On December 5th, 2015, Liberty University
President Jerry Falwell made the following
comments:
“I’ve always thought if more
good people had conceal-carry permits then we could end those Muslims before
they walk in and kill. I just want to take this opportunity to encourage all of
you to get your permit. We offer a free course. Let's teach 'em a lesson if
they ever show up here.”
Various media published the quote. The predictable
uproar resulted in Liberty University responding the next day with a clarifying statement:
Liberty University’s policy
of allowing students, faculty, and staff to carry weapons on campus was as a
result of a school shooting at Virginia Tech, about an hour from Liberty's
campus.
Reverend John Piper, chancellor of Bethlehem College &
Seminary responded with a post on his Desiring
God blog entitled “Should Christians Be Encouraged to Arm Themselves?” When
John Piper writes, many people listen -- as they should -- as Piper
consistently proclaims the Gospel with eloquence, warmth, and precision.
In his blog post, Piper writes:
“I can say with complete
confidence that the identification of Christian security with concealed weapons
will cause no one to ask a reason for the hope that is in us. They will know
perfectly well where our hope is. It’s in our back pocket.”
The post concluded:
“This article is about the
people whom the Bible calls “refugees and exiles” on earth; namely, Christians.
It’s about the fact that our weapons are not material, but spiritual (2
Corinthians 10:4). It is an argument that the overwhelming focus and thrust of
the New Testament is that Christians are sent into the world — religious and
non-religious — “as lambs in the midst of wolves” (Luke 10:3). And that exhorting the lambs to carry concealed
weapons with which to shoot the wolves does not advance the counter-cultural,
self-sacrificing, soul-saving cause of Christ.” (Emphasis
mine)
These and other responses to recent events have caused many
to adopt the superficially
compelling, apparently biblical model of Christian Pacifism. Others are uneasy
or uncertain about the role, utility, and morality of force, but are not sure
if they can adopt a pacifist position.[1]
[1]
These are complex questions without simple answers. The great tragedy of our
current public discourse is the infantilization of language into
bumper-sticker-ready Facebook memes.
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