Shane Claiborne, author of “Beating Guns,” believes otherwise. After yesterday’s shooting, he tweeted numerous times about the need for action. “I believe in prayer. But when people say, ‘All we can do is pray’… that’s a lie,” he wrote. “We can pray, and we must. But we can also organize. And make phone calls. And do sit-ins. And boycott gun profiteers. And march in the streets, until we see change. ‘Faith without works is dead.’” Refusing to “take the necessary actions to end gun violence… this is what it means to take the Lord’s name in vain,” he added.
Claiborne shared this quote by theologian Miroslav Volf: “There is something deeply hypocritical about praying for a problem that you are unwilling to resolve.” He also called out pro-life advocates who don’t speak out against guns, tweeting: “Life doesn’t begin at conception and end at birth. You can’t be pro-life and ignore gun violence. It is the #1 cause of death for our kids…after they are born.”
Though police have identified the alleged gunman, it is the policy of ChurchLeaders not to name assailants in mass shootings/active shooter situations in an effort not to give assailants increased airtime.
