I posted something on my Facebook in response to the Charlottesville situation which generated some controversy. Apparently when I advocated for moderate and liberal Americans everywhere to arm themselves in the face of neo-Nazi hate, that was a little far for some people's taste. Since I have a platform of my own, I'd like to better explain myself.
I have made the case for violence before, but never in response to the actions of other Americans. In those past posts, I made it clear that we as Christians have a responsibility to live at peace with others as far as possible, but also that there are certain evil elements in this world who simply will not be reasoned with under any circumstances. I would not have joined the military and served honorably for almost ten years if I truly believed that the Gospel required us to be pacifists.
We are blessed and fortunate to live in a country where the rule of law is generally extremely strong, and acts of wanton evil are sporadic and highly localized. In other parts of the world where bands of evil men roam more freely, the task often falls to the US military to intervene on behalf of those who can't protect themselves. Here, we trust our valued members of law enforcement to handle that task for us. The cases in which a person might have to exercise their Second Amendment rights in defense of their own life or the life of an immediate bystander are pretty rare.
Nevertheless, there are elements of people within this great country of ours who prey on the defenselessness of others. Whether we're talking about violent inner city gangs, or the thugs this weekend who wore body armor and swung billy clubs at the elderly and women, there are always going to be people who use the threat of violence as a means of intimidation and coercion against those who are less capable of defending themselves.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a very congenial person who can hardly be described as a fighter. My stance on the use of force has always been that it should be a last resort...but it is unequivocally an option when faced with unrepentant evil. I would like to believe that if a band of men wearing SS uniforms and riot gear were doing violence to someone simply on the basis of the color of their skin, I would try my absolute best to at least de-escalate and at worst outright resist them before they harmed someone. Isaiah 1 is the beginning of a long indictment of the people of Israel for their neglect of the Lord's commands. It reads, in part:
I have made the case for violence before, but never in response to the actions of other Americans. In those past posts, I made it clear that we as Christians have a responsibility to live at peace with others as far as possible, but also that there are certain evil elements in this world who simply will not be reasoned with under any circumstances. I would not have joined the military and served honorably for almost ten years if I truly believed that the Gospel required us to be pacifists.
We are blessed and fortunate to live in a country where the rule of law is generally extremely strong, and acts of wanton evil are sporadic and highly localized. In other parts of the world where bands of evil men roam more freely, the task often falls to the US military to intervene on behalf of those who can't protect themselves. Here, we trust our valued members of law enforcement to handle that task for us. The cases in which a person might have to exercise their Second Amendment rights in defense of their own life or the life of an immediate bystander are pretty rare.
Nevertheless, there are elements of people within this great country of ours who prey on the defenselessness of others. Whether we're talking about violent inner city gangs, or the thugs this weekend who wore body armor and swung billy clubs at the elderly and women, there are always going to be people who use the threat of violence as a means of intimidation and coercion against those who are less capable of defending themselves.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a very congenial person who can hardly be described as a fighter. My stance on the use of force has always been that it should be a last resort...but it is unequivocally an option when faced with unrepentant evil. I would like to believe that if a band of men wearing SS uniforms and riot gear were doing violence to someone simply on the basis of the color of their skin, I would try my absolute best to at least de-escalate and at worst outright resist them before they harmed someone. Isaiah 1 is the beginning of a long indictment of the people of Israel for their neglect of the Lord's commands. It reads, in part:
Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.[a]
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.
In my mind, this is a pretty clear mandate to stick up for those who can't defend themselves.
So what am I proposing? Should every God-fearing Christian run out and start gunning down neo-Nazis wherever they hide? No. However, if men in white robes come into your neighborhood to burn down the houses of your non-white neighbors, and you have the means to prevent them from doing so until the police arrive, I would posit to you that you do, in fact have a moral obligation (and I daresay a Biblical mandate) to act.
What I am essentially saying is that I am against the idea of a force monopoly. I believe that the best way to counteract armed evil is with armed good. The Second Amendment was enshrined in our Constitution precisely because the Founders knew the inherent danger of granting a force monopoly to the government, which is why they wanted the people to always maintain their popular sovereignty through the right to keep and bear their individual arms. Just as the Founders never intended for us to lay down and die simply because a government said so, I believe that God occasionally grants his people the right of self-defense.
I have always considered myself politically moderate. Though I often trend conservative on many issues, I refuse to be so narrow-minded (indeed, I lack the incapacity of thought required) to hew exclusively to one political viewpoint. I will consider the merits of a libertarian or liberal view, just as I would hope that a reasoned discourse with such a person might help them see the merits of a conservative view.
What I am proposing is that we, the thinking and rational majority of this country, need to be prepared to defend the moderate middle of the political spectrum with the same ardor which the extreme right and left have brought to bear. No longer can we allow thugs of any political shade to do violence and intimidate others into bowing to their totalitarian agendas. If ever another Civil War were to erupt in this country (and God please forbid it), I would certainly hope to find myself on the same side as those people who were fighting to restore order and decency, not advance a crackpot agenda.
What I am essentially saying is that I am against the idea of a force monopoly. I believe that the best way to counteract armed evil is with armed good. The Second Amendment was enshrined in our Constitution precisely because the Founders knew the inherent danger of granting a force monopoly to the government, which is why they wanted the people to always maintain their popular sovereignty through the right to keep and bear their individual arms. Just as the Founders never intended for us to lay down and die simply because a government said so, I believe that God occasionally grants his people the right of self-defense.
I have always considered myself politically moderate. Though I often trend conservative on many issues, I refuse to be so narrow-minded (indeed, I lack the incapacity of thought required) to hew exclusively to one political viewpoint. I will consider the merits of a libertarian or liberal view, just as I would hope that a reasoned discourse with such a person might help them see the merits of a conservative view.
What I am proposing is that we, the thinking and rational majority of this country, need to be prepared to defend the moderate middle of the political spectrum with the same ardor which the extreme right and left have brought to bear. No longer can we allow thugs of any political shade to do violence and intimidate others into bowing to their totalitarian agendas. If ever another Civil War were to erupt in this country (and God please forbid it), I would certainly hope to find myself on the same side as those people who were fighting to restore order and decency, not advance a crackpot agenda.
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