Shorter Reviews

In the year 2021, every major city in the United States experienced a sharp increase in gun-related deaths and serious injury. Among elected officials there remains no substantial effort to change this narrative. It is the reason James Atwood, a Presbyterian pastor, dedicated his life to stopping the proliferation of guns and wrote an earlier theological critique of “gundamentalism” (Gundamentalism and Where It Is Taking America [Cascade, 2017]). (Atwood died in 2020 from the Covid-19 virus.) In his final book, he engages directly the refusal of churches and leaders to speak about the theological problem of firearms as a health crisis. He describes his exasperation with congregations that invite him to speak for thirty minutes to explain the “problem of gun violence” and wrap it up with a prayer. “You can’t explain the omnipresent, systemic reign of guns in a few minutes. It’s one of the reasons I wrote this book” (p. 30). He is not interested in pleasant church chats that lead nowhere. “Speaking out boldly and arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God: that’s what I want to be about” (p. 30). He is resolutely grounded in deep faith in God, with a serious commitment to follow Jesus when confronting the prevalence of guns. That faith commitment makes this book important for people in religious communities. For Atwood there is no separation between personal faith statements and public witness. The separation is a significant reason there has been little energy among elected officials to address gun violence. What makes Atwood’s work important is his theological critique. Examining closely the deep culture of the National Rifle Association (NRA), he boldly declares: “this is gundamentalism, a religious devotion to guns that shapes people’s perspectives to such an extent that their worldview, affections, and identity gather around the purchase . . . of as many guns as possible” (p. 45). With this change in conversation he launches a comprehensive argument that displays the insidious relationship of idolatry and guns throughout American history. Atwood is a person of faith. Remarkably, that leads him to hold out relentless hope that these gundamentalists, who have replaced ultimate allegiance to God with allegiance to guns, will be delivered from idolatry and join the movement for sane gun laws. That aspiration suffered a blow in November 2021, after his death, when the Supreme Count ruled that New York gun laws requiring gun owners to state why they needed to carry a gun were too restrictive. As one justice said, “If a person is in a bad neighborhood, he has a right to use a gun.” In the concluding chapter, Atwood writes, “If you have tension in your life between what is and what ought to be, consider yourself blessed and happy!” (p. 180). Every congregation in the United States is threatened by gun violence, some more than others. As the steady acceptance of gun deaths creeps along, Atwood reminds readers that the church has a calling to choose life. This book is essential reading for people of faith who seek to follow the way of Jesus.