While I don’t personally own or carry any physical weapons, I am an American, which means I place my trust in weapons every day. I am part of the largest military might the world has ever seen. Some would call a power this great a “world empire.” Some simply call it “home.” Within this nation of origin, I am a white male. As much as I try to live a life contrary to the general population of my skin color and gender, the White Protestant Male still represents too much of the consistent misuse of power. In this way, my very skin and gender are a weapon.
I often unknowingly trust the weapons of others, whether for national security and a war on “terror” or local safety and police officers patrolling the streets of Holland. This sense of violence as a way to peace – a redemptive violence – is perpetuated by the games and movies within our culture where violence is the norm and weapons are simply an accessory to the unfolding story on the screen and in our lives. However, this violence cannot bring peace; this trust in a weapon is always trust misplaced. Fighting terror by causing terror solves nothing; managing violence with a tool of violence simply continues the cycle of mistrust and misuse.
Recently my wife and I traveled to the Middle East (Muscat, Oman). As we were preparing to leave for a week, a handful of people commented with concern for our safety. They were assuming that since we were heading to a Muslim country we – as white American Christians – would be unsafe. They were concerned for our existence without the weapon of supremacy and national security. However, these friends were wrong; while Oman is a Muslim state, it is not hostile towards whites, Americans, or even Christians. We went on this trip, knowing we were safe just as we were, knowing that we could leave behind the weapon of our nationality without fear.
The society that holds so close to any means of protection too easily forgets what the words “in God we trust” truly mean.