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“Self-Defense and Public Order”
Categories: Meditations
Like most brethren, I’ve been transfixed by the tragic events this past Sunday at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, TX. I mourn the deaths of both the guilty and the innocent, but I salute the courage of the members of the security team who put their own lives at risk to ensure that no more innocents would die.
I suspect that most Christians feel as I do. Intuitively, we sense that a man who kills in order to protect others from a criminal has done no wrong. Like a shepherd, he is defending the flock from wolves.
Nonetheless, our feelings aren’t enough to decide the matter. We also must reckon with the Scriptural witness on the subject. Previously, I’ve both written and preached that Jesus’ famous commandment to “turn the other cheek” should be read narrowly, with reference to persecution by the Roman government. It does not address defending ourselves from criminals. In fact, at several points, other Biblical arguments assume that people will practice self-defense.
However, that leaves another question. What about the many times in the book of Acts when Paul and others are attacked by angry anti-Christian mobs that aren’t part of the government? We don’t see Christians fighting back against the mobs either. Doesn’t that imply that Paul and the others were pacifists?
The behavior of Paul in Acts 16 and elsewhere is consistent with pacifism, but that’s not the only reasonable explanation. Throughout the New Testament, in numerous passages, Christians are told to live in a peaceable, quiet way that will bring respect from outsiders. This makes the gospel more attractive (the kind of people who will submit their lives to Christ generally don’t appreciate disturbance of the peace), but it also protected early Christianity from being crushed by the government.
The early church had its troubles with both Jewish and Roman officials, but those troubles would have been much worse if the first-century church had developed a reputation for provoking and participating in public disorder. Gamaliel would not have spoken up to save the apostles in Acts 5 if there had been blood in the streets. Paul would not have been able to defend himself before Felix in Acts 24 if he had been stirring up more trouble by fighting back. His defense in 24:12 is based on the fact that he didn’t.
The logic of 1 Timothy 6:1 applies here too. Disobedient Christian servants and unruly Christian brawlers both lead to the doctrine of Christ being spoken against. The reputation of the church is more important even than our own lives, and we should act accordingly.
By contrast, Christians protecting their own from murderers does not bring the doctrine of Christ into disrepute. The opposite is true. I’ve seen nothing but praise for the West Freeway members who stopped the shooter in six seconds flat.
Indeed, if all such incidents were resolved so quickly, I suspect there would be many fewer shooters. Killing sheep appeals to cowards, and shooters are cowards. Fighting guard dogs doesn’t.
We are responsible for submitting to the government that God has put in place, and we cannot participate in public disorder. However, the Bible also calls us to be wise in an evil age. The death toll at West Freeway is heartbreaking, but it could have been much worse. I am thankful for those whose foresight ensured that it would not be, and I think that all churches will do well to imitate their example.
