A call to action to prevent gun violence
How should people of faith respond to the recent massacre in Orlando, Fla., and the continuous gun violence in Chattanooga?
Should we hold another vigil? Or maybe just many, many, many moments of silence.
Here’s the thing: God is not interested in yet another solemn vigil.
In Amos 5:21, the Lord says, “I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.”
But wait, does not God command us to gather in worship, to pray and to celebrate God’s love? Yes, the Lord does, but if our solemn assemblies do not lead to action, they are an insult to God. In the midst of suffering God does not demand more vigils. Instead God calls for “justice [to] roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).
There is certainly a place for silence and vigils, but if our gatherings do not prod us to work for justice, God will not hear us. We must heed the words of James and live out our faith by taking concrete actions to decrease gun violence. In Amos 2:17, James proclaims, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (2:17).
Here’s the kicker: Over 90 percent of Americans support “expanded background checks and favor preventing people on the terror watch list or ‘no fly’ list from buying a gun,” according to a CNN poll from June 21. Commonsense gun reform is truly common (not so much in Congress), so rather than expending energy to convince people who are satisfied with the status quo that we need to work toward change, we turn to you and plead for you to take these actions and seek justice.
Contact Sen. Bob Corker, Sen. Lamar Alexander and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, all Republicans from Tennessee, and ask these elected officials to support universal background checks, to give law enforcement the legal tools to prevent, trace and prosecute straw purchases; to ban military-grade assault weapons and high-capacity magazine clips. All these measures are supported by a majority of Americans and will make our cities safer. Call these legislators in Washington, D.C., at 202224-3121.
Contact Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke and tell him Chattanooga will not be the best midsize city until the onslaught of gun violence ends in our streets. Ask him, once again, to make Chattanooga a member of Everytown for Gun Safety, a reform movement with 3 million members. Further, ask him to diversify the Citizen Safety Coalition by partnering with grassroots initiatives such as the Eastside coalition of “NewChatt” pastors.
Finally, beyond advocacy, we invite you to build bridges with communities suffering the most from gun violence. Instead of hand-wringing, we should be hand-holding. We must walk with our neighbors, listen to our neighbors and work for
peace and justice with our neighbors.
To learn about further actions and to unify our advocacy effort, join the Facebook group Third Way Chattanooga. The peace of our city relies on our mutual efforts to stop gun violence.
A list of local religious leaders and others who support this effort is included in the accompanying box.
The Rev. Clay Thomas is pastor of Rivermont Presbyterian Church.