My father gave me a .22 rifle for my 16th birthday. We shot it together at empty plastic milk containers for target practice far out of town. After heading off to college, my birthday rifle sat on a shelf for…
The Devil’s tool
When I was the age of my grandson Sam, I was enamored with the song “Ya Got Trouble” from the musical The Music Man. I even memorized it and performed it once or twice for some gatherings. It clearly did not…
Christian nationalism links gun rights and ‘Christian nation’ ideals in dangerous mix, Tyler and Hollman say
Americans who believe gun ownership is a God-given right and that the United States should be an officially Christian nation are among the most aggressive opponents of common-sense limits on firearms, Amanda Tyler and Holly Hollman said in a recent…
Our national golden calf is killing us
A recent draft Supreme Court opinion suggests that a majority of the justices on today’s court may be willing to overturn even long-settled precedent, at least when they think they are reversing the creation of a spurious constitutional right out…
On another classroom full of murdered children
Tuesday afternoon, May 24: My focus was the Republican primaries in my home state of Georgia. Donald Trump, in his continued efforts to protest the lost 2020 election and make sure he can never lose another one, had put up…
While we’re talking about guns in America, let’s talk about our fear-based theology that also drives gun sales
The sound of skidding tires filled the air as the car spun around, the window rolled down, and an arm reached out. It wasn’t until the third shot that I realized that I was staring down the barrel of a…
‘And deliver us from evil’ motivates some gun owners
The debate over gun ownership usually revolves around Second Amendment rights and the tension between personal and public safety. But a new study suggests that concern about supernatural evil is an additional motivating factor for some religious Americans who own…
‘Thoughts and prayers’ not enough to end gun violence, religious leaders say
It’s all too easy to fall into despair, give up or become cynical about the epidemic of gun violence gripping the nation. Latasha Hobbs of Jacksonville, Florida, says don’t do it. Don’t give in. “Our country is hurting. We have…
The right to bear arms: Be cautious in attributing that right to God
The Bible seems to be the most reasonable place to look for evidence that this right to bear arms, located within the founding papers of a civil government, is God-given.