BTW...I hope that this doesn’t devolve into a pro-gun/anti-gun debate. The larger message is more important in my opinion.
Because the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for people to devour.
Because, as CS Lewis believed, we live in occupied territory, behind enemy lines
The answer is that there is a (seemingly) growing number of young people who view Christianity (and anyone who follows it's tenets) not only as useless, but as an actual enemy. There are those who would like to see us dead.
The reason the abbot was encouraged to arm himself is that, if the forces of evil gain the upper hand, those young people may come after anyone who worships the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and His Son the Lord Yeshua.
The Bible does say that we would be persecuted, and that those who kill us would think they were doing the world a favor.
That's why.
I’m not sure the most religious and believing society could long withstand the rise of smart phones, social media, the 24 hour news and screen culture, and the unprecedented amount of recreational time and comfort. Our poorest people are the most likely to be obese, are the most entertained and least used to physical labor ever. These are all things that have never happened before.
And all these innovations and conditions happened after there had already been a pretty huge falling away from faith and morals. I wonder what would have happened if all these things had come about in the 50s instead of more recently.
Freegards
I respect the learned perspective of our religious leaders in the church and their righteous messages, those who are not tainted by the corruption of the enemy and stand firm in the unaltered word, and honor them by being cautious in my acts. But, to lay in wait and watch as the world burns, to me at least, is a sin in itself; to not defend God's work and protect what he has built is to dishonor his house.
Ultimately it is not a question of whether to fight, but when and how. It could be with weapons, or words, or other acts. I kneel before the Lord and ask him to lead me in the struggle and show me what acts I must do to glorify him. I feel many of us Christians are doing the same and waiting for the moment that his plan is revealed to each of us, uniquely, in the fashion that is best for us.
Praise be to God and his glory and God save America.
Interesting remarks about increasing internal conflict and violence. Last night I was just watching Francis Shaeffer say the same thing about the Roman Republic in the first episode of his “How Should We Then Live” series on Amazon Prime. They had tried to base their society on the secular thinking and decisions of their elite class. It inevitably failed to withstand social pressures. Then they embraced tyranny, thinking they could trade liberty for peace. The man-made “gods” they then tried to base their society upon, including the emperor, were merely reflections of themselves. They became increasing apathetic and disillusioned, turning excesses of violent arena spectacles and gross sexual immorality to try to fill the void in their lives. Art and creativity declined. Christians held the opposite of this futile worldview, and were thus viewed as a threat to this secular, self-indulgent, and depraved society as it was rotting from within. Do we see any parallels to our society, as it becomes more and more secular?