Point: A distinctive of the school of apologetics known as Presuppositional apologetics as taught by Cornelius Van Til, Greg Bahnsen and John Frame is their use of a kind of argument stating that in order for an unbeliever to hold a certain view, one need to presuppose certain truths of Christianity in the first place in order for it to be intelligible and meaningful. That concept might be hard to communicate, thus the need and importance of explaining this line of argumentation and also illustrating it.
Illustration: After the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school last December, the Journal News decided to publish an interactive map placing a dot on the address of every permit holder in Westchester and Rockland counties in New York complete with names and street address. Why? In their own word, giving “as much information as possible provides our readers with the ability to contribute to the discussion, in any way they wish, on how to make their communities safer.” There is a general trajectory that the Journal has that is critical of private rights to arm. Yet ironically, we read of this news story that while they are critical of private rights to bear arm, they hired a private security firm with citizens that exercises that same right to private arms in order to ensure their safety while they continue being critical of it.
Guns are good for the goose but NOT for the gander.
A Clarkstown police report issued on December 28, 2012, confirmed that The Journal News has hired armed security guards from New City-based RGA Investigations and that they are manning the newspaper’s Rockland County headquarters at 1 Crosfield Ave., West Nyack, through at least tomorrow, Wednesday, January 2, 2013.
[Update 1/4/13-the guards will now be present indefinitely]
According to police reports on public record, Journal News Rockland Editor Caryn A. McBride was alarmed by the volume of “negative correspondence,” namely an avalanche of phone calls and emails to the Journal News office, following the newspaper’s publishing of a map of all pistol permit holders in Rockland and Westchester.
Due to apparent safety concerns, the newspaper then decided to hire RGA Investigations to provide armed personnel to man the location.
Private investigator Richard Ayoob is the administrator of RGA. He told the Clarkstown Police on Friday, December 28 that there had been no problems on site at the Journal News headquarters despite the massive influx of phone calls and emails.
McBride had filed at least two reports with the Clarkstown Police Department due to perceived threats. However, the police did not find the communications in question actually threatening. Incident-Report 2012-00033099 describes McBride telling police she was worried because an email writer wondered “what McBride would get in her mail now.”
Police said the email “did not constitute an offense” and did not contain an actual threat.
The Journal News caused an international stir when they released aninteractive map of pistol permit holders names and addresses in Rockland and Westchester counties last Sunday, December 23. The editors have said they believe knowing where guns are is in the public’s interest. The newspaper has also taken a strident editorial position in favor of strict gun control.
(Link)
Irony abounds. If the purpose of the map was to reveal guns around their readers neighborhood, it’s ironic that they didn’t publish for their readers to know that their office also has private guards who exercise their average citizens right of having hand guns and power of citizen arrests. It’s unfortunate they didn’t publish this information, failing to live up to their purpose that they stated in their own words of allowing “as much information as possible provides our readers with the ability to contribute to the discussion, in any way they wish, on how to make their communities safer.” No doubt if the armed guards are local to the county, they would be among those listed in their interactive maps. More could be said about the hypocrisy of the Journal. But one must not missed the point I am trying to make here: That the staff at the journal are critical of the benefit that the law gives concerning hand gun while at the same time they enjoy the very benefits that the laws gives concerning hand guns. This is analogous to those critical of the Christian worldview that God gave us while enjoying the very benefits of the very Christian worldview they question.
POSSIBLE SCENARIO FOR EMPLOYING THIS ILLUSTRATION DURING APOLOGETIC EVANGELISM
CHRISTIAN: Let me explain how I’m trying to make my argument work. Did you hear about the one newspaper in New York that had an interactive map of those who had hand gun permits? Do you think they question the benefits of the rights to hand guns?
<Insert information about New Journal’s interactive maps, their editorials, etc>
OPPONENT: I suppose so to some extent they are critical.
CHRISTIAN: Now what are your reaction to this news story?
<Insert the above news article about the Journal hiring guards exercising their rights to hand guns as private citizens>
OPPONENT: Interesting. I think….<their thoughts>.
CHRISTIAN: Are you aware that security guards are not peace officers and are exercising the same rights of any private citizens to bear arm, own hand guns and make citizens arrest?
OPPONENT: Yes.
CHRISTIAN: Would you say they enjoy the benefits of the lawful rights to hand guns?
OPPONENT: But they didn’t go out and get hand guns themselves. They hired guards.
CHRISTIAN: But they directly wanted and directly contacted a security company to provide this services right? While they didn’t carry a hand gun themselves, wouldn’t you have to agree that they nevertheless practiced and enjoyed the benefit of the lawful rights of private citizen to hand guns for their protection?
OPPONENT: Yes.
CHRISTIAN: That’s analogous to our situation here in this debate. You might be critical of the Christian worldview, but it’s the same Christian worldview that you enjoyed and benefit from that makes your objection to the Christian worldview be intelligible and meaningful.
[…] GO TO PART 11 […]
You used a very good illustration of a very important truth. Just as you say…. Irony, and contradiction, abounds everywhere. In theological thought as well as in every area of society. Oh that all of us might be clear, and consistent in our thinking and beliefs!
Lord bless.
Thank you Rob for your comment. Indeed, may we all including us believers be clear and consistent in our thinking! We all need the sanctification of the mind by God–and the result of that include more biblical and more logical thinking.
Thank you SLIMJIM. I will need to read this soon.
Let me know what you think.
[…] GO TO PART 11 […]
[…] Apologetics Sermon Illustration # 11: Using Rights to Hand Guns While Critical of Rights to Hand Gu… […]
[…] Using Rights to Hand Guns While Critical of Rights to Hand Guns […]
[…] Using Rights to Hand Guns While Critical of Rights to Hand Guns […]
Incredible the hypocrisy!
[…] Using Rights to Hand Guns While Critical of Rights to Hand Guns […]
[…] Using Rights to Hand Guns While Critical of Rights to Hand Guns […]
[…] Using Rights to Hand Guns While Critical of Rights to Hand Guns […]
[…] Using Rights to Hand Guns While Critical of Rights to Hand Guns […]