Is supporting lax gun control laws the same as condoning violence? Is supporting a strong military the same as war-mongering? Is supporting capitalism the same as condoning greed?

According to Phil Zuckerman, professor of sociology at Pitzer College, and Dan Cady, assistant professor at California State University, Fresno, the answers to these questions are a resounding yes.

So in response to a Pew Research poll that reveals a vast majority of conservative Christians support lax gun control laws, a strong military and capitalism, these academics harangued conservative Christians for following what they believe to be anti-Christian values.

However, some of Zuckerman and Cady’s assertions are worth a second look. Their shallow analysis distorts the harmony between conservative views and Christian teaching.

Owning guns promotes non-violence

For instance, Zuckerman and Cady wrote: “Jesus exhorted humans to be loving, peaceful, and non-violent.” They then point out the apparent contradiction when conservative Christians support lax gun control laws.

Yet, the professors do not ponder whether criminals will also decide to be “loving, peaceful, and non-violent.” So when gun ownership is restricted, law-abiding people will be unarmed but law-breaking people will still find illegal ways to obtain a gun and wreak havoc upon the defenseless, innocent people.

Law-abiding people are not trigger-happy Rambo-types. They use guns responsibly, which deters criminals from committing crimes. Numerous studies confirm that lax gun control laws and more widespread gun ownership reduce crime rates, as researcher John Lott documents in his book “More Guns Less Crime.” As a case in point, ABC’s Good Morning America reported last week that a home intruder called 911 because he thought the woman whom he was going to burglarize had a gun.

Having a strong military is being a peacemaker

A strong military produces the same effect. Countries are less likely to wage war against another country if the opposition has a stronger military, thereby fostering peace.

Conversely, a weak military invites the “violent military invasion of various countries” that Zuckerman and Cady despise. Professor Thomas Sowell of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, documents in his book, “Intellectuals and Society,” how nations called for unilateral military disarmament after the World War I. Hitler, nonetheless, ignored the agreements, stampeded over pacifist France, and initiated another war, which was bloodier than “the war to end all wars.”

Supporting the military and lax gun control laws are hardly anti-Christian, as Zuckerman and Cady purport. To the contrary, these views are consistent with being a peacemaker. Maintaining a strong military helps to protect the world against true war-mongers. Lax gun control laws protect against violence. It is the professors’ misconceptions about human evil that lead them to believe guns and a military are not as necessary as they truly are.

Wealth is not evil

Next, Zuckerman and Cady describe their version of Jesus who taught that “the pursuit of wealth was inimical to the kingdom of God, that the rich are to be condemned.”

However, It is not sinful to be rich. The rich young ruler in Mark 10 was condemned only because he made wealth his god. It is the love of money, not money itself that is the root of many evils, according to 1 Timothy 6:10.

The kingdom is not opposed to the pursuit of wealth, which is a means for a righteous end. As the Missions Conference occurs, consider how the various ministries are funded. Biola exists today because Lyman Stewart used the wealth that he accumulated from his Union Oil Company to create the school.

Capitalism is not based upon greed

Zuckerman and Cady’s false premises about wealth also mislead them to believe that capitalism is anti-Christian because it supports greed instead of sharing.

Yet, capitalism is based upon self-interest, not greed. Greed is pursuing personal gain at the expense of others. Self-interest is showing rightful regard for one’s well-being. For instance, Biola students act in self-interest when they eat healthily at the Caf, get enough sleep, attend class, and pursue a quality education.

Likewise, capitalists acts in self-interest when they seek to earn a living and improve their lot by producing a good or service. Greed, then, is not inherent to capitalism but a perversion of the system. Christians, therefore, are in no moral conundrum to simultaneously support capitalism and oppose greed.

Christian giving is contradictory to socialism

A beauty of capitalism is that the capitalists’ self-interested actions, unbeknownst to them, benefit all of society in the form of created jobs, wealth, and products. Capitalism raises the standard of living for rich and poor alike.

The abundant wealth also enables charity and philanthropy, acts that Jesus encouraged. However, Christian charity and philanthropy are hardly socialistic. Zuckerman and Cady again err by claiming Jesus preached socialism.

Christianity teaches that genuine giving is done freely. Socialism, on the other hand, uses civil government to compel giving. It is the antithesis of Christian giving. Nor can it be considered sharing.

So, while compulsory giving is a coupling of contradictory terms, a conservative Christian is not. And supporting issues such as lax gun control laws, a strong military, or capitalism are indeed “Christian,” contrary to what Zuckerman and Cady argue.