[Bonus Episode] Laying Down Our Weapons Part 1: How Christians Can Move the Needle on Gun Violence

In the wake of yet another mass shooting, the conversations are once again saturated with tired arguments leading us nowhere.

We’re done waiting for change to begin with Capitol Hill. We’re convinced that measurable change will start with communities of Jesus-followers who transform their guns into garden tools.

On Monday, April 3rd we had a live conversation with Shane Claiborne (Red Letter Christians), Mike Martin (RAWtools), Kelly Knox, and Pastor Amy Kasari (Antioch Church, Bend), hosted by Jer Swigart (Global Immersion). Shane helped us understand our national fixation on guns, its incongruence with Jesus, and what it’s costing us. Mike will invited us—as individuals and congregations—to take tangible actions that will lead to change. Kelly shared his story of choosing to decommission his AR15. And Amy invited us into her church’s journey of becoming a gun decommissioning site in Central Oregon. 

We concluded the live session with a Q&A time and outlined practical next steps both individuals and congregations can take.

Three Resources for Continued Learning:

• Sermon on Psalm 2 by Global Immersion’s Dr. Jer Swigart that pushes against the notion that God endorses violence and that invites us toward a more hopeful theology: https://youtu.be/X3PCjLv7-Bw
• Beating Guns Documentary: https://www.beatingguns.com/documentary
• Beating Guns Book: https://www.beatingguns.com/