This election—as in the last, and the one before that—we are told that certain issues are the only measuring sticks for us as Christians. If we’re Catholic or conservative evangelical Christians, we’re told that we have to vote one way on abortion and gay marriage; if we’re progressives, we’re told we have to vote another [...]

I wish I could say that I was more surprised that people were up in arms over Rob Bell’s new book, Love Wins. By foregrounding the question of whether there truly is a hell, whether ultimately God might save all people, Rob Bell has struck a fork in a set of dangerous beliefs and pronounced them done.

Naturally there is nothing in the Bible about guns themselves, and there is little in scripture about rights, as we understand and claim them in America, including the right to bear arms (although a considerable amount about responsibilities). In the scriptural record, though, we can uncover two pertinent themes, both of which require some interpretation: righteous violence and radical pacifism.