Guns, masks, and moral injury in pastors
Pastors are suffering, but healing is possible.
Here’s an excerpt from my latest article at Good Faith Media, published today:
…Much has happened in the years between Columbine and Maine. Gun laws have been loosened and the National Rifle Association (NRA) has risen in influence. The NRA was founded as an organization focused on sport and gun safety but now it has become a powerful lobby for an extreme, unregulated interpretation of the Second Amendment.
Mass shootings are now part of the rhythm of our national life. Satire website The Onion has a piece it repurposes for each one: “‘No Way to Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.”
As a nation, we have decided that it is more important to grant individuals access to military-grade weapons than it is to protect lives, even the lives of elementary-aged children. “Freedom isn’t free,” after all.
It is against this backdrop that pastors attempt to preach the good news of God’s love, guide people in their spiritual growth, accompany them in the highs and lows of life and equip them to make a positive difference in the world.
These ministry tasks have become exponentially more challenging as people have leaned further into their own desires, aided by an economic policy that permeates nearly every aspect of American life and emphasizes doing for me and mine at any cost…