After two more mass-shootings last weekend (El Paso and Dayton), more innocent lives have been taken because of our inability as the American people to wrestle with the complex history of arms and rights here in our nation, and to take action that would minimize these sorts of events in which the lives of bystanders are taken. Within Christianity, although our scriptures say many things about violence, we have no distinctive Christian consensus on how to reduce gun violence .
I’m not one for banning guns altogether. Certain types of military weapons should be highly restricted, and we need tighter controls on who can access guns, and where they can do so. With the continuing death toll, I believe that this sort of sensible gun control is coming, but the lingering questions are when, and how many more innocent lives will be sacrificed before it does?
Here are some very helpful books for Christians that wrestle with the complex social and legal histories of guns and gun violence in America, and with the theological ramifications of our obsession with guns.
|
Don’t Shoot is David M. Kennedy’s chronicle of his decades-long crusade to solve one of America’s most pressing and shameful social problems. Kennedy, who engineered the “Boston Miracle” in the 1990s, cutting youth homicide by two-thirds at the height of the crack epidemic, reveals the history and the strategy behind his commonsense yet revolutionary approach to ending crime. He has refined an approach in which everyone-gang members, drug dealers, cops, and neighbors-comes together in a giant community meeting, an intervention and an affirmation of a shared desire for safety and peace. The proof is in the miraculous results. Don’t Shoot offers a bold way forward in combating one of our country’s most intractable social problems.
^^^ Excerpt not readable on your device? |
<<<<< PREV. BOOK |
|
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
Understanding Christian Nationalism [A Reading Guide] |
 Most Anticipated Books of the Fall for Christian Readers!
|
 Hilarious One-Star Customer Reviews of Bibles |
I am very disappointed, to say the least, to see such an unbalanced list of books on gun violence. I think your bias is showing.