As the country continues to grapple with the fallout of the verdicts (and egregious lack thereof) in the Michael Dunn trial, Jim Wallis has voiced his opinion on Stand Your Ground laws in the Huffington Post.
Wallis states decisively that these laws are problematic and immoral, that they allow people to give sway to prejudice and fear, which, especially for Christians, is inexcusable
He says, in part:
Both the Dunn and Zimmerman trials have highlighted a major theological problem with Stand Your Ground laws. In Romans 13, the apostle Paul describes the role of government as a positive one — meant to protect the poor and to promote the common good. The Stand Your Ground laws are based on fear — fear that is often rooted in racism. Rather than promoting a vision of the common good and what our life together should look like, it justifies taking life and codifies fear.
Read the whole thing here.