This past weekend I attended our denomination's annual meeting. One of the items on the agenda was a resolution dealing with the "Stand Your Ground" law. It called on church members to "express their concerns" about the law to those working on the governor's task force reviewing the legislation. The resolution passed unanimously.
More than half of the states in the nation have so-called Castle Laws, which allow folks to defend their homes using deadly force if necessary, against intruders. Stand Your Ground laws, which exist in twenty-four states, go a step further. I looked up the Florida statute. In part it reads: "A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so . . . ." (Florida Statute 776.013)
Florida is a fairly religious state. There are churches everywhere. Big churches. Mega churches. Churches that preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not everyone in Florida is a Christian. Not every Christian goes to church. But the reality is 82% of Floridians self-identify as Christian. (www.florida.to-go.biz) So it would seems reasonable to me that such folks might be impacted in their opinions by the teachings of Jesus. So what might Jesus say about Stand Your Ground ?
Well, as it turns out, we don't have to guess. In one sense he does support the notion of standing your ground, if by that one means not leaving, not retreating. But he doesn't advocate returning violence for violence. In fact, in the Sermon on the Mount he says, "Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also . . . ." (Matthew 5:39a) Now, I am aware that many scholars see this passage as suggesting a form of protest and defiance against Roman authority. And it may indeed be just that. But it is not meeting force with force! It is not using deadly force! And it turns out to be more than mere good preaching. When he is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and one of his followers pulls out a sword to fight back, Jesus tells him to put it away. (Matthew 26:52) In fact, he says, "All who take the sword will perish by the sword." I suspect you could substitute "handgun" for "sword" and not really alter the meaning of the proverb!
Don't misunderstand. I am not suggesting Florida laws should follow the dictates of the Bible. I am grateful that we are a nation dedicated to separation of church and state! But Christians who are serious about following the way of Jesus might want to think twice about supporting Stand Your Ground.
I, for one, think the Stand Your Ground Law is not only flawed and dangerous in general, from a faith perspective, I think it goes contrary to the teachings of Jesus. And that is ground on which I am willing to stand!
Great post, John. Thank you for thinking this very flawed law through from a theological perspective. Far too often in our day we simply respond to all the propaganda surrounding such actions by our legislatures and respond emotionally, often out of fear. Following Jesus, if one is truly to take his teachings seriously, is a very difficult proposition. But many of us do believe it is the way to life and quite possible the only hope for our world.
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