We are looking at the “What if . . .?” question today. Let’s spin it like this – a person with a gun comes to the church and grabs a few of us and threatens our lives.

I will answer the question confessionally – what I would do. Of course, I can’t say for sure what I would actually do. What we are doing is thinking about this ahead of time and in a Christian way so that, God forbid, such a thing happens, we might be a bit prepared to respond in a Christian way.

Before I do this, I want to point out two things about -

The hypothetical question

- (and all such hypothetical questions) that I think are important.

1. The assumption seems to be either kill the attacker or the worst possible will happen to your loved ones. But we are not in control so that we can make whatever choice we want. In most cases the attacker takes away the option to stop or kill them through the element of surprise and superior force.

Also, we don’t know if violence will make the situation better or worse. This is really important. If you seek to kill the person and fail, what will be the repercussions for those you are trying to protect? The attacker is now angered and highly motivated. There is every prospect for there to be greater harm or more people killed.

Finally, there are other possibilities than just these two, as we will see below.

2. The emotional pull of the question seeks to override our reason and indeed our Christian faith in order to elicit the most brute response of violence possible. Yet, we are called to think and act Christianly even in such an extreme situation. And again, even with limited options, there are more possibilities than the most violent option.

Also, before I deal with the question, let’s review what we have looked at with regard to -

Love of enemies

In this situation, as I understand it, the biblical command is not “nonresistance” but “love your enemy.” So this means that I have some freedom to act within the bounds of love.

Also, as we saw before, we have to make a distinction between two things:

  • Non-redemptive harm for harm which has to do with revenge or pay back. Our action does the person no good. It seeks only to punish and destroy. This is different than -
  • Redemptive harm which has to do with causing harm to the person for their greater good or at least with their best interests in mind. This can also be called tough love. We talked before about the harm that a doctor does in amputating a leg in order to save a patient’s life, or the harm that is done when a parent lovingly disciplines a child in order to teach them.

So, if I harm someone I have to ask – Is it done with the person’s own good in mind, and is it done in a way that is marked by love and concern?

As I said, I believe that it can be consistent with love to restrain or disarm an enemy, to harm an enemy to stop them and to call the police to restrain them. In all of these examples, we can act in a way that is not about pay back, but can have the enemy’s best interests in mind.

But, I believe, we certainly cannot kill an enemy since this is not loving; this is not for their own good. And also because in our situation it means ending their life while they are in a state of sin, with no opportunity for repentance.

The question

I would get spiritually prepared. When an attacker comes there may not be any time so hopefully I am already prepared. But this is what I am talking about:

  • I would entrust our lives to God. God is able to take care of us and protect us, better than we can ourselves.
  • I would put aside fear. As Jesus said in Matthew 10:28 – “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” Fear makes you reactive. You become either passive, or aggressive. It keeps you from seeing all the options.
  • I would yield myself to God’s will, just as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, ‘your will be done’ – Matthew 26:42. Having prayed, I would trust that God’s perfect will, will be done, whether for our deliverance or not, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said in Daniel 3:17-18. Now, my death or the death of loved ones is a possibility that God might allow. This is a sobering thought. But it happens. I have no promise from God that I will live a quiet and peaceful life. Good Christians are killed every day.
  • I would ask for wisdom. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Wisdom for how to respond, which is what we look at now.

1. I could place myself in harm’s way. In other words, put the focus on me, so that I take the brunt of the harm. If I thought that this would avert danger to others, I would willingly give up my life. This is the example of Jesus – to suffer and die for others.

2. I would look for another option, beyond killing or being killed.

  • I would see if perhaps saying a word from the Spirit might avert tragedy. Jesus talks about the Spirit giving us just the right words when standing before the persecuting authorities who might kill us – Mark13:11. He said, “say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”
  • Perhaps doing good or being kind to the attacker might change their plan. This is a real incident. A Czech couple was in bed. “The wife awakened and saw a man with a knife coming through the open window and toward them in the darkness. As he approached the bed, she called, ‘You can kill us, but first let me make you a cup of coffee.’ The man accepted the offer, and then gave up what he intended to do.” [What Would You Do? John Howard Yoder, story by Dale Aukerman, p. 82]. Being kind and genuinely interested in them can have an impact and diffuse the situation. There are many stories like this. Although certainly this does not always happen.
  • Perhaps God might act providentially. This is where God steps in and acts miraculously. An example of this is when God sent an angel to set Peter free from prison while he was waiting for execution (James had already been killed) – Acts 12:7-10.

3. Non-lethal force. If there is an opportunity, possibly to end things by harming the attacker, I would ask two questions: 1) Will it help or make things worse? As we saw above, violence is not a magic answer. It could also make things worse. So, in this particular situation with this particular person, is there a reasonable chance that it will work?

2) Is my action consistent with love for the enemy? I want to act in a way that shows love for those in danger, but that also thinks of the attacker’s well being.

I could ask, what would Jesus do in this situation? This is a good question if we keep it rooted in the biblical portrayal of Jesus. I could apply the golden rule – “whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” – Matthew 7:12. How would you want to be treated if you were the attacker? Treat your attacker in the same way.

Or I could ask more specifically, what if the attacker was a beloved family member who suddenly turned on me and was threatening others? I could think of one of my daughters or a parent. This gives them a name and a sense of connection to me and so it helps me think about what is loving. Whatever I could do to my family member (whom I love), I could do to the attacker.

I could restrain, disarm, or harm them in order to disable them. But I would not try to seriously wound or kill the attacker (just as with my family member). I would not give expression to my wrath, or beat them in return as pay back, if the opportunity arose.

So these are several options that do not include seeking to kill the attacker.

No matter what position you take, kill at the first opportunity (and ask questions later), or love your enemy – there is the danger of things not working out like we want. As I said, we are not in control. So lets look at -

The worst case scenario

That is, we are all killed. In this case two things can be said: 1) We will find life in God’s presence and in the world to come, where we will be blessed. From a Christian point of view this earthly life is not our focus.

2) We will have borne witness to suffering love. Even under threat of death, we will have chosen to love our enemies in faithfulness to Jesus. In terms of our earthly lives and those who know us, our deaths would be a true tragedy. But it terms of Christian witness, we will have given a priceless testimony to the way of Jesus – that love is more powerful than evil, and that we can overcome evil with good, even if we are killed, just like Jesus.

Think of the shooting in a Colorado church in December of 2007. The security guard killed the attacker. She was brave and no doubt saved many lives; she was a hero. But this is how the world works, or is supposed to work. It was nothing new or different or revealing of the kingdom of God and the way of Jesus.

Now think about the Nickel Mines Amish shooting in October of 2006. Five died and others were wounded. The tragic deaths of these peace-loving people and the responses of the survivors to show forgiveness and love was a powerful testimony of Christian faith. This was a revelation of the kingdom of God. They displayed the higher standard of the kingdom of God and many were truly touched by it. This was something extraordinary.

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