Lead, follow, or accept restraint

When shepherds stop leading or sheep stop following, secure pens become inevitable.

I write this following another mass shooting in a school. There isn't much time for grieving over lives lost. Almost instantly, the gun control debate takes center stage.

I appreciate those who defend our Second Amendment right to bear arms. "Guns don't kill people. People do." My own father remembers how he and his friends carried shotguns to school so they could hunt rabbits right after the final bell.

I also appreciate those who notice that times have changed. No one feels it's okay for a student to carry a shotgun to school now.

The point is that freedom demands responsibility. The surest way to surrender freedom is to neglect responsibility. Those who appreciate more freedom need to figure this out. Fast. Because as self-government erodes, externally-applied government will overtake us. You can bank on it.

It's one reason the spread of the Gospel is so relevant and practical. It's one reason why the church needs to rediscover Kingdom culture. It was for freedom Jesus set us free.