A Book on Evangelicals, Politics & Firearms
In Guns We Trust focuses on the USA, but is a book relevant to England too, in a world increasingly scared by gun violence. When you have over 100 million people in one country owning guns, you get tragedies like the Sandy Hook shooting, when a gunman shot dead 26 people (20 children, 6 staff) at a primary school in New England (he had also shot his mother dead, before shooting himself).
One young teacher (Victoria Leigh Soto – the daughter of immigrants) was just 27, who died by placing her body in front of the children, to try to save them. Just like teacher Gwen Mayor in Dunblane – her daughter won’t let her children play violent video games, instead she teaches them about hedgehogs – her mother’s favourite animal).
The American killer’s gun had been legally bought by his mother. And all UK mass shootings have been carried out by licensed gun owners. They passed all checks needed to carry guns, before their crimes.
One good thing to come out of this was Sandy Hook Promise, a website that has free resources for councils , schools and police forces to prevent gun violence worldwide.
Millions of Americans also hunt animals. President Trump sons are big game hunters and in 2011 killed a buffalo, leopard and elephant (they were seen smiling, the infamous photos including one holding the cut-off tail of the dead elephant). Trump does not hunt, but when in power relaxed laws on trophy hunting imports.
What’s This Book All About?
It’s an unsettling investigation into the ‘unholy trinity of so-called ‘white evangelicals’ who fuse the Gospel of the Bible with guns (something that Jesus Christ would never use) in order to ‘bear arms, and create politics that stands in the way of preventing school shootings and more.
The author has personal experience of the Sandy Hook shootings, as he was the New England bureau chief on the day it happened. He asks why it is that ‘white evangelicals’ are more likely than other Americans to own weapons, and how did his own Christian faith (rooted in Jesus’ call to ‘turn the other cheek’), get hijacked?
But he also introduces us to Christians across the world who would never own a gun (think of the Amish village whose residents forgave a killer of schoolchildren (which led his parents to campaign against gun violence) and even helped pay for (and attend) the funeral of the gunman, to help his young widow and family.
Most of us could never imagine being that forgiving – but they were following in the real teachings of Christ. He even meets activists who are ‘beating guns into garden tools’, and nuns who bought company stock, so they could force a gun manufacturer to do more, to prevent gun violence.
About the Author
William J Kole is an award-winning veteran journalist who has reported worldwide, and also served as bureau chief in Vienna and New England. A former lay missionary for the Assemblies of God and worship leader at churches in Europe and New England, he also served as board president of an international Christian relief agency. He lives in Rhode Island, USA.
