Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie

Jesus Does Not Want You To Own Guns. Here's Why.

Jesus was a practitioner of non-violence. So why do so many turn the words of the Prince of Peace into a call to arms? As an advocate for gun violence prevention efforts, I receive many emails, Facebook comments, and Tweets from those who make comments along the line of these:

God does give us the right to defend ourselves and our family and our communities. And Jesus did tell his diciples to sell some possessions and buy swords.

Sell your cloak & buy a sword. Look it up in the Bible. Guns have surpassed swords & cloaks ain't worth what they used to be worth, so modern updates are needed - for women too since they get to vote. Domestic violence? Stay armed & everyone stays polite.😎

Does God actually want an armed civilization? To start with, I’m in agreement with the National Council of Churches in Christ USA:

It is difficult to imagine that the One whose own Passion models the redemptive power of non-violence would look favorably on the violence of contemporary U.S. society. Present-day violence is made far worse than it otherwise would be by the prevalence of weapons on our streets.

The passage that is brought up so often in which Jesus asks his disciples to buy swords – Luke 22:36 – is one nearly always taken out of context. Here is the text:

He said to them, ‘But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one.

So, is Jesus pro-sword? The sword Jesus spoke of was most likely a tool, not a weapon. Even so, when only two were obtained, not enough to defend the disciples, Jesus declares two are enough.

Daniel Howell, a professor of biology and anatomy coordinator in the department of biology at Liberty University, thinks Jesus would want you to have a gun. He wrote in 2015:

It is sometimes claimed that Jesus never told his followers to arm themselves, but that is patently untrue. In Luke 22:36, Jesus told his disciples to buy themselves swords even if they had to sell their cloaks to afford them. Of course, the sword was the “arms” of their day, as the gun is for us today. The disciples possessed two swords and Peter used one of them to injure a man when Jesus was being arrested.

The logic of Professor Howell is a bit difficult to follow. He might teach at a Christian university – Jerry Falwell’s Christian university – but his exegesis of the text is very poor (worth remembering he teaches biology and not theology, I suppose). Guns are not the same as swords, try using a sword from the time of Jesus in a mass shooting, and to try and apply Jesus’ teaching here is nothing more than proof-texting.

In the story of Jesus’ betrayal at Gethsemane, one of the disciples does turn a weapon on those who come to arrest Jesus. Here is text in Luke that follows the oft-recited 22:36 verse:

47 While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; 48but Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?’ 49When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, ‘Lord, should we strike with the sword?’ 50Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51But Jesus said, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched his ear and healed him.

Again, as is his custom, Jesus rebukes those that employ violence. Jesus believed that violence was cyclical and that in using violence against oppression we become the oppressor. Above, one of the comments made to me via Facebook argues that God would support a right to self-defense. I’ll not take issue with that. If my family were in danger, I would defend them. I also recognize that having a gun in a house dramatically increases the possibility someone in the home will become a victim of gun violence, through suicide, accident, or in a firefight.

God would forgive us, I am sure if we sought to protect our family from danger. Nonetheless, when Jesus was threatened with death and violence, he molded for us what God wanted: non-violence.

Walter Wink wrote:

There are good reasons for reluctance to champion nonviolence. The term itself is negative. It sounds like a not-doing, the putting of all one’s energy into avoiding something bad rather than throwing one’s total being into doing something good.

Passivity is not what Jesus taught. What he taught was counter-cultural, even today, and radical: what Wink calls a “third way of militant nonviolence.” The Civil Rights Movement in the United States, embodied by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (who once owned guns but later said “I was much more afraid in Montgomery when I had a gun in my house. When I decided that I couldn’t keep a gun, I came face-to-face with the question of death and I dealt with it. From that point on, I no longer needed a gun nor have I been afraid.”), practiced such non-violence, and there was nothing passive about that movement.

As a minister in the United Church of Christ, I try and emulate the life of Jesus (often poorly, I’ll admit). Jesus does not want us to put trust in guns; Jesus wants us to put faith in God. The well-armed society in the United States has led to what Jesus warned about: cycles of violence that seem never-ending. We must use the tools of our democracy to push legislation that values human life. I am convinced that the NRA, and other groups like them, value the profit of gun sales over the lives of school children, worshippers, or those just seeing a movie or shopping at the mall. There are many steps we can take, including banning assault weapons, to create a more peaceable society.

#Oregon can be as smart as #NewZealand, right? Call these leaders & ask them to support #HB3223 & #HB3265. Let's #banassaultweapons.@OregonGovBrown: 503-378-4582
Speaker @TinaKotek: 503-986-1200@SenBurdick: 503-986-1700
Sen. Floyd Prozanski: 503-986-1704#orpol #orleg #Enough pic.twitter.com/e1GplDJ6uI

— Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) March 25, 2019

Oregon Should Ban Assault Weapons

Dear Members of the Oregon House and Senate,

 

This February 14th, Oregon's birthday and the first anniversary of the Parkland High School massacre, I am writing to urge that you support efforts by Lift Every Voice Oregon to ban the sale of assault weapons, along with the sale of large capacity magazines.

 

These weapons are not needed for duck hunting in Oregon.  They are weapons of war designed to kill large numbers of individuals.  Assault weapons were used in Newtown, Aurora, San Bernadino, Orlando and here in Oregon.

 

As the university chaplain at Pacific University, I have comforted students who have lost family and friends in mass shootings.  As a parent of two children in the Portland Public Schools, I have shared in the anxiety of our daughters and their classmates when they have been forced to hide under desks during lockdowns - lockdowns caused by real gun violence or threats of violence. As a member of the clergy, I have been threatened with gun violence.  

 

Life Every Voice Oregon is a coalition of faith and student leaders.  The faith community in the United States has long called for additional efforts to confront gun violence.  The National Council of Churches in Christ USA, U.S. Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops, and the Union of Reform Judaism are among the many faith bodies that have called for assault weapons to be banned. Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs have been killed by such weapons while worshipping.  

 

As clergy, we bury the dead and work to rebuild lives after these terror-filled events.

 

With your help, we can help prevent mass shootings.  This should not be a partisan issue.  It is, however, for too many a matter of life or death.  

 

As always, I appreciate the public service of those elected to represent the people of this great state.

 

Sincerely,

 

Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie 

What The NRA’s Dana Loesch Gets Wrong About Jesus And Christmas

1. The #NRA’s @DLoesch is Tweeting Christian theology & history. But poorly. Perhaps, as the @NRA has said to others, she should stay in her lane? Maybe I can help. I’m a minister and religious studies professor. I've studied this. https://t.co/ndVJamrK5v

— Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) December 21, 2018

2. Despite what @DLoesch Tweets, Jesus was never safe in the Roman Empire. To find him, a genocide was launched. In the end, the Romans crucified him for preaching God’s love over Empire; for preaching non-violence over conflict. https://t.co/VCpIZi8zJ9

— Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) December 21, 2018

3. Ask yourself as we approach #Christmas, would @DLoesch & the @NRA have stood with #Jesus or Caesar? Empire, every time. They put guns before children and bigotry before justice. They follow the platform of Trump over the Greatest Commandment. Russia is their patron saint. pic.twitter.com/C1RdLlUQKX

— Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) December 21, 2018

Personal Statement from Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie on Judge Brett Kavanaugh

The elevation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court will have a deleterious effect on American democracy. His nomination has been opposed by the National Council of Churches, along with other faith bodies, and hundreds of religious leaders have urged the U.S. Senate not to confirm his appointment. For those of us concerned about true religious freedom, voting rights (and other civil rights), protection of the environment, and the epidemic of gun violence, this is a sad day. What makes this a tragedy are the serious and credible allegations of sexual assault against Judge Kavanaugh. A majority of U.S. Senate members, not to mention President Trump (himself accused of sexual assault), have chosen to place ideology over the voices of women. People of faith have a special obligation to continue the hard work of building up the ideal of the Beloved Community. I believe that work becomes more difficult but more urgent still with Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

Ban Assault Weapons In Oregon

Lift Every Voice Oregon held a rally at the State Capitol on Tuesday to call on the governor and Legislature to ban assault weapons.

It was my privilege to share a few words alongside clergy colleagues, victims of gun violence, students, and other advocates.

Please consider signing the petition created by Lift Every Voice Oregon calling on our political leaders to act.

No one should have to fear gun violence in worship, in a classroom, shopping at the mall, or watching a movie in a theatre.  We can do better. 

Couldn't make our rally? Sign our petition! Help #banassaultweapons in #Oregon: https://t.co/scPNp1P3ga #orleg #orpol #Enough #GunControlNow @shannonrwatts @MomsDemand @CeasefireOregon @RevChuckCurrie @TheCrossLobby @trinitycathpdx @march4portland @AMarch4OurLives pic.twitter.com/Aa3oq2Dylk

— Lift Every Voice Oregon (@LiftEveryVoice_) September 26, 2018

Young Americans Take On Gun Violence; Offer Hope

Photo by Tanner Boyle, Pacific University

As the United States continues to grapple with the problem of gun violence, young people have reenergized the movement for gun control. The leaders of this reborn movement are young people who have been directly impacted by the issue.

As he surveyed the human rights issues of his time, Robert Kennedy spoke these words to South African students living under the oppressive system of Apartheid:

Our answer is the world's hope; it is to rely on youth. The cruelties and obstacles of this swiftly changing planet will not yield to obsolete dogmas and outworn slogans. It cannot be moved by those who cling to a present which is already dying, who prefer the illusion of security to the excitement and danger which comes with even the most peaceful progress.

This world demands the qualities of youth; not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.

American youth today have changed the terms of the debate over guns in our culture by refusing to accept as normal the gun violence present in our society.

Katie Lightcap, president of Pacific University’s undergraduate student senate, helped to organize Pacific’s participation in the #NationalWalkoutDay. The Forest Grove News-Times reported on what she told the crowd of 500 students who participated:

Lightcap is from Roseburg, which was shaken on Oct. 1, 2015, by a school shooting at nearby Umpqua Community College.

"Recognizing over half of the names of the victims was like a sucker punch to the gut," she recalled after the rally. "I couldn't believe it."

That personal familiarity with gun violence motivates Lightcap to be involved with this issue, she said.

Since the Parkland shooting last month, after which student survivors of the shooting made appearances in the national media — including a televised CNN town hall in which they directly addressed members of Florida's congressional delegation, the sheriff of Broward County, Fla., and a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association — some conservative commentators have criticized students for speaking out on the issues of gun violence and gun control, arguing that they are not knowledgeable or experienced enough to speak with authority on the subject.

Lightcap rejected that notion.

"The great thing about being in a democracy is that every person has a voice," she said. "That's why it is a democracy. So in hearing that criticism, like we don't know enough, we aren't old enough to fully understand the breadth of this, I almost want to, like, laugh, because we have been directly impacted. … I have a friend who was shot nine times. She was one of the survivors in the UCC shooting, and she's alive. And so visiting with her and seeing her, they can't tell me that I don't know that."

Many believe that we will never find an answer to gun violence. America’s young people provide evidence that we will.

Students were joined by faculty and staff today at @PacificU for the #NationalWalkoutDay for #GunReformNow. A new generation is rising up to promote a more just world.#GoBoxers #orpol

(photos by Pacific student Tanner Boyle). pic.twitter.com/eH4RIXSEZb

— Pacific U. CPAS (@PacificuCPAS) March 14, 2018

I Am Not Afraid To Walk The More Difficult Path

I am not not afraid. These are worrisome and fearful times but I am not afraid. Recognize that I come from a place of privilege that others do not. Still, I am confident that God is our "our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46 NRSV)."

We are in trouble and every day I am reminded at that by those that send their cowardly threats and taunts meant to dehumanize my existence and the humanity of those I serve as an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ with a mandate to preach and teach the gospel.

The gospel of Jesus at the core is love, and though many have tried that ideal has never been diminished. It is the central organizing principle of all the great faith traditions of the world. What is divine is not limited to one religion or another. Love, justice, humility (Micah 6:8) are a summons to action that we all share.

As a follower of the Prince of Peace, my call is to preach peace. Does the anger and vitriol directed my way - and at all those who preach justice and inclusion - worry me? It is a sign of a spiritual sickness. When I respond in kind that sickness infects me and I pray to Jesus for healing. But I am not afraid.

I am resolved to continue speaking out against the powers and principalities that allow hate and violence to fester. My heart breaks because I think about the people of Chicago, the people of Newtown, the people of Roseburg, the people of Charleston, the people of Orlando and so many other places - inside the United States and around the world - but giving into bigotry and fear is giving into evil. This is not the time for building walls. We must walk the more difficult path. I am not afraid.

So I share this prayer from Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, as inspired by Phillips Brooks of the Episcopal Church in the 1800s, as we steal ourselves for another season of struggle. My you find truth and inspiration in the words whatever faith or philosophy that might guide you.

Jesus said, "You ought always to pray and not to faint." Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger women and men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, but for power equal to your tasks. Then, the doing of your work will be no miracle — you will be the miracle. Each day you will wonder at yourself and the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God. Amen.

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Hate Is Not Holy: Statement from Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie On Orlando Shooting

Today I worshiped in Charleston, South Carolina where one-year ago an act of domestic terrorism took the lives of nine people attending Bible study. Just one-year later we are mourning an apparent terrorist attack at an Orlando night club where over fifty have been killed. Such mass killings are made too easy by the prevalence of assault weapons in our nation, and gun safety laws that differ from community to community. In Charleston, a white Christian, fueled by racism, murdered African-Americans. In Orlando, preliminary reports suggest an Islamic terrorist targeted gay Americans. There is nothing holy about hate. Our religious bodies must do more to promote love over conflict, and faith communities and civil bodies must join forces to dramatically reduce gun violence. We must mourn our dead while working for a more peaceful America. Americans should not have to fear violence in our schools, houses of worship, malls, nightclubs, or movie theaters. - Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, Director, Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain, Pacific University | Disclaimer: Views of Pacific faculty do necessarily reflect those of the university.

#OregonUnderAttack: Siege at Burns

Militia members - white anti-government terrorists - have taken over a federal building in Burns, Oregon.

"Harney County Sheriff David Ward on Sunday afternoon said a group of militants that seized an eastern Oregon wildlife refuge is trying to overthrow the local and federal governments," reports The Oregonian.

This event should come as no surprise but it will for many. GOP presidential candidates, congressional leaders and right-wing activists have been trying to fan the flames of fear about Islamic terrorists - making all Muslims suspect - while ignoring the growing reality of domestic terrorist groups.

Terrorism experts noted last summer:

Despite public anxiety about extremists inspired by Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, the number of violent plots by such individuals has remained very low. Since 9/11, an average of nine American Muslims per year have been involved in an average of six terrorism-related plots against targets in the United States. Most were disrupted, but the 20 plots that were carried out accounted for 50 fatalities over the past 13 and a half years.

In contrast, right-wing extremists averaged 337 attacks per year in the decade after 9/11, causing a total of 254 fatalities, according to a study by Arie Perliger, a professor at the United States Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center. The toll has increased since the study was released in 2012.

Ammon Bundy, the out-of-state militia leader who came to Oregon to begin this siege, did so because the "Lord was not pleased" with an on-going criminal case involving ranchers convicted of arson on federal lands. The national media would be calling this a case of radical Islamic terrorism if just one Muslim were involved in this crisis. There would be calls for drone strikes to end the siege, internment camps and the closure of Mosques (the last two ideas have actually been advanced by leading GOP presidential candidates this election cycle). Few are saying the obvious: these militia groups are Christian fundamentalists with strong ties to the GOP. Cliven Bundy, the father of Ammon Bundy, has himself been involved with an armed standoff with federal law enforcement.

Cliven Bundy, the father of Ammon Bundy, has himself been involved with an armed standoff with federal law enforcement. Ted Cruz came to Cliven Bundy's defense in that episode, saying, "we have seen our liberty under assault" since President Obama came to office and that Bundy's armed standoff with the federal government was simply "the unfortunate and tragic culmination of the path that President Obama has set the federal government on." The Bundy's have cited their

The Bundy's have cited their Mormon beliefs as justification for their actions.

On Monday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued this statement:

While the disagreement occurring in Oregon about the use of federal lands is not a Church matter, Church leaders strongly condemn the armed seizure of the facility and are deeply troubled by the reports that those who have seized the facility suggest that they are doing so based on scriptural principles. This armed occupation can in no way be justified on a scriptural basis. We are privileged to live in a nation where conflicts with government or private groups can - and should - be settled using peaceful means, according to the laws of the land.

There is nothing Christian about any attempt to overthrow the American government with violent means. Christians have and should seek justice by the use of non-violent social change.

As a United Church of Christ minister in Oregon, I applaud the leadership of federal, state and local officials who are offering a restrained response to the siege in Burns. Too often non-violent protests, fighting for changes in our economic system that allow for growing inequity or those calling for racial justice, have not been shown the same restraint - even as these other protests have been largely, and appropriately, non-violent.

What is happening now is, in reality, a culmination of the support too many in the GOP - as it moves further and further into the fringes of right-wing ideology - and from some Christian fundamentalists, have given to anti-government groups. All political leaders and Christians should condemn what is happening in Burns.

At some point, the siege in Burns will end. If it ends with dead law enforcement officers or militia members, the blood will be on the hands not of the government but of those that give legitimacy to these anti-government groups that seek to undermine American principles of pluralism and justice for all.

Faith Leaders Respond To Oregon Shooting #UCCShooting

#UCCShooting

Joint Statement on Umpqua Tragedy from Oregon Faith Leaders Jan Elfers (Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon) and Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (Pacific University Center for Peace & Spirituality)

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and the Pacific University Center for Peace and Spirituality join Oregonians and Americans in grief and shock over the mass shooting today at Umqua Community College (UCC). We are in contact with colleagues in ministry in the Roseburg area to see what assistance is needed.

“All of our faith traditions abhor violence, and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon has joined the National Council of Churches in calling for action to prevent gun violence,” said Jan Elfers, interim executive director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.“Our prayers go out to all those who lives have been impacted by this terrible tragedy; to the victim’s families and friends, and to the entire Roseburg community. We are grateful to those who responded to the emergency and undoubtedly prevented the loss of even more lives.”

A Resolution and Call to Action by the National Council of Churches of Christ, U.S.A.
http://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/comm…/…/gun-violence.php

“Mass shootings like this happen too often and Oregon has not been immune,” said Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain at Pacific University. “Today we offer our prayers for those killed and injured. We also lift up the families of those impacted. Still, we must also work to take steps that reduce gun violence this day so that there are no more days like this.”

Dr. Currie is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon is a statewide association of Christian denominations, congregations, ecumenical organizations and interfaith partners working together to improve the lives of Oregonians through community ministry programs, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, environmental ministry and public policy advocacy.

Pacific University’s Center for Peace and Spirituality provides students with the opportunity to engage in meaningful study, reflection and action based on the recognition that inter- and intra-personal peace are inherently connected and that concerns for personal spirituality are intimately related to concerns for one's social, historical, cultural and natural environment.

Founded in 1849, Pacific University offers more than 84 areas of study within its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Optometry, Education, Health Professions and Business.

Views and opinions expressed by Ms. Elfers and Rev. Dr. Currie do not necessarily reflect the position of Pacific University.


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Friends of the NRA: In Their Own Tweets

Yesterday, The Forest Grove Leader / The Oregonian published my latest op-ed:

Ending gun violence: The faithful choice means reducing easy access to powerful weapons

NRA supporters took to Twitter to support opposition to my argument. They disagreed with my basic point:

.@RevChuckCurrie @mrzmazz @glock34girl @damnedifiknow72 Man will always find ways to murder, disarming the citizens only ensures its ease.

— Mark (@tazcat2011) June 28, 2014

But they also dismissed my views for other reasons. For example, because I support marriage equality:

@RevChuckCurrie @tazcat2011 Faithful Christian? Well even the elect shall be deceived. I'll leave this here, REV. pic.twitter.com/0665v5bb1G

— Beretta Khar (@glock34girl) June 28, 2014

They engaged in Islamaphobia and questioned President Obama's Christian faith - strongly:

@tazcat2011 @RevChuckCurrie I think it's interesting that a revered would agree with Obama on anything AND speak of Islam like its a leader.

— Beretta Khar (@glock34girl) June 28, 2014

“@tazcat2011: .@RevChuckCurrie @glock34girl Faithful Christian? You have 0 credibility with that nonsense.” Yeah really. Obama has no faith

— Damnedifiknow (@damnedifiknow72) June 28, 2014

They have issues with basic civil rights and civil rights leaders:

So he is as much of a Reverend as Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson. @glock34girl @damnedifiknow72 @tazcat2011 @RevChuckCurrie

— AMC (@Soldier1eaODGrn) June 28, 2014

And they don't like when clergy pray for civil rights...

“@glock34girl: @tazcat2011 @RevChuckCurrie I know my church does NOT believe what this dude prays for. pic.twitter.com/AyrfdVfw2J” Wow. Crazy.

— Damnedifiknow (@damnedifiknow72) June 28, 2014

And these are the folks who want to keep assault weapons on our streets. There is too much violence in our nation - too many of these mass shootings - and we can do something about that. Intertwined with the issue of how to prevent gun violence are issues of bigotry directed toward people of color, different faiths, and women (as some of the tweets I got about Secretary Clinton showed). This makes the work of faith communities even more important. Creating justice includes creating space for reconciliation.  But for progress to be made we have to recognize how these issues are intertwined.  

Ending gun violence: The faithful choice means reducing easy access to powerful weapons

My latest oped: Ending #gunviolence: The faithful choice http://t.co/s0BEi9zs2d via @oregonian #NotOneMore #NoMoreNRA #gunsense @FGLeader

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) June 27, 2014

From Dallas to Sandy Hook: Lord Have Mercy

This week we mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy as we prepare to mark the one-year anniversary of the massacre of school children in Sandy Hook.

Do Americans put more faith in guns than in God? It is idolatry to worship false idols but the NRA and their allies tell us to trust in weapons as the last refuge of safety. Scripture tells us to trust to God "though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult." (Psalm 46 NRSV)

Arm the teachers, cried the NRA after Sandy Hook. That will stop the massacres. Then came the shooting this year at the Navy Yard where 13 died. Even soldiers at a military compound are not safe from gun violence.

President Kennedy had the best security available of his time and still a gunman took him down and changed history. Later, President Ronald Reagan would be a victim of gun violence. Power and privilege cannot always protect.

The NRA, once a respected hunting organization, has become over years the last defense of terrorists, child killers, and political extremists. Their money and influence controls the debate over how to combat gun violence in America. They are powerful. Yet they wield their power not in defense of the most vulnerable but in support of the most violent. In the end, they have become the greatest obstacle of the Prince of Peace and the Prophets of God who called for weapons to be turned into plowshares.

President Kennedy once said: "Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future."

The NRA must shoulder some blame for the shooting at Sandy Hook that took so many children from us. That day so much hope and promise perished. Every day since gun violence has taken more Americans in senseless acts that could have been prevented if common sense gun control measured proposed by President Barack Obama had been enacted. Even a majority of NRA members supported President Obama's proposals. Tragically, the NRA's allies in Congress put their faith in guns instead of God. That is simply sin. So each day more children die.

Lord have mercy.

Sinful Senate Vote Compounds Newtown Tragedy

This morning in The Huffington Post I address the Senate's failure to address gun violence in America:

"The ability of a minority of in the U.S. Senate to block common sense gun violence prevention measures is a victory for the NRA, whose leadership has sided with criminals over the common good of our nation. The Senators who sided with the NRA's leadership have sinned."

Sinful Senate Vote Compounds Newtown Tragedy

People Of Faith #DemandAVote For Gun Violence Prevention #NowIsTheTime

Yesterday supporters of President Obama's gun violence prevention measures - including people of faith - rallied across America to demand that Congress vote on the proposals.  I spoke at the Portland press event. Over 70% of NRA members support President Obama's call for universal background checks.  This isn't a fight between the White House and gun owners but a fight between Americans and a radicalized NRA leadership that has lost touch with their membership. A few of those out-of-the mainstream voices tried to shout down speakers yesterday - one of them yelling a racial slur - but the vast majority of Americans reject such views and believe that in a democracy it isn't the loudest voice but the strongest ideal that should win the day. 

Statment in Support Of Universial Background Checks Delivered

by Rev. Chuck Currie at Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Feb 22, 2013

Last month I joined President Obama and Vice-President Biden at the National Prayer Service in Washington, DC as part of the Inaugural celebration. There we prayed for an end to violence in America. Certain issues sometimes divide people of faith but there is strong agreement from the National Council of Churches, representing Protestant and Orthodox Christians, and the U.S. Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops - along with the larger interfaith community – that we must support common sense proposals to reduce gun violence in America. Our schools, houses of worship and movie theaters are places we should expect to be safe. In these places we worship, we learn and we are entertained. But in recent years all these places -- along with shopping malls and restaurants and public parks -- have in moments of terror become killing fields as people with often great mental instability who have access to weapons meant for battlefields open fire on innocent crowds causing mass deaths. President Obama has proposed several important measures, including universal background checks for those purchasing guns, which would make America safer. People of faith support efforts to reduce gun violence. NRA members, many of who are people of faith, support universal background checks. I call on all members of Oregon’s Congressional delegation – both Democrats and Republicans – to put the common good of our nation and the safety of our children before the out-of the-mainstream demands of a radicalized NRA leadership that is out-of-touch with their membership.

(Download PDF of statement)

Organizing For Action call on Congress to support plan to close background check loopholes. twitter.com/MikeTurnerKXL/…

— Mike Turner (@MikeTurnerKXL) February 22, 2013

JPANet: Act to end gun violence!

This week I'm at Chicago Theological Seminary where not far away Hadiya Pendleton was killed on Tuesday as we sat in a doctor of ministry course. One of my CTS classmates, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, lost his son to gun violence in 1999. How many more kids? Now is the time to act.

Action Alert from the Justice and Witness Minitries of the United Church of Christ  

Despite the unrelenting and terrible toll taken by gun violence year after year in the United States, Congress has done distressingly little to address what has become a major public health threat.  While tragic incidents of gun violence like the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Aurora, Colorado and Oak Creek, Wisconsin draw national headlines, in many communities across the country, the impact of gun violence is a day-to-day reality.

Members of the faith community have long advocated for sensible, responsible policies to end gun violence. The 20^th UCC General Synod spoke prophetically on this issue with a resolution entitled “Guns and Violence,” which invited UCC members and congregations to advocate for legislation to strengthen licensing and registration of gun sales, strengthen regulations of gun dealers and ban semiautomatic assault weapons and high capacity ammunition clips.

The faith community has come together many times in the aftermath of gun tragedies to urge lawmakers to pass laws that prevent gun violence and this week we do so once again. Tested by our grief, resolute in our faith we remain committed to continuing this drumbeat.

Take action! Write or call your elected officials and tell them that it is time to take concrete steps to address gun violence.

God, Guns And The Church - The Darkest Valley from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

Response to Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton On Gun Violence Prevention #orpol

I am deeply concerned that Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton  and other law enforcement officers are informing the public they will not enforce laws meant to reduce gun violence enacted by Congress or executive order of the president.  Most concerning is that some local sheriffs have promised to prevent federal officials from enforcing laws in their respective counties.  In a democracy our government has a system of checks and balances.  No where does the constitution provide Sheriff Staton authority to determine the constitutionality of a law.

The Multnomah County Board of County Commissioners should immediately pass a resolution that cuts off funding for Sheriff Staton's salary if he refuses to do his sworn duty and uphold the Constitution.  Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum should also investigate whether or not carrying out these threats is a breach of law. These threats certainly undermine our democracy.      

President Obama's common sense proposals to reduce gun violence are supported by the National Council of Churches and other faith bodies, along with many law enforcement officials who respect the rule of law and want to keep police officers safe from well armed and dangerous criminals.  Our schools, malls and houses of worship should be safe from violence, and Sheriff Staton should run for or seek appointment to a judgeship if he wants to interpret the law (though without a law degree he does not have the most basic qualification for such a position).

Rev. Chuck Currie

Memo To Cross Lobby: Contact Kurt Schrader And Tell Him To Put People Before NRA

No one should be surprised but Oregon Democrat Kurt Schrader is backing the NRA and saying there is no need for additional laws to reduce gun violence. The congressman needs to hear from people of faith (and all Oregonians) who believe otherwise. You can call Rep. Schrader at (202) 225-5711 or visit http://schraderforms.house.gov/contact/ to send a polite e-mail.

Rep. Schrader is an NRA-backed Democrat. Blinded by their support and influence he fails to see the crisis we face in America today – a crisis where over 100,000 are injured by gun violence each year and over 30,000 die.

People of faith are calling on the president and Congress to act. Rep. Schrader needs to put the people of Oregon and the United States before the special interests of the NRA.

Rep. Schrader's bio lists him as an Episcopalian.  It is worth noting that the Episcopal Church USA is asking members to take a "Pledge to Break the Cycle of Violence" which reads:

As an Episcopalian committed in baptism to seeking justice and peace and promoting the dignity of every human being, I commit to being part of the solution to the violence in our culture that claimed the lives of 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School and that claims the lives of 2000 innocent children through gun crimes each year. I commit to the pursuit of laws that keep guns out of the hands of criminals, prioritize the needs of at-risk children, provide care for mental illness, and address the many ways in which our culture both celebrates and trivializes violence. I commit to holding my lawmakers, my community, and my own household accountable. I commit to accomplishing these things in 2013. I commit to being the change we need.

Right now Rep. Schrader's views fall far short of this pledge. Let's encourage him to take the pledge and to support meaningful action to prevent gun violence in our nation.

Photo credit: House.gov

People of Faith Should Back Strong Gun Violence Prevention Measures

My latest in The Huffington Post:

"In the end, I believe that the NRA will find out that the Rev. Canon Gary R. Hall, Dean of the National Cathedral, was correct when he said: 'I believe the gun lobby is no match for the cross lobby.'"

People of Faith Should Back Strong Gun Violence Prevention Measures

Pray, Cry, Mourn & Act: Responding to Newtown #sandyhook

Another mass shooting...

It is difficult to imagine that the One whose own Passion models the redemptive power of non-violence would look favorably on the violence of contemporary U.S. society. Present-day violence is made far worse than it otherwise would be by the prevalence of weapons on our streets.

- Ending Gun Violence: A Resolution and Call to Action by the National Council of Churches

Today we must pray. And cry.  And mourn.

But we also must act. (This White House petition needs 25,000 signatures to receive a response. We can do that today.)

God, Guns And The Church - The Darkest Valley from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

Prayers For Clackamas Shooting #Clackamashooting

As the minister of Portland’s Sunnyside and University Park Churches, I urge the people of Oregon to pray this afternoon for all those involved in the shooting which took place earlier today at Clackamas Town Center. We mourn the dead, pray for healing for those injured, and lift up the service and sacrifice of the first responders.

This is a holy time. Millions across the globe are celebrating Hanukkah and Advent. We remember that we are called to be compassionate people who respond to those in need.

It is not too early to ask why a gunman – possibly with an assault rifle - was able to commit this terrible crime. Once again, I join the National Council of Churches and other people of faith in calling on our leaders in Washington, D.C. and locally to do more to reduce gun violence. Lord, have mercy.

-Rev. Chuck Currie, Minister, Sunnyside Church and University Park Church

Update: December 12, 2012

We continue to hold the victims and first responders of the Clackamas Town Center shooting in our prayers this morning. There is now confirmation that the shooter used an AR-15 assault rifle, one of the same weapons used in the Colorado mass shooting this past summer, which had previously been outlawed by the Assault Weapons Ban, which was allowed to expire under President Bush. I continue to join with the National Council of Churches and other people of faith in calling for the Assault Weapons Ban to be re-instated and for other sensible gun control measures to be put in place. Our malls, schools, churches and playgrounds should be safe and free from violence. You don't need an AR-15 for duck hunting in Oregon. During this season of Advent, I hope all Oregonians continue to pray for those involved in this horror and I call on people of faith to reach out to the president and Congress to demand action.

#clackamasshooting Sheriff Craig Roberts says shooter was Jacob T. Roberts, 22, fired a stolen AR-15 rifle 'We do not understand the motive.

— Maxine Bernstein (@maxoregonian) December 12, 2012

God, Guns And The Church - The Darkest Valley from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

Shooting At Family Research Council Must Be Condemned; Shows Need For New Gun Controls

A shooting took place today outside the D.C. offices of the Family Research Council, a organization recognized as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for their attacks against gays, lesbians and others.

No motive is known for the attack but it must be condemned by all who love God and seek justice. One guard was injured.

UPDATE: Additional information suggests this may be an act of domestic terrorism.  Before this information was known, LGBT leaders, often the victims of politicals campaigns undertaken by the Family Reseach Council, released a statement that read: "We were saddened to hear news of the shooting this morning at the offices of the Family Research Council. Our hearts go out to the shooting victim, his family, and his co-workers" and that "regardless of what emerges as the reason for this shooting, we utterly reject and condemn such violence. We wish for a swift and complete recovery for the victim of this terrible incident."

We are reminded of the words spoken by The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a generation ago:

The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. … Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

The anti-civil rights organization "National Organization for Marriage" is blaming this attack on the Southern Poverty Law Center.  That's irresponsible.  The Southern Poverty law Center has always promoted non-violence and justice.  Regardless of the motive of the shooter, the fact remains that the Family Research Council promotes an agenda of hate and division that must be called out.

But violence is never the way to achieve that goal.  What this does remind of us is the need for senisble gun controls that protect all people.

UPDATE: It is worth noting that the Family Research Council which has opposed sensible gun controls and partnered with the NRA did not issue statements calling for prayers in the wake of the mass shootings in Colorado or the Sikh temple.

God, Guns And The Church - The Darkest Valley from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

Christians Must Counter Sikh Temple Shootings With Call For End To Gun Violence

 

Members of Sunnyside Church and University Park Church pray for the victims of the Sikh Temple shooting.

 As the people of Sunnyside Church and University Park Church gathered for a joint BBQ and celebration of our shared ministries together we learned of the mass shooting at the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin.  We offered prayers for those killed and wounded.  This terrible event reminds us once again that Christians are called to preach a message of love and compassion to a world torn apart by too much violence.  Further, it reinforces to need for Christian communities to develop interfaith partnerships and friendships to promote understanding.  We are also reminded, without question, that one of the responsibilities of the church universal is to work toward an end of gun violence.  No one in a house of worship should be cut down by bullets fired in hate.  As we know now, the suspect was a white supremacist.  Were his actions motivated by those who preach intolerance towards minority religions?  It would not come as a surprise as too many politicians and religious leaders have used faith in recent years as a tool to divide Americans.  Our faith should never be so misused and it is certainly the responsibility of Christians across this great nation not only to condemn this act of hate but to work toward reconciliation.  This terrible event, just like the mass shooting in Colorado two weeks ago, never should have happened.  It is time for all people of faith to join together in opposition to the gun lobby and others who support the legality of weapons of mass killing in our neighborhoods and streets.  Enough is enough. Click here to tell President Obama, Governor Romney and Congress that we are better than this.

A Homily On Ephesians 4: 1-16: Run, Don't Walk - And Dream (And A BBQ!)

Sunday was a busy day for the people of University Park Church and Sunnyside Church.  Dispite the high heat and no A/C in either church (this is Portland, afterall) we had good turnout for worship at both services.  Our focus Scripture was Ephesians 4: 1-16 (using The Message translation):

A Homily On Ephesians 4: 1-16: Run, Don't Walk - And Dream from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

Later in the afternoon both congregations gathered together for a BBQ.  We took time at the start to offer prayers of thanksgiving for the meal and for the victims of the terrible shooting at the Sikk temple in Wisconsin.  

God, Guns and the Church: The Darkest Valley

The text of my sermon from this Sunday - a reflection on Psalm 23 and gun violence - is now live on The Huffington Post:

God, Guns and the Church: The Darkest Valley

God, Guns And The Church - The Darkest Valley from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

Colorado Attack Calls For Prayer, New Gun Measures

This morning the American people are united in prayer and concern for the victims of the mass shooting at the "Batman" movie in Aurora, Colorado. This event serves as a reminder that people of faith are called to work towards an end to gun violence. We need additional responsible gun control measures that take weapons of war off our streets and out of our neighborhoods. For the victims, we pray for healing.  For the dead and their families, we pray for justice and healing for those left behind. Lord, hear our prayer.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Update via The White House: President Obama has issued a proclamation that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff at the White House and at all public buildings and grounds until sunset on July 25.

Update:  In response to this tragedy and recent shootings in Portland, my sermon this Sunday at University Park Church (9:30 am) and Sunnyside Church (11am) will be a reflection on Psalm 23, one of the lectionary readings for this week, and how Christians might better respond to gun violence.  This represents a change from the original theme planned for worship this week at both churches.  

People Of Faith Must Condemn Tucker Carlson Racist Gun Stunt

Does Tucker Carlson crave publicity so badly that he's willing to embrace a racist gun dealer or does he himself harbor hatred toward the president of the United States of America based on the color of his skin and wish him harm? It's a legitimate question as Carlson's website gives away guns from a known bigot.

The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Reports:

Washington, DC—That Tucker Carlson and the Daily Caller would promote a man like firearms manufacturer Jim Pontillo to their readers is a testament to how far the American Conservative movement has moved to the right in the last several years. It is not just that Pontillo’s dislike of President Obama is tinged with not-so-subtle racism (“He will never be President of the United States; that job requires he represent all Americans, not just the angry black ones.”). Pontillo also believes that political violence has a legitimate place in American politics. He states that armed resistance to democratic government is “integral to the American DNA” and warns, "I can't imagine how much more insult the American people are willing to endure under the 'enterprises of ambition' by our politicians, but I do know, gun ownership and an understanding of our American Founders' vision will have positive and deliberate effect on the psyche of our populace and can subdue the overzealous and prejudicial effect of this ambition. When law is abused to achieve political ends where do the gallant citizens turn? Quite possibly to their guns." 

Such commentary would have been inappropriate and dangerous even before Gabby Giffords was shot in the head by Jared Loughner (“You don’t have to accept the federalist laws”). That the Daily Caller would associate itself with such rhetoric in the wake of Tucson is unfathomable. 

Tucker Carlson has already attempted to downplay the controversy, suggesting that the only relevant detail about Pontillo is the fact that he’s a licensed gun maker. But giving away a handgun with the Bill of Rights engraved on its side is an overtly political statement. It is therefore relevant and worth asking whether Carlson embraces Pontillo’s ideas about “Second Amendment remedies.” 

Finally, it is ironic that while Pontillo sees Liberals as a bunch of Socialists and Communists that are subverting all that is great about America, he seems to see no contradiction in his own effort to void sacrosanct democratic institutions like political equality and the rule of law.

Threats against President Obama and our democracy must be taken seriously.  There is room for debate in our nation - that is what elections are all about - but Carlson crosses a line here that must be condemned.

People of faith must demand an end to gun violence and a return to civility in public life.  

Want Guns In Your Church? The NRA And Their Allies Do.

Like the National Council of Churches, I maintain that: "Present-day violence is made far worse than it otherwise would be by the prevalence of weapons on our streets."  We need sensible gun control measures in our nation to protect the American people from gun violence, a public health crisis.  The NRA and their politicans in Congress want to expand the "rights" of gun owners so that they can carry weapons into churches and school yards across the nation.  Today The New York Times reports on the violence that has been caused by their victories at the state and local level.  People of faith and mayors are fighting back against the NRA.  As we approach the one year anniversary of the Tucson shootings it is time to double our efforts to stop gun violence in the United States.   

God Not Guns: Tucson Argues For Gun Limits To Reduce Violence

In the aftermath of the Tucson shooting earlier this month, The Rev. Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite wrote:

... responsible religious leaders need to speak out and say, without equivocation, that God and guns don't mix. When one of the disciples uses a weapon to defend Jesus from arrest, Jesus rebukes the disciple. God's own son warns us about what happens to those who live by weapons. What happens is they die by weapons."

Newsweek is reporting that President Obama will soon offer Congress new gun control proposals. The last two years has seen little evidence of a willingness on the part of the White House to delve into this politically charged topic - much to the frustration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The New York City Mayor, along with family members of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy, recently called for a new push for gun control in an "Open Letter" to the president and Congress:

Forty-three years ago, following the shootings of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Congress passed a law to prevent dangerous people from possessing guns. The 1968 law bars felons, the mentally ill, drug abusers, and other dangerous people under federal law from possessing guns.

In 1993, Congress passed the Brady Bill, named for President Reagan's press secretary James Brady, who had been critically wounded in the assassination attempt on President Reagan. The Brady Bill created a system of background checks that helped to make real the purpose of the 1968 law.

But in the wake of the tragic shooting in Tucson, it is clear that the system is flawed and too many dangerous people are still able to buy guns. In Tucson and at Virginia Tech, the killers should have been barred from buying guns, but their records were not in the background check database as they should have been. At Columbine High School, the shooters went around the system by getting their guns through a purchase from an unlicensed seller at a gun show.

Altogether, in the years since 1968, 400,000 Americans have been murdered with guns. That's 34 Americans each and every day.

Specially, U.S. mayors are calling for fixes that would:  

• Ensure the names of all the people who should be prohibited from buying a gun are in the system
• Close the loopholes in the background check system by requiring a background check for every gun sale

Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, quickly re-affirmed after the Tucson tragedy the long-held Southern Baptist position of opposition to gun control:

"Gun control would not solve this problem...People who are crazy and intent on criminal activity will get guns. When you have gun control, the problem is that the only people who have guns are the crazy people and the outlaws. Guns are not the problem. Human beings with criminal intent are the problem."

What Land fails to note is that there was a 66% decline in assault weapon use after the 1994 passage of the Federal Assault Weapons Act.

For Christians debating this issue, are there theological principles that can be drawn from to inform the discussion? Ending Gun Violence: A Resolution and Call to Action by the National Council of Churches of Christ, U.S.A. offers a sound theological rational for supporting gun control efforts:

When thinking about the problem of violence, Christian faith is both "idealistic" and "realistic." On the one hand, there is a stream within the Christian tradition that counsels non-violence in all circumstances. A seminal text is the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew's gospel, where Jesus instructs his followers to bear violence rather than inflict it.

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.... You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . . (Matt. 5: 38-39, 43-44).

It is difficult to imagine that the One whose own Passion models the redemptive power of non-violence would look favorably on the violence of contemporary U.S. society. Present-day violence is made far worse than it otherwise would be by the prevalence of weapons on our streets. This stream of the Christian tradition insists that it is idolatry to trust in guns to make us secure, since that usually leads to mutual escalation while distracting us from the One whose love alone gives us security.

On the other hand, Christians also know, from both experience and scripture, that all humans are sinful, capable of acting with hostile aggression toward their neighbors. This "realistic" view of human nature also argues for restricting access to guns which, in the wrong hands or without adequate supervision, can make violence ever more deadly. Christians can certainly contend that it is necessary for public authorities to take up arms in order to protect citizens from violence; but to allow assault weapons in the hands of the general public can scarcely be justified on Christian grounds. The stark reality is that such weapons end up taking more lives than they defend, and the reckless sale or use of these weapons refutes the gospel's prohibition against violence.

As a minister in the United Church of Christ, I've preached on this topic and know that in our pews there is debate and disagreement about the right course of action to reduce gun violence. The National Rifle Association has a powerful hold on the American political system. The question for people of faith is where we place our trust: with God or guns?

Come Together to End Gun Violence

Action Alert from the Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ 

Gun violence can grab the national headlines, as it did recently in the aftermath of the tragic shooting rampage in Tucson, but for many communities, gun violence is such a routine fact of life that it sadly no longer draws much attention.  As people of faith, we are called to stand against violence in our communities.  Gun violence has already taken too great a toll in precious lives lost and permanently damaged, not only in Tucson but in communities around the country.

The debate over gun violence and gun control can quickly become divisive.  But we cannot allow a difficult debate to deter us from addressing what is a major public health crisis in the United States.  We can come together to take small, sensible steps toward preventing further tragedy.Rep. Carolyn McCarthy has introduced a bill that would limit the sale of high capacity ammunition magazines such as the one used in the Tucson shootings. 

Of course, no single law can prevent a tragedy such as the shooting in Tucson or the killing of 32 students at Virginia Tech in 2007.   Measures like the one to prohibit the sale of high capacity ammunition magazines are reasonable, modest steps toward reducing the terrible toll that is taken by gun violence. Please take this opportunity to come together across our differences in this small step to prevent future tragedies.

Take action now. Come together to stop gun violence.

 

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Tucson Victim Threatens Tea Party Member: A Sad Postscript

One of the victims of the Tucson shootings was arrested tonight after making verbal threats against a Tea Party member.  J. Eric Fuller has been taken to a facility for a mental health evaluation, reports The New York Times.  You can imagine the anguish this U.S. veteran feels after being shot last weekend in the back and knee.  Trauma victims often live with on-going mental health issues long after events such as the Tucson shootings.  We should keep Mr. Fuller in our prayers, as we continue to pray for reconciliation and an end to violence. 

In the meantime, it should be noted that earlier today The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon renewed his call for an end to gun violence in America:

On the eve of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the general secretary of the National Council of Churches has called on individual NCC governing board members, communion heads and other representatives to let their political officials know they oppose the easy availability of fire arms.

"I strongly urge you to write your own congressional delegates and state governor, letting them know that you, too, are the NCC -- and that together we say an emphatic 'No!' to laws that allow assault weapons and handguns with oversize magazines to be readily available on our city streets," Kinnamon wrote today in a letter to NCC representatives.

Kinnamon said his message comes "in the aftermath of the tragic shooting in Tucson, an event which I am sure we have all named in our personal times of prayer."

A surge of voices from national, state and local bodies will remind political leaders of the scope of the NCC's partnerships, Kinnamon noted. "When we send letters from the NCC office to Congress and/or the Administration, they are too often dismissed as the message of a single organization instead of the collective witness of a community of communions," Kinnamon wrote.

Kinnamon noted that the NCC Governing Board adopted a resolution against gun violence last May.

"Ending Gun Violence: A Resolution and Call to Action by the National Council of Churches," calls upon the NCC's member communions to "prayerfully, financially, and otherwise support the NCC staff in coordinating ecumenical efforts for gun violence reduction, including preparing educational materials about the magnitude of gun violence, developing avenues for dialogue among gun owners and gun control advocates within our congregations, and offering a faithful witness in cooperating with inter-faith and nonreligious anti-gun advocacy organizations."

The full text of the resolution can be downloaded at  http://www.ncccusa.org/NCCpolicies/gunviolence.pdf

Kinnamon wrote: "In addition to prayer and calls for civility, I believe this is also the moment to press our long-standing concern as a community of Christian communions for laws aimed at reducing gun violence in America.  It is not exploiting (Tucson) tragedy for followers of the Prince of Peace to say, 'Enough!'  Every serious study on the subject shows that easy access to guns is a menace to our nation's public health."

Kinnamon cited a column by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times calling for regulations "to regulate guns as seriously as toys."

Visit Heading God's Call and the Brady Campaign to learn more about how your faith community can become involved in the work to end gun violence in America.

As we continue to reflect on both gun violence and the need for more civility in our political and religious lives, I want to offer again these two sermons on the topics:

A Sermon On 1 Corinthians 12:16-26: Unity In The Midst Of Division (A Post-Election Reflection)

God, Guns & American Violence: Turning Weapons Into Ploughshares

"50+ Prominent Faith Leaders to Congress: After AZ Shootings, Time for 'Soul Searching' about Toxic Rhetoric"

Faith In Public Life Press Release

In an open letter to Congress published today as a full-page advertisement in Roll Call newspaper, faith leaders are calling for national "soul searching" and praying for Members of Congress after Saturday's shooting spree in Arizona, which left six people dead and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords critically injured.

The open letter is signed by more than 50 prominent national religious leaders, including heads of evangelical, mainline Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim denominations, congregations, and organizations. The signers urge Members of Congress to reject vitriolic and rancorous rhetoric and consider the consequences of their words, engaging political adversaries in a spirit of shared American values of civility and cooperation.

Signatories of the letter include megachurch pastors Bishop T.D. Jakes and Rev. Joel Hunter; Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners; Nathan J. Diament, the Director of Public Policy for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; and Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Rev. Peg Chemberlin, President of the National Council of Churches and Rev. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, which represents 45 million people and 100,000 congregations in the U.S., and Rev. Sam Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, which serves 15 million Hispanic Christians, also signed the letter. Arizona faith leaders, including Bishop Minerva Carcaño of Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church, Rev. Jan Olav Flaaten, Executive Director of the Arizona Ecumenical Council, and Rt. Rev. Kirk S. Smith, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, also joined the letter.

The full letter with signatories is below:

Dear Members of Congress,

As Americans and members of the human family, we are grieved by the recent tragedy in Tucson, Arizona. As Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders, we pray together for all those wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords as she fights for her life. Our hearts break for those lives lost and for the loved ones left behind. We also stand with you, our elected officials, as you continue to serve our nation while coping with the trauma of this senseless attack.

This tragedy has spurred a sorely needed time of soul searching and national public dialogue about violent and vitriolic political rhetoric. We strongly support this reflection, as we are deeply troubled that rancor, threats and incivility have become commonplace in our public debates.

We appreciate the sacrifices you make and risks you incur by accepting a call to public service, and we urge you to continue to serve as stewards of our democracy by engaging ideological adversaries not as enemies, but as fellow Americans.

In our communities and congregations, we pledge to foster an environment conducive to the important and difficult debates so crucial to American democracy. In our churches, mosques and synagogues, we come together not as members of a certain political ideology or party, but as children of God and citizens called to build a more perfect union. We pray that you do the same.

Naeem M. Baig
Executive Director
Islamic Circle of North America
Council for Social Justice

Dr. Carroll A. Baltimore, Sr.
President
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.

The Rev. Geoffrey Black
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ

Bishop John R. Bryant
Senior Bishop
African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church

Dr. Zahid H. Bukhari
President
Islamic Circle of North America

Rev. Jennifer Butler
Executive Director
Faith in Public Life

Simone Campbell, SSS
Executive Director
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

Bishop Minerva Carcaño
Desert Southwest Conference
United Methodist Church

The Rev. Canon Peg Chemberlin
President
National Council of Churches

Rev. Richard Cizik
President
New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good

Nathan J. Diament
Director of Public Policy
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

Faithful America

Rev. Jan Olav Flaaten
Executive Director
Arizona Ecumenical Council

Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson
General Secretary
Reformed Church in America

Simon Greer
President and CEO
Jewish Funds for Justice

Dr. David P. Gushee
Board Chair
New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good

Rabbi Steve Gutow
President and CEO
Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins
Senior Pastor
Nineteenth Street Baptist Church
Washington, DC

The Rev. Dr. Katharine Rhodes Henderson
President
Auburn Seminary

The Rev. Anne S. Howard
Executive Director
The Beatitudes Society

James E. Hug, SJ
President
Center of Concern

Dr. Joel C. Hunter
Senior Pastor
Northland - A Church Distributed

Bishop T. D. Jakes
The Potter's House

Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon
General Secretary
National Council of Churches

Chris Korzen
Executive Director
Catholics United

Leadership Team of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
Eileen Campbell, RSM
Anne Curtis, RSM
Pat McDermott, RSM
Mary Waskowiak, RSM
Linda Werthman, RSM

Rabbi John A. Linder
Temple Solel
Paradise Valley, AZ

Marie Lucey, OSF
Associate Director for Social Mission
Leadership Conference of Women Religious

Rev. Steven D. Martin
Executive Director
New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good

Brian McClaren
Author/Activist

T. Michael McNulty, SJ
Justice and Peace Director
Conference of Major Superiors of Men

Rev. Peter Morales
President
Unitarian Universalist Association

Bishop Paul Morton
International Presiding Bishop
Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship

Muslim Public Affairs Council

Stanley J. Noffsinger
General Secretary
Church of the Brethren

Dr. Walter L. Parrish III
General Secretary
Progressive National Baptist Convention

Rev. Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk
Presbyterian Church (USA)

Nancy Ratzan
President
National Council of Jewish Women

Rev. Meg Riley
Board Chair
Faith in Public Life

Dave Robinson
Executive Director
Pax Christi USA

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez
President
National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

Rev. Gabriel Salguero
President
National Latino Evangelical Coalition

Rabbi David Saperstein
Director
Religious Action Center

Dr. William J. Shaw
Immediate Past President
National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.

Dr. T. DeWitt Smith, Jr.
Immediate Past President
Progressive National Baptist Convention

Rt. Rev. Kirk S. Smith
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Arizona

Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed
National Director, Office for Interfaith & Community Alliances
Islamic Society of North America

Rev. Dr. Stephen J. Thurston
President
National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., Intl.

Rev. Jim Wallis
President and CEO
Sojourners

Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins
General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Rev. Heyward Wiggins, III
PICO National Network
Camden Bible Tabernacle Church
Camden, NJ

Jim Winkler
General Secretary
United Methodist General Board of Church & Society



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President Obama's Remarks At Tucson Memorial

President Obama challenged the nation tonight at a memorial for the victims of the Tucson massacre to unite with common purpose to build a better America:

If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate, as it should, let’s make sure it’s worthy of those we have lost. Let’s make sure it’s not on the usual plane of politics and point scoring and pettiness that drifts away with the next news cycle.

The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better in our private lives – to be better friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let’s remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud. It should be because we want to live up to the example of public servants like John Roll and Gabby Giffords, who knew first and foremost that we are all Americans, and that we can question each other’s ideas without questioning each other’s love of country, and that our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American dream to future generations.

I believe we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved lives here – they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us. I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.

That’s what I believe, in part because that’s what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed. Imagine: here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that someday she too might play a part in shaping her nation’s future. She had been elected to her student council; she saw public service as something exciting, something hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.

I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.

Christina was given to us on September 11th, 2001, one of 50 babies born that day to be pictured in a book called “Faces of Hope.” On either side of her photo in that book were simple wishes for a child’s life. “I hope you help those in need,” read one. “I hope you know all of the words to the National Anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart. I hope you jump in rain puddles.”

If there are rain puddles in heaven, Christina is jumping in them today. And here on Earth, we place our hands over our hearts, and commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit.

May God bless and keep those we’ve lost in restful and eternal peace. May He love and watch over the survivors. And may He bless the United States of America.

The President's words lifted up a vision for us of America as it should be. When President Obama speaks of the reconciliation needed in our nation today we hear an agenda that should be shared by all - regardless of politics. There is too much violence in society today - too much anger in our politics - but we know we are better than this. Our nation is still a great nation. We need to live that out by becoming better neighbors - by being our brothers keeper, our sisters keeper - and working with intention to build a stronger national community.

Photo Credit:  President Barack Obama hugs members of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ staff at the University of Arizona’s McKale Memorial Center in Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 12, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Sarah Palin's Blood Libel

Sarah Palin today charged that those who say she is guilty of using rhetoric that creates an atmosphere where violence is permissible are themselves guilty of "blood libel." Elizabeth Tenety notes:

The term refers to the false claim made by Christians starting in the Middle Ages that Jews murder non-Jews and use their blood for ritual or medicinal purposes.

Palin also said today that only the Arizona shooter was responsible for the tragedy that occurred - not her, not anyone else.

But has Palin's rhetoric helped fuel a climate of division and violence? Many, including the Secret Service during the 2008 campaign, have said that Palin's words have had the result of inciting people to hate others - including the President - and, after all, Palin during the 2010 campaign put a "hit list" online that included U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head.

In terms of responsibility, lax gun laws certainly played a role in letting the assassin get a gun in the first place. There is plenty of responsibility to go around. We all share it in.

Palin's comments today - in which she literally declares she is being treated like a persecuted Jew (Giffords is, of course, actually Jewish) - are astounding and offer up a picture of Palin playing the victim instead of taking responsibility for her words and actions.

America needs leaders - particularly now - who take responsibility, seek common ground, and work toward reconciliation.

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"Tragedy In Arizona"

From Richard Cohen, President of the Southern Poverty Law Center:

A year ago, we introduced a new school curriculum, Civil Discourse in the Classroom and Beyond, with this urgent call: "There is a pressing need to change the tenor of public debate from shouts and slurs to something more reasoned."

The tragedy in Tucson this weekend reminds us that it's a call that politicians and pundits would do well to heed.

We may never get a clear picture of what was going through the confused mind of the Tucson gunman. But as my colleague Mark Potok explained on NPR this morning, with all the vitriol on the airwaves, it's not surprising that someone has taken deadly aim at an elected official.

Tea Party darlings like Sharron Angle talk about using "second amendment remedies" to change the course of the country. The shameless Glenn Beck feeds the lunatic fringe with talk of the government herding Americans into FEMA concentration camps and of imminent violence from mysterious forces "from the left." Sarah Palin uses phrases like "don't retreat, reload" and shows the districts of various Democrats in Congress, including that of Tucson's Gabrielle Giffords, in the crosshairs.

The problem isn't so much a lack of politeness. We should expect sharp elbows and a healthy degree of ridicule to be thrown around by those in the political arena. The problem is the incendiary rhetoric, with its violence-laced metaphors, and the spinning of paranoid fantasies. The problem is the non-stop demonization one hears from political opportunists trolling for votes and their media allies trolling for ratings.

The sheriff in Tucson put it this way: "When you look at unbalanced people — how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain people's mouths about tearing down the government — the anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous."

With six dead and 14 wounded, the sheriff would have been justified in using much stronger terms.

Politicians of both parties have condemned the attack and begun to ask themselves questions about the overheated rhetoric that may have contributed to it. Speaker Boehner has postponed the normal business of the House for the week so that he and his colleagues can reflect on what should be done.

Let us all hope that the week of reflection is more than a brief interlude in what has become a vicious political season.

Full story.

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National Council of Churches Renews Its Call For Control Of Guns and For Non Violent Discourse

NCC PRESS RELEASE

National Council of Churches renews its calls
for control of guns and for non-violent discourse

New York, January 10, 2010 -- Less than eight months after the National Council of Churches governing board called for action to end gun violence, a U.S. Congresswoman lay in critical condition after a 9 mm bullet passed through her brain, six people lay dead and 14 were recovering from wounds.

But the January 9 attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and innocent bystanders in Tucson was only the most visible eruption of gun violence in the new year, said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC general secretary.

"Death and suffering from guns -- legally and illegally attained -- is virtually a daily occurrence in the cities and villages of this country," Kinnamon said. "This latest tragedy in Tucson is just the latest reason we should reexamine how guns are so easily attained
"Ending Gun Violence: A Resolution and Call to Action by the National Council of Churches," by is asking its members to add to note the number of rounds this weapon could hold. The organization has added to its Prevent Gun Violence Resolution a call for action to "decrease the firepower available to civilians by prohibiting high capacity ammunition magazines of more than 10 rounds."

Kinnamon also expressed concern that the nature of political debate in the U.S. "has become increasingly vitriolic with overtones of threats of violence. It may be free speech to use of words like 'targeting' to identify candidates whose political views differ from other individuals or groups," Kinnamon said. "But in the current climate they add nothing to political discourse and can be dangerous provocations."

Reports say Rep. Giffords, a Democrat, was occasionally the recipients of threats because of her support of national healthcare legislation and was "targeted" for defeat by her opponents in the recent campaign. The motivations of her accused assailant are unknown.
unanimously by the NCC Governing Board on May 2010, calls upon local, state and federal officials "to enact reforms that limit access to assault weapons and handguns, including the so-called federal 'gun show loophole,' which allows for the purchase of firearms from private sellers without submitting to a background check, or providing documentation of the purchase."

The resolution also calls upon the NCC's member communions to "prayerfully, financially, and otherwise support the NCC staff in coordinating ecumenical efforts for gun violence reduction, including preparing educational materials about the magnitude of gun violence, developing avenues for dialogue among gun owners and gun control advocates within our congregations, and offering a faithful witness in cooperating with inter-faith and nonreligious anti-gun advocacy organizations."

The full text of the resolution can be downloaded at http://www.ncccusa.org/NCCpolicies/gunviolence.pdf

In September 2009, alarmed by the intensity of angry and sometimes violent language coming out of public meetings on healthcare and other issues, the Governing Board called for "civility in public discourse."

"This clash of views demeans the dialogue and ultimately risks subverting the democratic process itself," the Governing Board said in the statement that passed without dissent. "Individuals cannot express their best hopes and acknowledge their deepest fears within a climate of intimidation and character assassination, and all too often this climate is the product of racism and xenophobia."

The message calls on churches, political leaders and persons of good will to reflect "on the ways we might restore dignity and civility to the national discourse."

Two prayer-hymns on gun violence by the Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, for use in worship, can be found at http://www.ncccusa.org/news/110110gillettehymnprayers.html

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for shared ecumenical witness among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 37 member communions -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.

NCC News contact: Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office), 646-853-4212 (cell), [email protected]



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A Moment of Silence

This morning those of us here today at Chicago Theological Seminary - at the urging of President Obama - joined people across the nation in a moment of silence for those injured in the Arizona shooting. (Photo credit: White House)

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6 Dead, 18 Hurt By Anti-Government Activist In Attack On U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

The attack today on U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords left 6 dead, including a nine year old girl, and 18 wounded.  The congresswoman, who had been reported killed by NPR and other media outlets, survived and is in ICU after being shot in the head.  U.S. District Judge John Roll is reported to be among the dead.  Both Rep. Giffords and Judge Roll have been the target of threats.

An anti-government activist is reported to have been the gunman, according to Slate.

The New York Times reports on threats to Rep. Giffords:

Last March, after the final approval of the Democrats’ health care law, which Ms. Giffords supported, the windows of her office in Tucson were broken or shot out in an act of vandalism. Similar acts were reported by other members of Congress, and several arrests were made, including that of a man who had threatened to kill Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington.

And in August 2009, when there were demonstrations against the health care measure across the nation, a protester who showed up to meet Ms. Giffords at a supermarket event similar to Saturday’s was removed by the police when the pistol he had holstered under his armpit fell and bounced on the floor.

During the fall campaign, Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate, posted a controversial map on her Facebook page depicting spots where Democrats were running for re-election; those Democrats were noted by crosshairs symbols like those seen through the scope of a gun. Ms. Giffords was among those on Ms. Palin’s map.

AZCentral.com is also reporting this afternoon that Judge Roll was the target of threats:

In 2009, he faced death threats over a $32 million civil-rights suit filed against an Arizona rancher by illegal immigrants.

At the time, Roll and U.S. Marshal's officials attributed the threats to hysteria from talk radio.

He and his wife were placed under federal protection for a month, a process he described as "unnerving and invasive."

Sources told The Republic that Roll was among the six killed Saturday at Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' event in Tucson.

Judge Roll was appointed to the bench by President George H.W. Bush in 1991.

In 2009, as the debate over health reform raged and town hall meetings deteriorated into near brawls, the National Council of Churches issued a statement urging civil discourse:

Individuals cannot express their best hopes and acknowledge their deepest fears within a climate of intimidation and character assassination, and all too often this climate is the product of racism and xenophobia.  Too much is at stake for the good of our society for us to continue down this dangerous path.  The essential nature of our national compact, to enfranchise the views of all, is imperiled in a hostile and suspicious environment. In this moment, then, we call the members of our churches, our political leaders, and all people of good will to somber reflection on the ways we might restore dignity and civility to our national discourse both as a matter of social ethics and to bolster the highest traditions of democratic process.

The prophet Isaiah (1:18) declares God’s message to the people to “Come let us reason together”. This injunction might serve us well in the present moment.  Reason, (yakah), in this passage does not refer to a dispassionate meeting of the minds but, rather calls for convincing, persuading and presenting a case for a point of view. Vigorous, principled debate advances our thinking and clarifies the challenges before us. Respect for neighbor strengthens the fabric of our communities.

Let us then, as a people, draw from our deepest traditions of faith and heritage to gain a renewed sense of community marked by honesty and mutual respect. Let our moments of rigorous debate be tempered with a profound sense of the dignity and worth of each person. Let us debate ideas on their merits and exercise restraint in expression of our own best conceptions. Such a disciplined dialogue holds great promise, honoring our differences and confirming our perception that we are a people joined in our mutual aspiration to live the lives for which we were created. 

Let us as member churches and brothers and sisters of other living faiths model the civility to which our sacred texts command.  Throughout its history, the conciliar ecumenical movement has provided a common venue for persons to express and debate differing viewpoints in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Let us make clear to ourselves and others those marks of civility that represent the best of our faiths and that can serve as foundational to rigorous, honest public discourse for the common good.

There is too much violence in our society today and politicians like Sarah Palin  and media figures like Glenn Beck seek with intention to fan those flames with full knowledge of what the consequences might be.  We do not know enough about the alleged gunman to say what set him off on this mass killing spree but we do know that rhetoric can provoke those who are unstable.  We need to tone down our politics, tone down our language, keep our political opponents off Palin-style "hit lists," and treat each other with respect and kindness even when we have profound disagreements over public policy or theology.  All Americans should pray today for an end to violence and for the families involved in this shooting.  

6:34 PM Update:  Pima County Sheriff Clarence W. Dupnik said this evening:

“The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And unfortunately, I think Arizona has become sort of the capital, we have beome the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry...”  “There’s reason to believe that this individual might have a mental issue, and I think that people who are unbalanced might be especially susceptible to vitriol.”

In the meantime, the sheriff's office also announced that a search for a possible second suspect was underway.   

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Shot In Arizona; Supporter Of Health Care Reform (UPDATED)

Update: NPR is now reporting that U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has died.

12:48 PM Update:  NPR now reporting Rep. Giffords' condition unclear.

1:07 PM Update:  Rep. Giffords survived shooting; out of surgery and in ICU 

Please keep the family of U.S. Rep. Giffords and the families of those others injured or killed in your prayers.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot today, according to NPR and other sources, and has been taken by life flight to a hospital in the Tuscon area.  Giffords is a supporter of President Obama's health care reform package which the new GOP majority in the House hopes to repeal.  Her office was vandalized after she voted in favor of the legislation last spring.  Several members of her staff were also injured in the attack today which occurred outside a "Meet Your Congressperson" type event at a Safeway.  Please keep Rep. Giffords and all those involved in your prayers.  No known reason for the attack has been given but the media is reporting that the gunman is in custody.

Update:  Rep. Giffords, who won re-election, was on Sarah Palin's 2010 "hit list."  The former governor wrote of Giffords and 19 others: ""We’re going to fire them and send them back to the private sector, which has been shrinking thanks to their destructive government-growing policies ... We’ll aim for these races and many others. This is just the first salvo in a fight to elect people across the nation who will bring common sense to Washington."  Palin's Facebook page included a map with with a gun crosshair over Gifford's district.