Cop-out!

The most pathetic words I ever hear are from people who listen to the innumerable ways the Gun Empire deceives us and perpetuates murder and mayhem, only to sigh: “The only thing we can do is pray.” That is code for “there is nothing we can do.” What a denial of God’s love. What a rejection of discipleship and the power of Christ in our lives. Prayer unaccompanied by attempts to awaken listless people or congregations, or pouring out one’s blood, sweat, and tears to stop the violence, will never satisfy the imperatives of love. The church’s prayer without accompanying action is really a cop-out.—America and Its Guns: A Theological Expose, page 208 (emphasis original)