I find mind blowing the overlap of gun culture and evangelical Christianity in America. I'm not talking about gun owners, but the people who seem to have their entire personalities centered on guns and Jesus, in that order, as defined by the decals on the rear windows of their oversized pick up trucks. You know the type; "Molon Labe" with a Spartan helmet, various gun manufacturer logos, and an idolatrous depiction of a cross. As an exvangelical, I’ve read the Bible cover to cover, and spent time in deep study of Christ and the gospels, so while I'm not a believer, I do understand what that cross claims they believe.

A true acceptance of salvation, according to the gospels, produces visible change in a person. This should include a lack of fear, I.e. the popular and wholly misunderstood phrase “faith over fear”. The lack of fear comes not from a confidence everything is going to be just fine. Scripture makes it clear that it’s not the case.

Instead the lack of fear comes from the confidence that whatever is in the world is temporary and your true and eternal life lies afterwards, secured by Christ’s sacrifice and not your own worthiness, which will always be lacking. A person’s worship of guns is indicative of a fear of the world from either a lack of confidence in or understanding of the salvation they also are claiming.

They claim to worship the “King of Peace” yet instead worship at the alter of unfeeling alloys molded into tools of pain, destruction, and death. The irony being they’d likely find peace and comfort in the former while their love of the latter breeds the opposite.

But anger and the capacity for violence feels better to the “fuck your feelings” crowd. “Fuck YOUR feelings because mine are more important” is apparently the non-abridged version. Where Jesus is in all of this is a mystery to me.

I know some will feel unfairly called out by this, but that isn't the point. The point is "what if the effort and investment put into building an identity around guns was put into making a world where they weren't needed?" Actually choosing the life affirming side of this contradictory expression of self. However humans are nothing if not dialectic in our thinking despite claims not to be, so I won't hold my breath. I just want to provoke thought.

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