Statement on Gun Violence and Mass Shootings

Asbury Theological Seminary deplores the tragic and needless deaths of so many innocent victims of gun violence in our country and around the world.  Every person, regardless of their race, religion, or national origin is created in the image of God and are, therefore, living signs of God’s presence and his redemptive intentions for the whole human race.  The interruption of a life due to gun violence, or any other cause, is nothing less than an assault on the sanctity of human life, which we strongly affirm.  We pray for God’s wisdom to rest upon all leaders, whether political, cultural, or ecclesiastical, in these challenging days.  Meanwhile, we long for a fuller in-breaking of the New Creation into the present order and we as Christians re-dedicate ourselves to that vision and hope.