2020, symbol of sharp vision, confronts the American church with a piercing inward look

For a while, King David’s life went on as usual, unaffected by his clandestine activity with Bathsheba.  To David, normal was the daily life of Israelite royalty, in public honor, authority, and grandeur.  Eventually he found himself confronted with the disturbing news of Bathsheba’s pregnancy.  But to him, keeping life normal was as simple as covering up his actions in a way that led to the death of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, taking her as his wife, while celebrating with her the birth of their illicit son.

Sin and scandal riddled the highest level – in the God-chosen king himself!  Nonetheless, life went on as normal until Nathan showed up.

Nathan was a prophet of God, who served as one of King David’s chief advisors.  He and David were friends; they shared the common interest of serving the God of Israel.  Nathan had the highest regard and respect for his friend, who besides all of the wonderful things that he did to serve the nation had planned to honor God by building a Temple.  Little did Nathan suspect the evil side of his friend.  Then the shocking news came to his attention, and as a servant of God he had no choice but to confront King David.      

The prophet effectively exposed the King’s sin, convicting him in such a way that David confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13), seeing his act not just as oppression of a subject but as sin against God.  Nathan, citing God’s graciousness in forgiving sin, explained the consequences of causing God to be scorned.  David’s act opened God to ridicule.

Psalm 51 details David’s earnest prayer of confession and repentance.  Here are a few excerpts:

Have mercy on me, O God…

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions…

Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight…

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

David, like many others considered heroes of the Bible, sinned and needed God’s grace and forgiveness.  Christians today are no different and neither is the Church.  The common thread of all faithful servants of God is faithful humility and willingness to repent.

This year, 2020 has roused a Nathan moment to all in the United States who follow Jesus Christ.  Unlike anything in our national history, the video of the murder of George Floyd exposed the sin of systemic racism, and there is only one recourse – not denial and blame-shifting but genuine remorse and repentance before God.

David’s life changed after the Nathan moment; there was no return to his normal.  Before any of us who call ourselves followers of Christ seek for things to get back to our normal, perhaps we should realize that our normal is nothing to return to.  It was a conscious-numbing condition that left us inured to our sinfulness.  Going forward is all that we have, so fellow Christians let us like David gush with an earnest desire for God to create in us new hearts and renew us with His Holy Spirit, by which we are both sustained and made one!

Whether or not the United States of America truly turns away from racism and lives up to its platitudes – “One nation under God with liberty and justice for all” – true believers in America, I urge, please let us echo Jesus’ prayer for our oneness.  In doing so, we may indeed help the nation to mend this ugly flaw.

The Apostle John wrote to Christians in his day and afterward:

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.  My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 1:5-2:2 – NIV).

Fellow Christians in the United States of America, the recent killings of black Americans forcefully bring to our attention our national sin of which the church in America has been complicit.  John’s message appeals to us to recognize, admit, confess, and repent of our sins.  Americans who claim to be Christian yet absolve themselves of guilt are, according to John’s words, practicing self-deception – more bluntly, lying.  Jesus Christ is the resolution of this problem for all of us.  He forgives those who recognize, admit, confess, and repent of sinning.  In addition, He works with us to cleanse us of the root cause of sin within us.

It is as simple as that.

So what are we waiting for?  As an African American, I recognize, admit, confess, and repent of my participation in this sin.  Oh yes, although I have suffered much as a victim of racism, I too have sinned.  To those who cannot see their part in group-sin, please consider Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9.  Did he absolve himself of the sins of his fellow Jews, sins that personally he tried to avoid committing?  Take note of how God responds to his prayer, revealing His marvelous resolution.

Repentance is a change of mind like a 180-degree turnabout in attitude and behavior.  It does not involve pay back, because it is toward God, and there is no way to repay God for sin.  He paid for it Himself on the cross.  In joyful acceptance of His grace toward us, we relinquish ourselves to Him.

To Christians in America and everyone everywhere, repentance is not just something that takes place in a religious place or in our minds or on our knees.  The fruit of repentance involves concrete, outward, and comprehensive actions.  Let me suggest just a few related to division in this country:

1. Welcome everyone equally into fellowship.  Repent of racially segregated congregations, groups of all sizes, and organizations. 
2. Accept and celebrate the differences in people.  Repent of thinking of yourself as superior, or of others as inferior. 
3. Serve those who for whatever reason are in need.  Repent of hoarding the generous things that God gives to everyone, and of participating in societal practices that hold down others.

Welcoming, accepting, and serving form the acronym WAS.  Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit please bring about in us (individually and collectively in our churches) the day when racism no longer is but WAS!

Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck is a visual metaphor of white American oppression of African Americans. President Donald Trump, standing in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, holding high a Bible, after forcefully removing peaceful protestors, is a visual metaphor of Christo-Americanism embrace of racism and oppression.

Changing perspective to see the startling message!

I have explained in previous Blogs that the Nicene Creed was the fourth-Century Church’s attempt to combat heresy.  But to focus on the negative can cause us to overlook the good.  In this Blog, I will take a stab at mentioning the good message in the Nicene Creed – just a stab, because there is so much there that it would take many lengthy Blogs to do it justice.  This shift in perspective will unveil a beautiful portrayal of God and the fabulous message to us in this Creed.

About God, the Father: The Creator of everything, the one true God, is our Father!  One may respond, “So what” or “Ho hum.”  If that is your response, I ask you to consider this question:  Why does parental design permeate all forms of life on earth?  Every lifeform has a parent.  The answer: God the Father created material lifeforms after His parental mold.  The intimacy that we experience as parents and see expressed in nature between parent and child is but a microcosm of the love of the Parent of all.  This parent, not only a dada or mama, combines all of what we think of in father and mother.  That is why “Father” is such a powerful title of God.  Unlike concepts of pagan gods, the Father is not distant, aloof, uninvolved, and dissatisfied with His creation; He is not an original and powerful monad.  His almighty-ness was, is, and will always be directed favorably toward that which came from Him and is His.  Along with mother, there is no more intimate and wonderful title that one could bear. 

About Jesus, the Son: This Father has a Son, and both of them are one God.  Once again, intimacy is imbedded in the title of this Person, who is Lord of everything.  He is special to the Father and the Father to Him through their relationship that has been forever.  It was through the Son that the Father created, and it was for humanity that the Son, sent by the Father, willingly left the glory in heaven to become human as we – Jesus, son of a human virgin named Mary; here on earth, for us Jesus lived sinless and, at the hand of humans, suffered death by crucifixion to pay the price for human sins.  Such a selfless sacrifice is an indisputable proof of the love that the Father and Son have for us.  Then, the Father raised Jesus from the dead and restored Him to glory, where He awaits His promised return to earth as judge of all and King forever!  At last all creation will have a great and good King – Jesus the Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

About the Holy Spirit: The third Person of God, although neither the Father nor the Son but from both, is the Spirit sent forth, who hovered over the unformed creation and imparted life to the inanimate.  Jesus called Him the Paraclete, which translates to Advocate – once again, an intimate title of one who is with those who believe to help, guide, teach, and strengthen.  As God is to be worshipped so is He, for He is God.  It was He who spoke to and gave special powers to the prophets and servants of God, and by that same power the Son of God was impregnated into the womb of the Virgin Mary.  Through the Holy Spirit, human believers saved by Christ are united with God and sealed with a promise of ultimate glory.  Mysterious, the Holy Spirit is unseen and physically imperceptible; nonetheless the effect of His divine presence in the Church and each believer is evident in the long-term outcome.

About the Trinity: Both the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed are structured on the belief in one God in three divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  It is beyond the capacity of the human mind to comprehend three Persons in one God, but there are many things that we humans don’t understand.  It is not at all mystifying that for three Persons to be in one perfect relationship for eternity they must be bound by perfect love and oneness.  In fact, the true statement “God is love” could only be expressed in a relationship between individuals involving God.  Therefore it is understandable that the true God is one being with three Persons.  Amazingly, these three love humanity: the Father sent the Son to save us; the Son willingly came and sacrificed His life to take away our sins, saving us from death and granting eternal life with them; the Holy Spirit lovingly lives in us, transforming us inside to conform to Jesus’ perfect humanity.  The triune God loved humanity before creation and created us in love to share in holiness, oneness, and love forever.  That is fabulously good news!

About the Church: Jesus built a group of followers that He called “My ecclesia,” translated church in English (Matthew 16:18).  Church is not a building or place of worship; it is a group of people who believe and follow Jesus Christ.  There is only one Church, the purchased possession of Jesus its Head.   Because Jesus is holy, and the Spirit indwelling the Church is holy, the Church is holy.  It is composed of people from every tribe and nation, therefore katholikos (Greek) or catholic in English, meaning of the whole or all-embracing. Jesus appointed Apostles to lead it, therefore it is apostolic – it follows the lead and teaching of the Apostles as documented in the New Testament.  Despite efforts to divide it that started shortly after its beginning in the first Century, it is one in belief, baptism, and hope. It awaits the return of Christ, resurrection to immortality, and all that pertains to God’s coming new age.       

Such news can seem to be too good to be true, but as the creed shouts, we believe!  

How can Christians and their churches reconcile their beliefs to the truth?

The Nicene Creed summarizes Christian essential beliefs.  The Church leaders who collaborated to develop this creed rooted its statements in the Scriptures, mostly the New Testament.  Athanasius, mentioned in the previous Blog as the leader of the cause for orthodoxy – in his insistence to continue in the teaching of Christ, as the Apostle John wrote in 2 John 9 – was the earliest author to list the 27 books of the New Testament in one of his documents.  Time and space does not permit me to substantiate the biblical validity of the Nicene Creed here, but as I see it, nearly 1700 years of examination by Church leaders and biblical scholars validates its certainty.

Recently I watched a video series about the story of the Bible presented by a pastor and his companion in the ministry.  The presentation was excellently done, and in less than six hours it effectively shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ starting with the Creation story in Genesis, proceeding with the story of the descendants of Abraham and the covenant with Israel, and linking the entire story to Jesus and his life story told in the New Testament.  The series emphasis was on the finished work of salvation through Jesus Christ.  For most of the series, I was in agreement and pleased until it got to a major part devoted to hell as the place of punishment of sinners who before their deaths do not confess belief in Jesus.

Based on a parable Jesus told and recorded only by Luke in Luke 16, the presenters taught a basic doctrine of their branch of Protestantism.  As I watched and listened, I wondered how they could prefer this explanation of Jesus’ parable over the prolific information throughout the New Testament about the Judgment to come when Jesus returns – a judgment that has not yet occurred.

Why, we may ask, doesn’t the Creed mention this eternal punishment in hell if it is a major doctrine of the Church?  In The Faith of the Church: A Commentary on the Apostles Creed According to Calvin’s Catechism, Karl Barth explains that “the Creed discusses only the things which are the object of the faith.” Barth goes on to explain that the Creed is about what Christians, starting with the Apostles, believe.  Believing in the existence of a place in which sinners have been roasting for thousands of years is not a teaching the ancient Church leaders founded.

Another major branch of Western Christianity has held the belief that unless a believer has a “second blessing,” a Spirit baptism perhaps long after initial confession of faith and baptism, and witnesses to this baptism by speaking in tongues, they have not achieved the full Christian experience.  Why isn’t such an important doctrine as this in the Nicene Creed?  In answer, I could quote Barth as above. These are two examples.  A book could be written on the many others. 

A revisit of basic beliefs, orienting them to the Creed could do much to correct false teachings and consequently eliminate many of the distinctive teachings that inhibit common belief.  May those who hear heed!  More to come in the next Blog.

What do you believe? Are your beliefs based on truth or error?

The Nicene Creed begins each major part with “We believe;” The Apostles Creed similarly says “I believe.”  These statements define the essential beliefs of the Church throughout the world as they were in the fourth Century.  Should not the same to be true today?  If not, it seems that a church has taken upon itself to introduce beliefs that did not come from Jesus through the Apostles.  Such are false beliefs.

Every church and each individual Christian can examine themselves by these creeds.  Do you believe?

Let me share an early example of a group that called themselves Christian but did not believe. I quote here and throughout this Blog from Biographical sketches of memorable Christians of the past, by James E. Kiefer.  In a biographical sketch of Athanasius, whom I will address later, Kiefer wrote:

In 313 the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which changed Christianity from a persecuted to an officially favored religion. About six years later, a presbyter (elder, priest) Arius of Alexandria began to teach concerning the Word of God (John 1:1) that “God begat him, and before he was begotten, he did not exist.”

Arius gained a following from his teaching that denied the eternal divinity of Jesus Christ.  His followers continued to think of themselves as Christians, although they were embracing a belief that was counter to the Church’s beliefs of the previous three centuries.  Enter Athanasius.  Of him, Kiefer writes:

Athanasius was at that time a newly ordained deacon, secretary to Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, and a member of his household. His reply to Arius was that the begetting, or uttering, of the Word by the Father is an eternal relation between Them, and not a temporal event.

The dispute that developed between Arius and his overseer, Alexander as well as Alexander’s assistant, Athanasius became widely known in the Church during the first part of the fourth Century, coming to the attention of Emperor Constantine.  Kiefer writes about Constantine’s reaction:

The Emperor Constantine undertook to resolve the dispute by calling a council of bishops from all over the Christian world. This council met in Nicea, just across the straits from what is now Istanbul, in the year 325, and consisted of 317 bishops. Athanasius accompanied his bishop to the council, and became recognized as a chief spokesman for the view that the Son was fully God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.

Summarizing the outcome of this council, Kiefer writes:

The party of Athanasius was overwhelmingly in the majority… So the result was that the Council adopted a creed which is a shorter version of what we now call the Nicene Creed, declaring the Son to be “of one substance with the Father.” At the end, there were only two holdouts.

But Arius and his followers, who came to be known as Arians, were not stopped.  They continued for the next fifty-plus years to spread their teaching and gain political support from the Roman Emperors.  Athanasius, who later became the Bishop of Alexandria, continued to oppose them, writing voluminous rebuttals in theses such as On the Incarnation and Four Discourses.  For the rest of his life, he suffered from false accusations and persecutions but never ceased to fight for the truth.  He prevailed, and in 381 AD, after his death, the Council of Constantinople confirmed the truth in the revised statement that came to be known as the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

Kiefer summarized the contribution of Athanasius:

Outside the pages of the New Testament itself, Athanasius is probably the man to whom we chiefly owe the preservation of the Christian faith.

Yes, it was preserved, and as I mentioned in the first Blog on this subject, it continues to be embraced by every major part of Christianity throughout the world today. Nonetheless, there are counterparts to the Arians today, who hold on the teaching that denies Jesus Christ’s eternal divinity.

So, what do you believe? Do you or your church believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father?  Or, do you as some limit Him by saying that he was only a good man or great teacher or special creation or something less than God who came in human flesh?  What else do you believe?  Do your beliefs align with the Nicene Creed?  If so, you share the orthodox beliefs taught by the Apostles and recorded in the New Testament.  If not, you would do well to reconsider your beliefs.

In the next Blog, we will consider what churches can do to reconcile their doctrines to the essential beliefs of the Church found in the Nicene Creed.

Do the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed agree?  How do they compare with each other?  Why two?

Two creeds from the fourth-Century, the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed, state the primary beliefs of Christianity.  Despite the many different Christian sects around the world, these beliefs are held by the vast majority.  A comparison of these creeds reveals a remarkable similarity.  Both are structured on God’s triune (three-in-one) nature – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; both follow the description of God with a description of the Church.  The Nicene Creed is about twice the length, detailing a little more about the Father as Creator and much more about Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  Their descriptions about the Church are nearly the same, differing only slightly in phrases about the saints and Apostles. 

I highlight here with italics the differences in the text.

The Apostles Creed: speaks of Jesus Christ as conceived, speaks of the Church as the communion of saints, and speaks of life after death as everlasting.

The Nicene Creed: speaks of one God and one Lord.  It speaks of the Father as maker of all that it, seen and unseen.  It speaks of Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father.  God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one being with the Father. It says: Through Him all things were made for us and for our salvation.  He came down from heaven and became Incarnate and was made man.  It speaks of His crucifixion as for our sake and his resurrection as in accordance with the Scriptures.  It speaks of His coming in glory as well as and his kingdom will have no end.  It speaks of the Holy Spirit as the Lord the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.  With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified, he has spoken to the prophets.  It speaks of the Church as apostolic and of one baptism for the forgiveness of sin.  It says: We look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. 

Of the two, the Nicene Creed has more essential content about the triune God and explains why Jesus came for human salvation.  The Apostles Creed appeared late in the fourth Century and is used in many Western churches, both Roman Catholic and Protestant of different denominations.  Its authorship is uncertain.  The Nicene Creed was the result of the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. and was revised at the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D; it was jointly authored by some or many of the participating Bishops at the two councils.  With the exception of the six words immediately following “proceeds,” it is agreed-to by churches throughout the world.

The Apostles Creed seems to be a general statement of Christian belief, while the Nicene Creed, with its detail on Jesus Christ, was formulated to refute the heretical statements of the followers of Arius, a fourth-Century teacher.  Although Roman Emperor Constantine presided over the 325 A.D. Council, contrary to some mistaken accusations, he did not edict or dictate the wording of the Nicene Creed. Because of similarity of the two and the additional detail in the Nicene Creed, I will use the Nicene Creed in references as we discuss the unity or oneness of the Church in future blogs.

Is it possible for Christians to believe the same thing?  Should we be content with division?

The human race is one.  Whether from Africa, Asia, Europe, or the Middle East there is only one people-type on Earth.  Each and all have faces with similar features and functions.  Each and all have hands and feet.  All are capable of appreciating beauty, music, and art.  All communicate in at least one language that others understand.  In spite of efforts by some to distinguish people on the basis of superiority or inferiority, evidence proves otherwise.  Humans are unique from all other types and forms of life, and all humans share a common humanity.

However, our common humanity does not equate to common beliefs.  Even where humans share similar beliefs, differences are virtually limitless.  There are thousands of religions, sects, and isms.  All are splintered into many parts, each holding its own distinct set of philosophies, beliefs, ethics, lifestyles, and expressions.  Among them, as explained by Frances M. Young in The Making of the Creeds, only Christianity has homogeneity based on orthodox beliefs.  

Two ancient documents, the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed state the beliefs that span the major branches of Christianity – Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant. What are these creeds?  How and when did they come about?  What do they state?  Who developed them?  Why are they considered important?  In the next few Blogs, we will investigate this important matter and consider how it relates to Jesus’ prayer.

What is the relevance of this Blog to the oneness that Jesus prayed for?

The reason that I believe that this topic belongs in the Blogs of the Echo of Jesus Prayer website is that the debate about guns in America divides not only the nation, but more crucially, American Christians.  As I have done in the other Blogs, I look to the Bible, the Word of God, to speak to us about this matter.  My comments here should not be interpreted as putting me in one of the opposing camps: pro- vs. anti-gun control.  I have tried to address this as a matter of our hearts, pertaining to the faith that we profess.

Jesus taught His followers to consider their innermost feelings, values, intentions, biases, and motivations because these matters of the heart or mind drive us to do things that are counter to the intentions of the Spirit of God.  We can read of one such episode in Luke 9:51-56, which I quote here from the NASB translation.

When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”  And they went on to another village.

The Jews and Samaritans were rivals if not enemies.  The Samaritans’ refusal to allow Jesus and His followers to pass through stemmed from their antagonistic relationship.  Jesus’ disciples, like most of us, found it easy to undervalue the lives of antagonists.  But Jesus told them that they did not realize what was driving their murderous motivations.  Unlike them, He valued the Samaritans and was there for their salvation.  Jesus refused to use divine power, which pales the power of any weapon into insignificance, to hurt or destroy people, and He wanted His followers to be of the same spirit.  Those who consider themselves followers of Jesus today would do well to consider this episode as a lesson about their dispositions toward antagonists, whether foreigners, criminals, or enemies.

I am not against guns.  They have a rightful place and use.  I have fired my own gun where and when I have decided it to be appropriate.  But I cannot reconcile Jesus’ teaching that I am to love my neighbor as myself with a belief or opinion that I can look upon another human life as expendable if it poses a threat to me, and that accordingly I should have in my possession a gun to do so for self-defense. In the Church, we are to Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3) and seek to be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and in mind (Phil. 2:2).  As Paul wrote these words, clearly explaining that it is the same mindset as Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:5) that is the basis of our oneness, it seems to me that the first step for us to take toward that marvelous mindset is to agree that the Word of God is the foundation of our beliefs and opinions.  Unlike our Constitution or national or state laws, God’s word tells us to be of the mind and spirit of Jesus toward our fellow humans.

Fellow Christians: where is our faith?

Fellow Christians: where is our faith?  My seminary classmates argued that Christians in America consider the possession of guns reasonable for protection of themselves and their loved ones.  I agree that all humans need to be safe and have the right to defend themselves and their loved ones.  My question is, do guns really make us safe?  And, are we safer because we possess powerful weapons?

Jesus did not consider the sword essential for security.  Otherwise, He might have either carried a sword or advocated that His followers do so.  He did neither.  But let us read what He did say that the sword really does for its owner.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus had predicted to His disciples, the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.  “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Mat. 26:50-52). A sword, like a gun, a weapon for self-protection, when used, not only can wound or kill an assailant, but it ultimately can lead to the death of its owner.  We all know that.  But isn’t it better, one might ask, when faced with the possibility of death to protect oneself, if necessary, by killing the person who threatens?  The answer to that question may be debatable, but the question itself misses Jesus’ point, which is that weapons do not preserve our lives.

Jesus told His followers, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die (John 11:25). Jesus is our security.  Christians believe that our lives do not end with death, whether by natural causes or by being killed.  Therefore, whether or not we have weapons, we will die without Jesus.  Faith in Him is trust in that fact.  So, fellow Christians, I ask again, where is our faith?

Jesus said, “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder (Luke 11:21-22).  Weapons may protect and keep safe – sometimes.  But, they are only as good as wielder, and sooner or later, someone more capable comes along and defeats them.  Jesus pointed out that arms and armor are not trustworthy. I believe that a healthy dose of faith in Jesus will go a long way toward guiding American Christians on the issue of guns.  Jesus intends that we serve as salt, for seasoning and preservation, in this nation and the world (Mat. 5:13). Who knows, if we decide to live by faith in Jesus instead of faith in our guns, the whole nation just might become a little less crazy.