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I am a deacon in my church (Baptist) and I carry regularly. I have occasionally wondered why at church, then a news stroy pops up about a church shooting. Evidently no one told the bad guy that a chuch is supposed to be a sanctuary, free from that kind of stuff!
George, I agree on the point of "turning the other cheek." Recently I have been mentored by my pastor regarding hermeneutics, for which I could not be more grateful. I have always believed that the scripture was pretty black and white, but could never before quite explain why some people's "interpretation of the scripture" (I personally detest that phrase) didn't really fly. Now I'm learning how to really explain it simply and logically.
A related point that gets my gander is the camp that says, "if it is all part of God's plan, there is nothing we can do to change the coming events." I really don't read anywhere in the scripture that God wants us christians to be a bunch of pacifists and take whatever evil comes our way. Rather we are to stand and fight, with the primary battle being of spiritual nature "with the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Right before that, Paul says that our struggle is "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of THIS DARK WORLD..." (emphasis mine). This tells me the battle against evil does meet us in the physical world. I believe we should fight here too.
A wise man (who happened to be Jewish) once told me something that I not only try to live by, but have passed on to many others. "You don't have to be a barbarian to be a warrior." We christians can live Godly lives as servant leaders, full of kindness, mercy, and love and still be fierce warriors in the the struggle against evil. I think that is one of many things that makes us different in this world.
Thanks for your thread,
Dave.
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