Synopsis: James Atwood contends that the thirty thousand gun deaths
America suffers every year cannot be understood apart from our
national myth that God has appointed America as "the trustee of the
civilization of the world" and even "Christ's light to the
nations." Because these purposes are noble, and we are supposedly a
good and trustworthy people, violence is sometimes "required" and
gives license to individuals to carry open or concealed weapons,
which "save lives" and can even be "redemptive." Atwood, an avid
hunter, cautions that an absolute trust in guns and violence morphs
easily into idolatry. Having spent thirty-six years as a
Presbyterian pastor fighting against the easy access to firearms,
one of which took the life of a friend, he uses his unique
experience and his biblical and theological understanding to
graphically portray the impact guns have on our society. He
documents how Americans have been deceived into believing that the
tools of violence, whether they take the form of advanced military
technology or a handgun in the bedside stand, will provide
security. He closes with a wake-up call to the faith community,
which he says is America's best hope to unmask the extremism of the
Gun Empire. Endorsement: "Atwood knows that guns are not just
weapons, but symbols, and not only symbols, but idols that demand
enormous sacrifice in American lives. This book gets at both the
depth and meaning of this on-going tragedy. As a gifted organizer
and thinker, Atwood then unveils the inspiring theological bases of
an awakening to gun violence prevention] that has already begun in
some cities and congregations." --Christian Iosso, Coordinator of
Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy "When it comes to
tackling the plague of gun violence in the U.S., no one 'walks the
walk' with more integrity than Atwood. He has devoted his life to
saving lives from gun violence by increasing awareness and
challenging popular myths about guns. He now gives us a much needed
theological undergirding for our work to end the violence." --John
W. Wimberly Jr., Pastor of Western Presbyterian Church "Gun
violence destroys families everyday in America. Atwood presciently
shows how our weak gun laws result from treating guns as if they
were religious idols. By unpacking the theological significance of
policies that allow for unfettered access to firearms, he makes a
compelling argument that people of faith have a religious and moral
duty to fight for stronger gun laws." --Joshua Horwitz, Executive
Director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence "Atwood's fervent
account of the multiple costs of gun violence and the need to
restrain it is of urgent and timely importance. This book is a
challenge to Christians to lead the way in unmasking the peculiar
American obsession with guns. It illuminates the origins of that
obsession and recounts a distressing record of statistics and
broken laws, all in a compelling theological framework." --David
Little, Harvard Divinity School "This is the book I've been waiting
for. Atwood's analysis is deeply theological, and I hope it will
bring conversations in our churches about idolatry, faithfulness,
and the violence that has become so interwoven into our culture.
Read this book for an exploration of your own acquiescence to the
gun culture, and then study it with your book club or church group
to begin planning the revolution that will stand up to the gun
industry." --Rick Ufford-Chase, Executive Director of Presbyterian
Peace Fellowship Author Biography: James E. Atwood is Pastor
Emeritus of the Trinity Presbyterian Church of Arlington, Virginia,
from which he retired in 1999. He lives in Springfield, Virginia.
He is presently the Chairperson of Heeding God's Call of Greater
Washington, a faith-based ecumenical movement that encourages gun
shops to adopt a code of conduct that deters illegal purchasing and
the trafficking of handguns.
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