"Shooting Back: The Right and Duty of Self-Defense" – A Review

[Caribou]

A few weeks ago, I promised to write a review of this book. As a Christian, I have been struggling with the proper Christian position on self-defense, carrying concealed, etc. I know that Christians will fall all over the spectrum on this issue, with some being gung-ho on gun carrying, all the way to no self-defense at all. I ordered this book to help me find my place on that spectrum.

The book chronicles the experiences of Charl Van Wyk, a South African man who on July 25, 1993 stopped a terrorist attack on his church by returning fire with his snub-nosed .38. He gives the account of the events of that night, the circumstances surrounding his rationale for carrying, and the aftermath of the attack in the press and his personal life.

Five terrorists entered his church that night with rifles and grenades. When he returned fire, the terrorists ceased the attack and left, so Mr. Van Wyk left through another door to try and intercept them. He fired his last shots at the terrorists as they fled in the getaway car. Unbeknownst to him, he wounded one of them, which helped the police catch them. Eleven people were killed and 53 wounded in the attack.

One thing to note here is that of the two rounds he fired in the church, one missed, and they couldn't find the other one. The police told him that if that other bullet had hit a parishioner and killed him/her, he would be guilty of manslaughter. Know your target and what is beyond! It was that other round that hit the terrorist.

Mr. Van Wyk goes through the emotions he had to deal with after the attack, such as rage at the terrorists, guilt for (possibly) hitting a parishioner, and guilt at not killing the terrorists, in addition to the typical post-traumatic stress reactions. The press reacted in its typical fashion, and even Archbishop Desmond Tutu weighed in, saying he "did not believe churchgoers should allow themselves to use the same methods (guns) as those evil people. 'Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord'''. (As you will see, the book differentiates between defense and vengeance, as it should). Against that backdrop, Mr. Van Wyk presses the point that we have, as the book's subtitle says, a right and a duty to defend ourselves and our loved ones.

The other sections of the book include a paper by Larry Pratt, President of Gun Owners of America, called Biblical Principles of Gun Control. Mr. Van Wyk credits this paper, and Larry himself, with answering his questions/issues; a paper Mr. Van Wyk delivered at a seminar called "Christian Response to the Terrorist Attack"; and a warning about governmental control of arms, with which I think many here would agree.

The main point I took from the book to inform my decision is this: As a husband and father, I have been given the responsibility to provide for and protect my family. I do that by working to provide food and clothing, and in providing a safe home, with locks and smoke detectors. Defending them should be no different. While an attack is underway, as a Christian I have a right and a duty to defend innocent life, with lethal force if necessary. Once the attack is over, I have a duty to leave justice in the hands of the authorities and God, and yes, even to forgive the assailant. Mr. Van Wyk was able to do that, even going to the prison and meeting the terrorist he shot during the attack.

I would recommend this book to any Christian who is struggling with the decision to carry a firearm, and to non-Christians who want to be well informed about some Christians' opposition to guns.

I hope this review was useful to you. I have tons more I could say about this, but the review is long enough already!


For another, similar perspective, check out this recent article on WorldNetDaily : http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55700
My favorite quote from that article: "Do you want God to protect you? Of course. Then don't tempt Him by saying, "The Lord will protect me, I don't need a gun." That's like the man who says, "A storm is coming, but I don't need an umbrella; God will protect me," all the while ignoring the real protection God has provided for him – the common sense to get an umbrella or come in out of the rain. In dangerous times such as those in which we live today, God clearly speaks to us – both in Scripture and through good old fashioned common sense – about being prepared to protect and defend ourselves, our families and our neighbors. As Jesus Himself said: "He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." "

As for my decision? I just applied for my CCW.

[turbosupra1313]

interesting. thanks for te review

[XDerminator]

Wow. Thought provoking. I'm going to get the book. Thanks for the review!

[sloopy70]

Yeah, I've always seen it as god helps those who help themselves... an extreme negative counter argument of this in my mind would be like if someone said well, gods gonna provide for me, so I'm gonna just sit in this chair until food shows up, and I'm not gonna bathe or work because god will take care of that... God expects us to do things for ourselves.... anybody feel what I mean???

[Niner4Tango]

Good review, Caribou. Thanks.

[portsider44]

As a Christian, I have been struggling with the proper Christian position on self-defense, carrying concealed, etc. I know that Christians will fall all over the spectrum on this issue, with some being gung-ho on gun carrying, all the way to no self-defense at all. I ordered this book to help me find my place on that spectrum.

I know things can get touchy with politics & religon, but here goes. First off I am catholic convert. Never went to church as a child but after meeting my now wife of 18yrs, I joined the Catholic chruch.

WHile I beleieve that self defense can be argured both ways. I feel, that God would would want us to protect ourselves from evil people set on harming us & breaking his commandments. To me Saint Michael, would be a good example of a of why we should have no hard feeling regarding self defense.

http://smcenter.org/story.htm

[Powerman]

Hum, very interesting. I'm not a Christian, but I'm not anti-christian either. I think the difference here is self preservation. I God created me and all that entails, then he gave me the instinct of self preservation. I don't see any conflict of that subject. As far as after the imminent danger, then things can be touchy. The Church has been against the death penalty, yet many of faith believe in it. That is a big subject to debate.

God gave me a brain and he gave me the choice to use it. Never in my wildest dreams would I expect him to be disapointed in me by taking a life to save mine. Yet then again, Christ did not take a life to save his. Very interesting.

[Caribou]

Originally Posted by sloopy70

Yeah, I've always seen it as god helps those who help themselves... an extreme negative counter argument of this in my mind would be like if someone said well, gods gonna provide for me, so I'm gonna just sit in this chair until food shows up, and I'm not gonna bathe or work because god will take care of that... God expects us to do things for ourselves.... anybody feel what I mean???

The other extreme is: "God isn't going to do ANYTHING for me, I have to do it all myself." So each person has to decide where he falls between those two extremes, and satisfy his own conscience with that decision.

[Caribou]

Let me just add that I do not intend for this thread to be a debate about what you should do, or Christian versus non-Christian, or X Christian view versus Y Christian view. I just want to give people some information so they can make their own decisions.

[Jeff XD]

Thank you for the time you took to review the book and share it with us.
A short joke/story along similar lines.

A very religious man was out in a lake when his boat sank. As he was treading water a boat came up and asked if they could give him a ride back to land. The man said no God would save him.
A second boat came, asked if they could help. The man still said no thank you, God will save me.
Third boat comes by, same result. God will save me.
Eventually the man drowns and goes to Heaven. When he gets there he asks God why he didn't save him. God replies "I sent you three boats to help. What else did you want?"