Does Jesus Endorse Armed Self-Defense in Luke 22:36?

In Luke 22:36, Jesus instructs his disciples to buy swords. The best understanding of this passage is that Jesus is endorsing the carrying of weapons for personal protection. This article outlines the self-defense interpretation and defends it against several objections. I then argue that the injunc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Evangelical quarterly
Main Author: Hsiao, Timothy (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2021
In: The Evangelical quarterly
Further subjects:B Self-defense
B Gun Ownership
B Luke 22:36
B Christian Ethics
B Gun control
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Description
Summary:In Luke 22:36, Jesus instructs his disciples to buy swords. The best understanding of this passage is that Jesus is endorsing the carrying of weapons for personal protection. This article outlines the self-defense interpretation and defends it against several objections. I then argue that the injunction to buy a sword can be extended to gun ownership as a modern-day application. After making the scriptural case for gun ownership, I then sketch a brief philosophical argument for a strong moral right to gun ownership. Various theological, philosophical, and empirical objections are considered and found lacking.
ISSN:2772-5472
Contains:Enthalten in: The Evangelical quarterly
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/27725472-09204004