Separation of church and state has long been a controversial issue in the U.S., at least as far as it’s concerned with the government being influenced by Christian churches.
That being the case, though, I find it unlikely that a push by a leader in a major Christian denomination to influence politicians in the U.S. is going to be criticized by the current administration. Why? Because the push agrees with one of the current administration’s pet policies. And that’s enough to tell you that it’s a wrong position, at least when it comes to the topic of guns.
See, this denominational leader has decided to try to influence politicians, which may not be an issue in–and–itself (depending on you viewpoint). No, the bigger issue, in my mind, is the fact that this denominational leader has decided to push an agenda with only a very superficial understanding of human nature and the issues driving gun violence (which makes you wonder if they should even be in a leadership position at all with those gaps in understanding). Chase Smith writes,
The leader of the policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and former executive director of the Tennessee Republican Party is calling on Tennessee leaders to enact gun control laws in the wake of The Covenant School shooting.
From Leatherwood’s letter:
There are any number of potential policies that could be offered to prevent the atrocities that occurred at
Covenant from happening elsewhere in our state. I would like to highlight one in particular: The proposal
articulated by Gov. Bill Lee. It would strengthen our state’s orders of protection to guard the broader population
from those who are a danger to themselves or others. What he outlined is a thoughtful approach to ensure we
respect the constitutional rights of citizens while also helping to protect potential victims from dangerous
individuals. Allowing law enforcement to work with families in order to initiate action that involves full due
process in the judicial system will ensure individuals who could cause great harm are temporarily kept from
accessing weapons, protecting them and others from potential tragedy.This is a sensible proposal worthy of your immediate support. Tennessee Code already envisions a course of
action that allows the judicial branch to quickly examine situations and efficiently determine whether a
plausible threat of harm exists. Expanding this area of the law, as Gov. Lee proposes, gives families the ability
to prevent loved ones from taking their lives or the lives of others, which would be an invaluable amendment to
our existing legal framework.
Sensible? Respecting Constitutional rights?
With all due respect, giving governments the power to abuse and to disarm their citizens so that those citizens are sitting ducks for criminals and governments to prey on them is not sensible, respectful of the Constitution, or keeping in line with the founding fathers’ clear intentions.
This guy needs to reread Romans 12:2. It says for Christians to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” not by the removing of your mind.
Gun control of any sort, including red flag laws, doesn’t protect people, doesn’t keep people safer, and doesn’t help Christians to protect the vulnerable and innocent. History shows us that gun control does just the opposite, and that’s why we should never accept it.
