Pisteuomen - πιστευομεν - T. Michael W. Halcomb

Beyond events such as 9/11, the Gulf War, the War in Iraq, and the War in Afghanistan, I have witnessed in my lifetime countless other acts of violence in our world.  On a more personal level, I have both seen and experienced physical violence and abuse against me and other family members.   Less than 2 years ago, during a church service, my wife, who was standing next to me during worship, was robbed by two street thugs who fled from the service with her purse.  Several years before that, while in college, I along with two friends who were with me on a camping outing, was attacked by a group of men who threw a homemade bomb near us and then emerged from the woods to hold us up at gunpoint for money.  In short, I have seen violence happen from a distance and on a massive scale as well as up-close on a personal level.   Some psychologists say that experiencing violence on a personal level changes someone forever; they are never quite the same.  ...

As those of you who have been reading this series know, thus far I have been systematically working  through passages of the New Testament that are used by pro-gun advocates to promote their agenda of owning and using guns.  To see those posts, click HERE .  In spite of the fact that a number of people have commented on these posts with antagonism to what I have to say, not one person has yet offered a well-researched, well-argued or solidly-grounded argument of refutation.  In this post, the seventh in this series, I want to continue working toward a theology of guns in the manner I have been doing thus far.  In short, here I want to deal with a misused passage that pro-gun advocates attempt to use to justify their claims. In particular, here I want to address a statement that is, in many ways, used more frequently than most others.  In fact, I heard someone make this claim just yesterday saying, "I'm a Christian woman but I'm also a pre-school teac...

Thus far in my series on the relationship between Christians and guns, I have dealt with a number of passages in the New Testament that pro-gun advocates attempt to use in their agenda to favorably link Jesus to guns and Christianity or Christians to guns.  I have shown thus far, however, that such endeavors are unfounded and misplaced.  You can read more by clicking the following links: * Pt. 1 (Lk 22:35-36) * Pt. 2 (Mt 26:52; Lk 19:42, 22:35-36) * Pt. 3 (Jn 2:15-16) * Pt. 4 (Mt 8:5-13 and Lk 7:2-10) * Pt. 5 (Mt  10:34; Lk 12:51; Rev 19:15) In Pt. 2 I also dealt with the theological concept of incarnation and showed how it is both rooted in peace and has the ethical and theological implications of being peacemakers.  Here, I want to look at the evangelical concept of salvation and ask what contribution it might play in the discussion of Christians and guns. All throughout the Bible, that is, across both Testaments, the concept of salvation lo...

Since I wrote the last post in the series, there have been a handful of school shootings take place in the U.S., not to mention a pastor whose son killed him, his wife, and his siblings with the guns they had in their home. A study was also released which showed that more than nearly 60% of the time, having guns in the home leads to someone in the home  shooting another person living in the home, not an intruder. Just as well, the presidential administration rolled out some more laws on guns and gun control.  In my view, it is high time that Christians be talking about guns and and violence in the United States (and across the world for that matter) and working toward a well-reasoned and scritpurally-based theology of guns. That's precisely what I've been aiming to do here. In this series I have been systematically dealing with passages from the New Testament that are often used by pro-gun advocates in an attempt to bolster their pro-gun agenda. I have shown, howe...

Thus far in my series "Toward A Theology of Guns: A Christian's Perspective" I have dealt with three passages in the New Testament that folks often try to use to build a cumulative case to argue that it is okay for Christians to carry weapons and engage in violence.  Today, I want to continue on in the same manner and deal with the argument that since Jesus healed a centurion, he must have been okay with swords and violence.  First, however, I want to briefly summarize the previous three posts. Post #1 :  In this post I showed how fallacious interpretations of Lk 22:35-36 are often used to contend that Jesus promoted the use of swords among his followers.  I set my argument within the context of the ancient Hebrew "Two Swords Tradition," which, in Luke's account, Jesus is tactfully and purposefully subverting or overturning.  Thus, Lk 22:35-36 cannot be used to argue that Jesus was okay with violence or his followers wielding weapons.  I also showed ...

In the third part of this series, which is titled "Toward A Theology Of Guns: A Christian's Perspective," I want to address a specific claim that is often used to help build a case that Christians can use violence. Honestly, in my view, this argument is completely absurd and completely disconnects the Bible from exegesis, reality, and theology. I am not surprised, however, that many American Christians use it to attempt to justify their violent ends; we are after all, a culture of violence and death and have been greatly influenced in this regard. You can see this argument used in the comment section of my previous post in this series HERE , as well as in another comment section of a post I wrote on guns HERE . The argument goes like this: In the temple, Jesus flipped over tables and used a whip. Thus, Jesus used violence against people. Therefore, since we are Jesus' followers, there are times when it is advantageous to use violence. In modern times, we...

The incarnation.  It sits at the heart of the Christian faith.  It is this belief, this theological tenet, that forms the bedrock of Christianity.  Without the incarnation Christianity is nothing.  Without the incarnation Christianity is pointless.  Without the incarnation Christians are to be pitied more than any other people for our faith is senseless and without foundation.  Take away the incarnation and Christianity falls.  Remove the incarnation and our faith is no longer apostolic. Without a doubt, most Christians, especially those who self-identify as evangelicals, hold the view that the incarnation is of the utmost importance.  Well, that is what they say anyway.  The question is:  Do they really believe it?  And further, what are the implications of such a belief?  In this post, I want to explore just once aspect of the incarnation, one that many people born into our American culture of violence simply overlook....

While many of the talking heads in the media are beginning to call for more "conversations" about guns and gun control these days, as a Christian, I believe it is time for those who consider themselves followers of Jesus to stop hiding behind secular governmental laws and institutions and to start working towards a "theology of guns." Indeed, the all-too-frequent appeals made by those who supposedly align themselves with Jesus to the American Constitution rather than the Bible, should raise some red flags. When it is not Scripture that is being held as the gold standard of how we should think and live and conduct ourselves in this world but rather, a secular document, then we have a problem. The Constitution is not the Christian’s benchmark but rather, Scripture is. Yet, the fact is, Scripture can be misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misused. In many cases, the Bible is not all that easy to understand. Even more, sometimes, what we think we can simply t...