The first Adult Ed Class of the fall will be taught by Rob Grow. It is based on the book, “America and Its Guns: A Theological Expose” by Rev. James Atwood. He is a pastor and activist against gun violence.
Sunday mornings 9:15am
in the Sunshine Room
For many years now, Christian commentators and theologians have contended that the reflexive hostility of many gun owners toward any form of gun control constitutes a form of idolatry. Guns, they argue, are not just weapons, but symbols, and not only symbols, but idols that demand enormous sacrifice in American lives. Rob’s course gets at both the depth and meaning of this on-going tragedy.
Atwood’s “America and Its Guns” is among the most important expressions of that idea. He argues that the thirty thousand 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.
The classes will involve readings ahead of time and participation in class discussions.