Facing Issues That Divide: Christianity and Guns

David Burns on July 27, 2016

For American Christians, few issues highlight the intersection of legal rights and faith concerns more sharply than gun ownership and regulation. The debate has reached a fever pitch after mass shootings such as the one in Orlando on June 12 of this year that left 49 dead and 53 wounded, the deadliest mass shooting by an individual in U.S. history; and after shootings of police officers in Dallas on July 7 and in Baton Rouge on July 17. We live in a nation where a “right to bear arms” is expressly included in the Constitution. Among the roughly one-third of Americans who own guns, the vast majority do so either for sport or to protect themselves and their families. They remind us that it is people who kill; guns are inanimate objects.  As was seen on a recent attack in Europe, if guns were not available those intent on killing would use other means (a truck in Nice, France, and a knife and axe in Germany).  Some of the gun advocates feel that the violent crimes and mass shootings that have occurred make the case for gun ownership as a means of protection. On the other side of the issue, guns raise questions for many Christians.  How does gun ownership relate to Jesus’ words not to “live by the sword” and to “turn the other cheek”?  They point out that knives and other weapons cannot kill dozens of people a minute as semi-automatic weapons can.  They note that without proper training the average person is unlikely to be able to fire their gun accurately in self-protection and hit what they are firing at.  They raise the question of whether guns make us safer, or only create the illusion of safety. In this final post of a five-part series on issues that divide us, we’ll take a closer look at how Christians can approach guns and gun laws—and what guidance we can gain from the Bible. For a more thorough exploration of this topic, you can follow the links below to Scripture and video from a sermon I delivered at the church I serve. If you’d like to explore the issues in a group setting, you can also download a free leader guide to the series. Here are some thoughts to get you started: According to the Pew Research Center, the reasons that some Americans own guns have shifted. In 1999, nearly half of all guns owners cited hunting as the reason they own guns, and barely one-fourth cited self-protection. By 2013, those numbers had flipped, with self-protection as the main reason for gun ownership. The Pew Center also found that 85 percent of the public favored requiring background checks for private gun sales and sales at gun shows. Two-thirds of those in the United States who die from gunshot wounds are victims of suicide. Even though the legal system by itself cannot eliminate gun accidents and gun crimes, good laws can still have a positive impact. The Bible has been used on both sides of the argument about gun ownership and regulation. Do our peace and security come from owning guns or from trusting in God? In last year's shooting at the Emanuel A.M.E. church in Charleston, South Carolina, if the victims had been carrying guns, things might have turned out differently. Does the idea of Christians bringing guns to church trouble you? Why or why not? Ready to dive deeper? Click here to see my sermon series “Facing Issues That Divide,” and then select today’s sermon, “Christianity and Guns.” Want to discuss these topics in a group? Click the link below or here for a free downloadable leader guide.

Facing Issues That Divide: Christianity and Health Care

David Burns on July 20, 2016

What will happen to the Affordable Care Act after the 2016 elections? How should we address the health care needs of Americans? How should we balance individual freedom and responsibility with our faith imperative to care for the sick and the helpless? For the fourth in a five-part series of blog posts on issues that divide us, we will explore these questions (and others). Christians may not all agree about the answers, but they do care about the issues raised by these questions. You can go deeper into the issue of Christianity and health care by following the links below to Scripture and video from my sermon on the topic. If you’d like to explore the issues in a group setting, you can also download a free leader guide to the series. Here are some thoughts to get you started: Americans remain divided over whether the Affordable Care Act (familiarly known as “Obamacare”) should be repealed. A Quinnipiac poll in July 2015 showed that Americans favored repeal by a margin of 49 percent to 43 percent. Nearly a year later, the same poll found that Americans favored keeping the law by a margin of 48 percent to 46 percent. Health care has always been a focus of Christianity. Following the example of Jesus, for whom healing the sick was a frequent activity, early Christians made a practice of caring for the ill and infirm. Changes in health care during the twentieth century—including dramatic cost increases, the emergence of prepaid health insurance, and a rise in the number of uninsured Americans—created conditions that the Affordable Care Act was designed to address. The Bible teaches that our bodies are a “temple,” a gift from God. As a result, taking care of our bodies is a faith issue. As the parable of the Good Samaritan exemplifies, caring for the vulnerable is part of what it means to obey Christ’s command to love our neighbor. Ready to dive deeper? Click here to see my sermon series “Facing Issues That Divide,” then select today’s sermon, “Christianity and Health Care." Want to discuss these topics in a group? Click the link below or here for a free downloadable leader guide.

Facing Issues That Divide: A Christian Response to Islamic Extremism

David Burns on July 13, 2016

Most of us believe it’s wrong to judge an entire category of people based on the actions of a relatively small number of extremists within that group. At the same time, terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists within our midst have heightened our concerns about future attacks. They also have contributed to fear and suspicion of all Muslims—to the point that many Americans believe there should be at least a temporary ban against people of the Islamic faith entering the United States from other countries. For the third in a five-part series of blog posts on issues that divide us, we’ll look today at Islamic extremism—and how we as Christians can respond to it. Along with some questions and ideas to think about, you can take a deeper dive into this issue through a link to relevant Scripture and video from a sermon at the website of the church I serve. If you’d like to explore the issues in a group setting, you can also download a free leader guide to the series. Here are some thoughts to get you started: A CBS News poll in December 2015 found that more than 35 percent of Americans favored a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S. from other countries. Yet the same poll also found that only 28 percent of respondents believed that such a ban would make the nation safer from terrorism. Meanwhile, 44 percent of Americans believe the government should maintain a database with the names of all Muslims in the U.S. Our Bible contains stories from Joshua involving what we would describe today as genocide against nonbelievers (such as the Canaanites in the conquest of the Promised Land). However, few Christians today believe that these passages are a call to kill nonbelievers. By the same token, most Muslims today do not view the Quran’s passages about violence against Islam’s opponents as permission for violent activities. Islam is far from monolithic. Just as there are many divisions among Christians, the same is true among Muslims.   Americans agree that extremist groups such ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) represent a grave danger that must be dealt with. Whatever the military solution to ISIS may be, our aim on American soil must be to show a better way to that small number of Muslims who might be drawn toward extremism. Paul’s words to the Christians of Rome—“never avenge yourselves” and “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21)—show us what a Christian response to Islamic extremism looks like. Ready to dive deeper? Click here to see my sermon series “Facing Issues That Divide,” then select today’s sermon, “A Christian Response to Islamic Extremism.” Want to discuss these topics in a group? Click the link below or here for a free downloadable leader guide.

Facing Issues That Divide: Immigrants and the Bible

David Burns on July 6, 2016

We are a nation divided. As Christians, we don’t have to agree with each other, but we do need to listen, respond with respect, and act as Jesus did, with love. This is the second in a five-part blog series looking at hot-button issues that divide us. I’ll introduce one issue per week on this blog, give you some initial thoughts, and then invite you to dive deeper by linking to Scripture and a recent sermon at the website of the church I serve. If you’d like to explore the issues in a group setting, you can download a free leader guide to the series. Today’s issue is immigration reform. There’s a second, related issue regarding refugees from Muslim countries, which we’ll talk about next week when we discuss radical Islam. Today we’ll discuss immigration reform, particularly as it relates to what should be done concerning the undocumented immigrants in America. Here are some thoughts to get you started: A recent National Public Radio report noted, “Immigration is shaping up to be one of the most contentious and emotional topics in the 2016 presidential race.”   All Americans are descended from immigrants—from Siberia in the Ice Age, from Europe as Pilgrims, from Africa during the slave trade, from Ireland in the mid-1800s, from China during the late 1800s. A plaque on the Statue of Liberty reads: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 banned racial criteria for immigation. From that time on, people would be admitted “on the basis of their skills and their relationship to those already here” and to find refuge from oppression.   There are approximately 11.3 million persons in the U.S. today without authorization—without some kind of Visa or Green Card. Of these, roughly half came here on a Visa or Green Card that has now expired, and half came into our country by crossing the border without authorization. The Bible has many references to immigrants—in fact, foreigners, strangers, and aliens are mentioned more than 150 times.  In Leviticus, God says: “When immigrants live in your land with you, you must not cheat them. Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:33-34 CEB). Ready to dive deeper? Click here to see my sermon series “Facing Issues That Divide,” then select today’s sermon, “Immigrants and the Bible.” Want to discuss these topics in a group? Click the link below or here for a free downloadable leader guide.

Facing Issues That Divide: Practicing Politics, Keeping Faith

David Burns on June 29, 2016

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Quick, who said that? Yes, Abraham Lincoln said it. But who was Lincoln quoting? That’s right, Jesus. This week and the next four weeks, I’ll be using this blog to discuss a very political subject: issues that divide us. Together we’ll explore how we can practice politics in a way that’s true to our Christian faith—how we can follow not only the ideals of Lincoln but also the words of Jesus. We’ll look at four red-hot issues—immigration, Islamic extremism, healthcare, and guns—and we’ll talk about ways to discuss these issues as Christians even though we may strongly disagree with each other. Here’s how we’ll do it. Each week I’ll use the blog to introduce one of the issues and give you some initial thoughts. Then, after you’ve read the blog and considered the initial thoughts, I’ll link you to the website of the church I serve, where you’ll find Scripture and a recent sermon that takes a deeper dive into the issue. I’ll also link you to a free downloadable leader guide for the series, to help you discuss the issues in a group. This week, let’s look at our divided nation and try to put it into context. Here are some thoughts to get you started: Differences of opinion are healthy. But when we stop listening, when we question the motivation of others, when we see them as evil and are unwilling to work together—that’s when we begin to falter. Twenty years ago, approximately 17% of Republicans and Democrats viewed the opposing party “very unfavorably.” Today the number is 43% of Republicans and 38% of Democrats. We’ve forgotten how to have thoughtful, respectful discussions and dialogue. We share our thoughts on social media without thinking about how our messages might affect others. Rather than winning others over, we push them away. Paul said, “Let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, that your words may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29 NRSV) John Wesley said, “Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may.” (Sermon 39: Catholic Spirit) Ready to dive deeper? Click here to see my sermon series “Facing Issues That Divide,” then select today’s sermon, “Practicing Politics, Keeping Faith.” Want to discuss these topics in a group? Click here or the link below for a free downloadable leader guide.