• Who We Are
    • Who We Are
    • Mission
    • History
    • General Synod
    • Leadership and Ministry
    • Staff
    • United Church of Christ Board
  • What We Believe
    • What We Believe
    • Worship Ways
    • Daily Devotional
  • What We Do
    • What We Do
    • Office of the General Minister & President
    • Justice & Local Church Ministries
    • Wider Church Ministries
  • News
  • Church Finder
  • Donate Now
  • Search
UCC Logo United Church of Christ
  • Church Finder
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Store
  • Frontline Faith Portal
  • Donate Now
  • Search
  • Who We Are
    • Column
      • About
        • Mission
        • Constitution and Bylaws
        • History
          • UCC Archives
        • UCC Brand Guidelines
        • General Synod
          • Synod 33 Worship Videos
          • Past General Synods
        • Abuse Prevention
    • Column
      • Structure
        • Conferences
        • Affiliated Ministries
          • The Pension Boards
          • Cornerstone Fund
          • Insurance Board
          • The Council for Health and Human Services Ministries
          • Church Building & Loan Fund
          • Convergence
    • Column
      • Team
        • Elected Officers
        • Staff
        • United Church of Christ Board
          • Board Minutes
        • Office of General Counsel
        • UCCOSSN
    • Column
      • Career Opportunities
      • Annual Reports
  • What We Believe
    • Column
      • Worship
        • Statement of Faith of the United Church of Christ – La Declaración de Fe de la Iglesia Unida de Cristo
        • Worship Ways
        • Daily Devotional
        • Sermon Seeds
  • How We Serve
    • Column
      • Office of the General Minister & President
        • Welcome to Human Resources
          • Employee Relations Resources
        • Center for Analytics, Research & Development and Data (CARDD)
          • General CARDD FAQs
          • About The Center for Analytics, Research & Development, and Data (CARDD)
          • Authorized Minister Opt Out
          • Access UCC
          • Archived Reports
          • Assessment Resources
          • Information Policies and Requests
          • Faith Communities Today (FACT) Survey
          • MissionInsite
          • Statistics and Reports
          • Vital Signs and Statistics Blog
          • Data Hub FAQs
          • Data Hub
          • Yearbook and Directory
    • Column
      • Justice & Local Church Ministries
        • Justice
          • Faithful Action Ministries
            • Environmental Justice Ministries
            • Economic Justice
            • Racial Justice
          • Office of Public Policy & Advocacy in Washington D.C.
            • Justice and Peace Action Network
            • Our Faith Our Vote
            • Justice Training Resources
            • Action Center
          • Health and Wholeness Advocacy
            • Disabilities and Mental Health Justice
            • Encuentros Latinx
            • UCC HIV & AIDS Network-UCAN
            • LGBTQ Ministries
            • Our Whole Lives
            • Overdose and Drug Use Ministries
            • Scouting
            • Wellness Ministries
          • The Pilgrim Press & Stillspeaking Publications
    • Column
      • Justice & Local Church Ministries
        • Local Church
          • The Faith Education, Innovation and Formation (Faith INFO)Team
            • Weekly Seeds
            • Youth & Young Adults
          • Worship Resources
            • Worship Ways
            • Sermon Seeds
            • Synod 33 Worship Videos
            • Music and Liturgical Arts
          • Stewardship & Generosity Resources
          • Ministerial Excellence, Support & Authorization (MESA)
            • History, Polity, and Theology
            • Search and Call
            • Ministerial Profiles
            • Ministry Opportunities
            • Manual on Ministry
    • Column
      • Wider Church Ministries
        • Global Ministries
        • Global H.O.P.E.
          • Volunteer Ministries
          • Refugee and Migration Ministries
          • Disaster Ministries
          • Recovering Hope
        • Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations
  • Resources
  • News
    • Column
      • News
        • United Church of Christ News
    • Column
      • Columns
        • Witness for Justice
        • Into the Mystic
        • Getting to the Root of It
        • The Pollinator: UCC Environmental Justice Blog
        • UCC Roots
        • Encounters at the Well
        • Reflexiones
    • Column
      • Upcoming Events
        • Webinars
      • Subscriptions at the United Church of Christ
      • Changes & Deaths
  • Giving
    • Column
      • Donate Now
      • Ways to Give
        • Giving Tuesday
        • General Synod 2021 Thursday in Black Offering
        • General Synod 2021 Racial Justice Offering
        • Disaster Ministries: How to Give
        • Our Church’s Wider Mission
          • Our Church’s Wider Mission Basic Support
          • Strengthen the Church
          • One Great Hour of Sharing
          • Neighbors in Need
          • Christmas Fund
          • 5 for 5
    • Column
      • Ways We Give
        • Scholarships & Grants

  • Home
  • News
  • Column
  • Witness for Justice
  • What Do We Say to These Things?
Witness for Justice

What Do We Say to These Things?

by Aaron Wade | published on Jun 2, 2022

My deepest condolences to the families of the victims of gun violence. I must admit my frustration and disappointment in a government that at a stroke of a pen can release trillions of dollars, declare a war, and send aid to other countries in their time of need, but can’t take actions to protect her own citizens from domestic terrorists and those who may lack the capacity to make healthy decisions.

I’m grateful for the outpourings of care and concern that we have shown as a community. I’m grateful for the prayers and prayer vigils that many of us have hosted or performed to sooth the sting. These things are good. However, in order to create real change, in order to obliterate the problem, ACTION around gun law regulations and reform must take place.

Today the unspoken elephants in the room: white fragility, racism, xenophobia, and mental health issues. These have been the starting place for many of the recent mass shootings. Easy access to guns, especially assault weapons that were not created for the intent and purpose of basic self-defense, has been the catalyst for these mass shootings. Evils and even untreated mental health challenges are given the fuel to produce major atrocities like mass shootings because of the lack of gun control regulations. To shift this, either we arm all U.S. citizens with weapons to protect themselves or we put stronger measures in place to screen those that seek to possess guns. This screening should include limitations on the number of weapons and type of weapons that can be purchased, background checks, and red-flag laws. These efforts would aid in countering the use of guns to advance evil agendas.

Mass shootings are happening more frequently. American gun violence is no longer surprising; however, it is always shocking. As David Leonhardt writes: “On an average day in the United States, more than 35 people are murdered with a gun. No other affluent country in the world has a gun homicide rate nearly as high” (David Leonhardt, “19 Murdered Children,” The New York Times, May 25, 2022).

As I reflect on the tragic losses over the last month alone — 19 lives at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Tex. (most children) and 10 African Americans shopping for groceries in Buffalo, N.Y. — words cannot express my sympathies for the families who lost loved ones and my profound outrage at leaders who have long failed to act on the pressing issue of gun violence.

“Enough is enough,” Vice President Kamala Harris said during an event in Washington. “As a nation, we have to have the courage to take action.”

In light of Vice President Harris’s statement, I’m reminded of Romans 8:31 (NRSVUE). In this passage, Paul poses a rhetorical question to his readers after reflecting on the suffering of the present time and the weakness we experienced during these moments of suffering. The question he proposes still rings out loudly today: What then are we to say about these things?

What are we to say about these things that don’t make sense? What are we to say about what happens after moments of tragedy and terrorism like this? What do we say to the unspoken evils that fuel destruction? Paul suggests that we reflect on these words: If God be for us, who can be against us?

I agree with Paul that this should be our mantra as we stand up to speak truth to power: If God be for us, who can be against us? As we proclaim to those who lead this country that gun law reform must happen for the safety of all Americans, we must say: If God be for us, who can be against us? God is for us and God is with us and in this we must step into our power and work to create the change that we’re looking to see!

Enough is enough. It’s time to get up and do something about what’s happening. Let’s pray and protest, let’s fast and write our representatives, let’s step up and step out to do something bold and daring, because: If God be for us, who can be against us?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rev. Dr. Aaron Wade is the Minister for Congregational Leadership Development and Granting & Scholarships for the United Church of Christ.

View this and other columns on the UCC’s Witness for Justice page.
Donate to support Witness for Justice.
Click here to download the bulletin insert.

Categories: Column Witness for Justice

Sign Up For Our Newsletter








Privacy Policy






Related News

Talitha Koum
Talitha Koum - The UCC Women's Newsletter

Welcome to Talitha Koum: The UCC Newsletter for Women, Girls and Their Allies

Welcome! I am so grateful that you have decided to connect with UCC women and allies through...

Read More
Witness for Justice
Witness for Justice

Closing the Global Gender Digital Divide

The 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was held in New York City...

Read More
Column

Planning for Earth Month: Resources for Congregations

April is Earth Month, and for congregations, it can be a great time to further discern how...

Read More
  • Column
    • Local Church and Conference Resource Directory
    • Mission
    • Justice & Local Church Ministries
    • Wider Church Ministries
    • General Synod Resolutions
  • Column
    • Contact
    • News
    • Store

Content on ucc.org is copyrighted by the National Setting of the United Church of Christ and may be only shared according to the guidelines outlined here.

1300 E. 9th Street, Suite 1100
Cleveland, Ohio 44114

  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • Subscribe on YouTube

Donate Now


UCC Crest
© United Church of Christ 2023. Privacy Policy.
Crafted by Cornershop Creative