones. When I lived in Jos about ten years ago, I heard stories of fights between Muslims and Christians — and they are wars.
Rocks. Knives. Molotov cocktails. Guns.
But those were stories from years before I had arrived. Now, that same type of violence was erupting again, and the same fight-fire-with-fire mentality was now sitting before me in flesh and blood. A nineteen-year-old man in my congregation was feeling guilty for being safe in America while churches in his hometown were being burned and their congregants killed. He wanted to go home and fight the Muslims. This is what started the argument.
Without getting into the details of the conversation, suffice it to say that I think the whole group learned a bit about cross-cultural relationships, charitable disagreement, and brotherly love. It all ended with several minutes of tearful prayer for peace in Nigeria and relief for the people of God. It was when I was left alone that my tailspin began. I disagreed with this young man’s desire to go home and kill Muslims. I told him the Church was commanded to respond to persecution with flight, not fight (Matthew 10:23). I said that our reaction to violence done against us because of our Christianity would either be a representation or misrepresentation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:21–23).
And then I felt like a hypocrite. A compassionate hypocrite, but a hypocrite nonetheless.
In just under three weeks, it will be a year since the deadliest church shooting (fifth-deadliest mass shooting) in modern US history.[2] On Sunday, November 5, 2017, Devin Kelley entered the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas and killed 26 people — the youngest victims were an eighteen-month-old and an unborn baby.[3] The horror and heartbreak of Kelley’s massacre sparked a movement toward armed security in churches across the nation.[4] And why not? I have a friend whose sister-in-law was in the Sutherland Springs church when the shooting happened. She said it was the stuff of nightmares. She could hear Kelley’s footfalls as he walked up and down the church shooting one victim after another. When he came to her pew, he shot the woman lying next to her several times. But she was spared.
As Americans, it is ingrained in us that we have the right to stand up for ourselves. We value the sovereignty of the individual, champion their inherent dignity, and applaud the underdogs when they push back against those abusing power. It’s a cultural value that many consider to be part of our constitution: not even the government can trample on individual sovereignty without the potential for repercussion. But does that American right extend to the Christian Church? I am a pastor, and I want to keep my congregation safe. More importantly, I am a husband and father. I certainly want to keep my wife and little boy safe.[5] But how far can we go in our churches to ensure that congregants are safe from acts of violence? Does Scripture permit the use of lethal force? Can my ushers pack while passing the offering plates? Can our greeters be carrying firearms while I serve communion? Are these elements reconcilable in the house of God?
In an article published immediately after the shooting in Sutherland Springs, Ed Stetzer said that it is now naïve for pastors and church leaders to overlook security concerns.[6] While Stetzer does not outright encourage armed security in said article, he acknowledges it as the path some congregations have elected to take. While I appreciated his compassionate and thoughtful tone, he wrote under the presupposition that churches have the right to protect themselves. Where I found more mental — and emotional — traction, however, was in two contrasting articles written by John Piper and Bob Thune respectively.
Piper wrote a lengthy article in response to comments made by a prominent evangelical leader encouraging students at his university to obtain guns and concealed-carry permits.[7] Disturbed by the bravado behind the remarks, Piper felt compelled to offer a nine-point thesis on why that is an unacceptable response of the Church to terrorism and mass shootings. For Piper, armed defense is essentially antithetical to Christian mission. True to his convictions and style, he offers a cogent and passionate articulation of why a non-violent response is the most biblical stance the Church can take. As I was reading through his arguments, I came to a clear point of diversion which, ironically, was juxtaposed to a clear point of laudable agreement.
In his eighth point, Piper resists the notion that the Church can construct a theology of self-defense based on a single scenario; namely, whether or not a man can defend his wife. Most American Christian men cannot imagine standing idly by and watching their wives be assaulted while they do little more than pray for the attack to stop. Personally, only God could help a man who dared to touch my wife in front of me. I agreed, however, that it is inadequate to suppose that our sentiments on this single matter can serve as justification for the actions of the entire Church against violent attacks. Where I parted ways with Piper was when he began to suggest that there is not even a biblical justification for defending one’s spouse. But he did not stop there; he went on to suggest that calling the police would also be “out of step with the mind of Christ.”
While I completely agree that building an entire ethic off of one scenario is too reductionist, I can in no way agree with the idea that Christians privileged with a government that will actually protect them are out of line to use it (Rom. 13:1–7; after all, Paul did in Acts 16:37; 22:25–29; 23:23–24; 25:10–12). I will also maintain that the use of force to defend one’s family is far afield from taking vengeance or demanding sinful retribution.[8] The latter are what Jesus forbade, and not the former. My wife and son are my neighbors that I am commanded to love just as much as anyone else is. And if I must ever choose between “loving” them or an assailant, there will be no need for deliberation. I appreciate Dr. Piper’s honesty about the inadequacy of crafting an ethic off of one scenario, but I see no justification for his subsequent conclusions.
Bob Thune argues in response that, for American Christians, the right of the government to wield the sword in Romans 13 extends to them by virtue of the constitution.[9] He notes that “the sword” Paul refers to in verse 4 is a single metaphor for the many expressions of justice that governments may use to punish the guilty. In the US, the private citizen also has government-sanctioned access to a “sword” that allows them to protect their homes and families. While I find Thune’s conclusions reasonable — and comforting — I find them painfully unfair. How does it help Christians in Jos? I suppose it is only Believers lucky enough to live in a nation like ours that have the option of self-defense.
I don’t imagine we’ll reach a conclusion to this debate anytime soon. I am still unsure about whether churches ought to have armed security, or if that is an inhibition to our Gospel mandate. Perhaps we can pursue non-lethal means of protection or leave the lethality to authorities by hiring local police officers during services; anything to avoid sanctioning violence.[10] For now, I cannot say how I would feel about hiring armed personnel on my church staff, but I also cannot say I that will make any impositions against a congregant’s civil right to bear arms. If that makes me a hypocrite, I am more than prepared for the Holy Spirit to expose the duplicity of my heart. I desperately want my family to be safe, but I more desperately want Jesus to get the glory He deserves — even if it costs me my comfort.
God help us.
[1] Bentley, Cara. “‘Something Needs to Be Done or the Church Will Be Destroyed’ Says Nigerian Christian.” Premier, Premier Christian Media Trust, 9 Oct. 2018, www.premier.org.uk/News/World/Something-needs-to-be-done-or-the-church-will-be-destroyed-says-Nigerian-Christian.
[2] Ahmed, Saeed. “2 Of the 5 Deadliest Mass Shootings in Modern US History Happened in the Last 35 Days.” CNN, Cable News Network, 6 Nov. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/11/05/health/deadliest-mass-shootings-in-modern-us-history-trnd/index.html.
[3] Calfas, Jennifer, and Mahita Gajanan. “Texas Church Shooting in Sutherland Springs: What We Know.” Time, Time, 5 Nov. 2017, http://time.com/5010772/texas-sutherland-springs-church-shooting/.
[4] Chavez, Nicole. “Security Becomes a Top Priority for Churches after Texas Massacre.” CNN, Cable News Network, 11 Nov. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/11/11/us/church-protection-shooting-attacks/index.html.
[5] To clarify, I readily support the right to defend one’s family or neighbor from violence — and I shared this with my Nigerian brother — but that is outside the aim of this blog. I am primarily concerned with whether the Church can collectively respond to violent persecution with violent defense.
[6] Stetzer, Ed. “Church Security: How Do We Keep Our Churches Safe in a World Where Evil Is Present?” The Exchange | A Blog by Ed Stetzer, Christianity Today, 8 Nov. 2017, www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2017/november/church-security-how-do-we-keep-our-people-safe-in-world-whe.html.
[7] Piper, John. “Should Christians Be Encouraged to Arm Themselves?” Desiring God, Desiring God, 22 Dec. 2015, www.desiringgod.org/articles/should-christians-be-encouraged-to-arm-themselves.
[8] Hamilton, Michael T. “Should Christians Bear Arms, Turn Cheeks, or Both?” ERLC, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, 22 May 2015, http://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/should-christians-bear-arms-turn-cheeks-or-both.
[9] Thune, Bob. “Why I Disagree with John Piper on Christians and Concealed Weapons.” Bobthune.com, 23 Dec. 2015, www.bobthune.com/2015/12/why-i-disagree-with-john-piper-on-christians-and-concealed-weapons/.
[10] Woods, Mark. “Armed Guards at US Churches: Why It’s Tempting, and Why It’s Wrong.” Christian Today, Christian Today, 13 Aug. 2015, www.christiantoday.com/article/armed-guards-at-us-churches-why-its-tempting-and-why-its-wrong/61869.htm.
