Letters to the Editor

The Opposite of Fear

While I am encouraged that Rev. Rob Schenck articulates and promotes powerful theology among evangelicals and in his article “Should Christians Own Guns?" I am deeply saddened by the chasm of fear that divides the church in the United States. Having had the privilege of discourse and worship with Rev. Mitri Raheb at Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, our contingent understood what persecution of Christians and a dangerous environment really mean. Still, these Christian brothers and sisters maintain and foster nonviolence. I believe that Jesus considered fear and love opposites. Thank you to Sojourners for championing love.

Anne Cowburn
West Grove, Pennsylvania

A Matter of Health

I just finished reading and rereading “Should Christians Own Guns?” I am a 75-year-old retired family physician and a lifelong hunter and gun owner. I am not a member of the NRA, though. Preventive medicine was one of my most important jobs as a family doctor, and the NRA’s successful blocking of any funding to the Centers for Disease Control for the study of gun violence in the United States is, to me, unconscionable. That is one main reason that I belong to Texas Gun Sense, a group here in Austin that promotes sensible gun legislation and works against “campus carry” in Texas (so far unsuccessfully). Thanks to Sojourners for publishing this very timely and compelling piece.

Al Lindsey
Austin, Texas

Importance of Language

My heartfelt thanks to Rob Schenck for his excellent essay, “Should Christians Own Guns?” But I feel compelled to point out an unintended irony arising from an error in word choice. Before he evokes the dehumanization of others that is needed to be willing to kill them, he says, “I believe the increased presence of firearms among American evangelicals, including pastors that are now armed in the pulpit ...” By using “that” instead of “who,” he dehumanizes those gun-wielding pastors. Nevertheless, this essay and Rev. Schenck’s ongoing ministry to deal with this ever-growing problem are laudable examples to all.

E.J. Emerson
Monroe Township, New Jersey

Crash Course in Patience

The April issue of Sojourners, with Tobias Winright’s cover story, “Learning the Art of Patience,” showed up in my mailbox on the four-week anniversary of an accident that left me unable to walk or drive for two months. I’ve learned a few things from my crash course on patience. Having to ask and wait for help is as uncomfortable as any physical pain, especially when one is used to being independent.

Margaret Mead described a healed femur as the sign of a civilized society because in a group of hunter-gatherers, if a person couldn’t walk, they wouldn’t survive. The healed bone that connects the hip to the knee proved that others showed mercy and compassion to the injured. I envision the kind of compassionate country we’d have if everyone among us who is hurting could be carried by the rest of us. And that would identify us as truly civilized.

Regina Clarkin
Peekskill, New York