Bulletproof Faith
Take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm. Belt your waist with truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, lace up your sandals in preparation for the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. – Ephesians 6:13-16 (adapted)
One of my church members worries a lot about the loud public positions our church takes on justice issues: immigrant rights, bodily autonomy, the safety and dignity of queer and trans people.
We get the usual zingers and angry prayers from Christians far to the right of us on the internet, but he stays up nights perseverating about someone showing up at the church in person to “teach us a lesson.”
He’s not wrong to worry. Active shooters have targeted faith communities for their liberal stances—or, more commonly, just for being Jewish or Black or Muslim or some other Other. Why should our church be exempt? Maybe we should start issuing bulletproof vests along with the bulletin as people come in on Sunday.
Scripture tells us to take up the whole armor of God: not a bulletproof vest but the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, sandals that will prepare us to walk in peaceful places. And last but not least: a shield of faith.
Faith sounds flimsy compared to Kevlar. But Jesus once said, “Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul—rather be afraid of the one who can destroy body and soul in hell.” Silencing ourselves and obeying immoral policies in advance hastens Hell here. Speaking the truth with courage, begets courage and Heaven both.
Prayer
God, the hate that pervades society right now deeply scares me. But the thought of armoring my heart because of it scares me more. How about helping us lay down our armor and open our arms?
About the AuthorRev. Molly Baskette is the lead pastor of First Church Berkeley UCC and the author of books about church renewal, parenting, spiritual growth and more. Sign up for her author newsletter or get information about her newest book at mollybaskette.com.