Guns and Theology of the Body

A rare and accurate portrayal of Roman
crucifixion practices

I recently viewed an online seminar with my Theology of the Body Institute professors Dr. Christopher West and Bill Donaghy. It was exploring the theology of Jesus being stripped naked and crucified (yes, the Roman government crucified people naked, simple historical fact that is rarely depicted in movies or art).

The seminar was all about embracing the identity of Christ, naked, vulnerable and crucified. It was also about surrendering my fear and renouncing my identity as a crucifier (one after all leads to the other).

I realized last night in my fitful jet lagged sleep that God was trying to say something to me about that seminar and how it had influenced me to get rid of my Glock.

In my journaling this morning I asked God (aka ‘Papa’) to unpack what he was whispering to me last night. Below is that conversation in its raw unedited form.

May our Papa bless you.

_____________

Papa, remind me what you were saying to me last night…

Son I was merely pointing out to you about how your decision to identify more closely with me the crucified instead of with those who out of fear have become crucifiers has led to your decision to disarm. Your relationship with guns was more of a fun throwing things at a target thing and that is good and fun, it is built into the masculine anatomy of course but is part of the masculine genius overall and can be properly integrated by females.

Guns are not evil any more than penises are evil in and of themselves. When either is used as a weapon however is when the problem starts.

It is completely understandable why some people think that the solution is to ban or outlaw anything that could be a weapon but unfortunately the problem has become much more complex. The reason for this is that virtually anything can be turned into a weapon of destruction and death. Even a casual glimpse at childhood behavior can attest that toys can become weapons.

Some things (like the movie ‘Witness’ boldly claims in the sayings of the Amish) seem to be more readily disposed to harm than be a fun gaming piece or tool for getting work done. They assert that the ‘gun of the hand’ is evil because it is only used to harm other humans. And for the most part this seems to be true… until you go to a cowboy shoot and see how much fun handguns can be in jovial competition.

Bottom line son, laws that deal only with externals are doomed to fail. While it may be understandable why governments implement such laws it won’t ultimately solve the real problem. Only my love channeled through willing and surrendered human hearts can solve the issue and this cannot be legislated by church or state.

An early version of my daily consecration
prayer that includes references to Neo and Leeloo

Only surrender to my love solves the problem and transforms the world back into its original beauty and harmony. Of course very few even in the church believe this to be true. Few trust in the path of nonviolent surrender, identifying with me the crucified who absorbed all the world’s hate and transformed it into the resurrection of love, kind of like Neo the antivirus in the movie ‘Matrix’.


Yes Papa, thanks for those words, that explains much of what has been muddled up in my heart and mind for many years.





Illuminate my muddled heart
Sweep the shadows from my mind
So I might imagine what you are like
And understand the great design

(Da - Darn Floor, Big Bite)


Lord I surrender my right to be a crucifier and embrace your identity as the crucified. I cannot do this but in, with and through you I can do all things. Transform me Lord and use me to absorb hate and violence just like you do every day and transform it into a loving open armed embrace of the world to restore life and beauty with the river of life flowing from your side through me.

I AM and I will son. I love you.

Love you too Papa.

Amen.