America AND ITS GUNS
A Theological Exposé
by James E. Atwood
Foreword by Walter Brueggemann
James Atwood contends that the 30,000 gun deaths America suffers every year cannot be understood apart from our national myth that God has appointed America as “the trustee of the civilization of the world” and even “Christ’s light to the nations.” Because these purposes are noble, and we are supposedly a good and trustworthy people, violence is sometimes “required” and gives license to individuals to carry open or concealed weapons, which “save lives” and can even be “redemptive.”
Atwood, an avid hunter, cautions that an absolute trust in guns and violence morphs easily into idolatry. Having spent thirty-six years as a Presbyterian pastor fighting against the easy access to firearms, one of which took the life of a friend, he uses his unique experience and his biblical and theological understanding to graphically portray the impact guns have on our society. He documents how Americans have been deceived into believing that the tools of violence, whether they take the form of advanced military technology or a handgun in the bedside stand, will provide security. He closes with a wake-up call to the faith community, which he says is America’s best hope to unmask the extremism of the Gun Empire.
“Gun violence destroys families everyday in America. Atwood presciently shows how our weak gun laws result from treating guns as if they were religious idols. By unpacking the theological significance of policies that allow for unfettered access to firearms, he makes a compelling argument that people of faith have a religious and moral duty to fight for stronger gun laws.”
—Joshua Horwitz, Executive Director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
“With searing insight, prophetic passion, and deep wisdom, Jim Atwood challenges our country’s relationship with guns, which he rightly describes as idolatry. Americans have come to accept unacceptable numbers of gun deaths—far higher than those of other democratic societies. Atwood explores the reasons creating the grim statistics, from economic and cultural, to theological and spiritual. Written with piercing clarity, this book troubles the soul and moves us to cry, ‘Enough!’”
—Katie Day, Charles A. Schieren Professor of Church and Society, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia
“This is the book I’ve been waiting for. Atwood’s analysis is deeply theological, and I hope it will bring conversations in our churches about idolatry, faithfulness, and the violence that has become so interwoven into our culture. Read this book for an exploration of your own acquiescence to the gun culture, and then study it with your book club or church group to begin planning the revolution that will stand up to the gun industry.”
—Rick Ufford-Chase, Moderator, 216th General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, USA, 2004–2006
James E. Atwood is Pastor Emeritus of the Trinity Presbyterian Church of Arlington, Virginia, from which he retired in 1999. He lives in Springfield, Virginia. He is presently the Chairperson of Heeding God’s Call of Greater Washington, a faith-based ecumenical movement that encourages gun shops to adopt a code of conduct that deters illegal purchasing and the trafficking of handguns
