Bible Verse on the “Crusader” AR-15 Assault Rifle
In the 1960’s, the philosopher and media expert Marshall McLuhan became famous for the following quote, “the medium is the message.” This simple yet profound phrase reminds us that the medium by which a message is conveyed is crucial to the message itself. The images posted above are a vivid example of the truth of McLuhan’s quote. A model of AR-15 known as “The Crusader” comes complete with a Bible verse and an engraved cross. Using the medium of an assault rifle, the message is clear that using this weapon to kill enemies advances the purposes of Christianity. “The Crusader” assault rifle was first developed as a military weapon during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to send a “message” to ISIS fighters. It emerged more recently to promote the right of civilians to own assault rifles and connect this to the religious commitment of those who own these military style weapons.
Yet using this medium clearly distorts the message of Biblical Christianity. Instead of dominating and killing perceived enemies, Jesus taught his followers, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven…” (Matthew 5: 44-45) Congress is poised to pass some measures intended to reduce gun violence. Yet these measures do not currently include restoring the ban on assault rifles such as the AR-15. Currently there is not the political will to do so. I believe that this lack of political will is connected to the fact that many Americans who identify as Christian do not see any contradiction between owning assault rifles such as “The Crusader” and their commitment to follow the way of Jesus. It is up to those who profess faith in Jesus to make this obvious contradiction clear to our fellow Christians. For two thousand years, the gospel of Jesus has been connected to the medium of the cross as a symbol of nonviolent self-sacrificial love. The medium is still the message. When that medium is an assault rifle, the message of Jesus is completely distorted. When the medium is the cross, Jesus’ way of nonviolent self-sacrificial love is the power for personal and community transformation.