Collateral Damage

Author awarded the 2019 Beard Atwood Award from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence

One hundred people die from gun violence every day in the United States. Some fifty children and teens are shot. There are more than 35,000 gun-related deaths every year. Yet many Christians say gun violence shouldn't be talked about in church.

In Collateral Damage, pastor and activist James E. Atwood issues an urgent call to action to Christians to work together to stop gun violence. An avid hunter for many years, Atwood enumerates the tragic and far-reaching costs that accrue in a country with more guns than people. Collateral damage includes a generalized fear and loss of trust. Suicides and homicides. Trauma for children in neighborhoods plagued by gun violence and in schools with frequent lockdown drills. A toxic machismo that shapes our boys and men in unhealthy ways. Economic costs that exceed $229 billion per year. Atwood also considers the deeper story of racism, inequality, and mass incarceration in which the conversation about gun violence is lodged.

Gun violence has been called the theological emergency of our time. The church has a moral and spiritual obligation to side with life against death. Will we rise to the occasion?

Free downloadable study guide available here.

"As a disaster psychologist, I have seen too often the significant, lasting, and largely overlooked 'collateral damage' that gun violence does to survivors, nearby communities, and all of us whose lives are increasingly intertwined with this tragic reality. With this sobering and ultimately hopeful book, James Atwood shows that the prevalence of gun violence is not just a safety crisis but also a spiritual one. His sense of urgency in exchanging fear and apathy for action that advocates for truth and for life offers much-needed boldness in a difficult conversation."
--Jamie Aten, Blanchard Chair of Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership at Wheaton College
"I've read every one of James Atwood's books. Gun violence is a public health crisis in our country and one of the most urgent moral issues of our time. Atwood is a leading voice in the world when it comes to gun violence, and especially when it comes to the intersection of God and guns in America. He knows that we have both a gun problem and a heart problem, and he addresses both in this book. If you care about life, this is required reading. As Atwood will show you, it is impossible to be pro-life, pro-Jesus, and uncritically pro-guns."
--Shane Claiborne, activist, author, and founder of Red Letter Christians
"James Atwood has done it again in his third book about guns in American society. He continues to provide lots of data and stories that inform and move the reader beyond 'thoughts and prayers' to informed action. Atwood explores the ripple effects of gun violence that damage not just victims but children, families, communities, institutions, the economy, and indeed our national soul. Grounded in a Christian faith perspective, Atwood pushes us to exercise what is perhaps our most underdeveloped moral muscle right now--empathy. A critical empathy is at the heart of ethical engagement with this issue. I recommend that congregations who might feel hopeless and powerless in confronting growing gun violence in our society read Collateral Damage together. You will be inspired--and changed."
--Katie Day, Charles A. Schieren Professor Emerita of Church and Society at United Lutheran Seminary
"James Atwood makes a compelling argument that the conversation about firearms is indeed a moral one--and that the status quo is unacceptable. We have turned weapons into idols, and this form of idolatry can only be countered by moral outrage. People of faith and all who want to leave a better world for their children should run to read this book."
--Peter S. Berg, senior rabbi at The Temple in Atlanta
"There is gun violence, and then there is the collateral damage caused by gun violence. A focus on the latter is what sets this book apart, as author James Atwood presents compelling evidence of much more damage done beyond the tragic loss of life (as if that were not enough). The bill, for example, for a nation that experiences as much gun violence as the United States is estimated at $229 billion a year. What?! Speaking from deep faith and reverence for life, missionary, pastor, peace activist, and responsible (former) gun owner James Atwood calls all, especially the faithful, to help restore sanity and common-sense safety not only for the sake of the nation but for the sake of the gospel."
--Al Tizon, affiliate associate professor of missional and global leadership at North Park University
"When I retire from congregational pastoring, I want to be like my friend James Atwood. Decades of professional ministry in challenging contexts earned him the right to retire in peace and quiet. Instead, after moving to a retirement community in the bucolic Shenandoah Valley, he decided to invest his tireless energy and formidable intellect in continuing his struggle against gun violence, a moral and theological problem that occupied most of his salaried career. Trust this man and his words. He has researched them well. He has lived them. Then follow his lead and rise up with a righteous indignation paired with a steadfast hope in the unstoppable reign of God. Peace and justice are God's work and ours, in collaboration. Together we can, in Atwood's words, 'work for God's peaceful tomorrow.'"
--Phil Kniss, senior pastor of Park View Mennonite Church

James E. Atwood is pastor emeritus of Trinity Presbyterian Church of Arlington, Virginia. A leader in the faith-based movement for good gun laws, he has served as chair of the anti-gun violence group Heeding God's Call of Greater Washington, interfaith coordinator of the Million Mom March, and a member of the National Committee of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. Atwood is the author of America and Its Guns and Gundamentalism. He is the recipient of the 2018 David Steele Distinguished Writer Award by the Presbyterian Writers Guild and the 2019 Beard Atwood Award from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. He and his wife, Roxana, served as mission workers in Japan and now live in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

One hundred people die from gun violence every day in the United States. Some fifty children and teens are shot each day. There are 40,000 gun-related deaths every year in our nation. Yet many Christians say gun violence shouldn't be talked about in church. In Collateral Damage , pastor and activist James E. Atwood issues an urgent call to action to Christians to work together to stop gun violence. An avid hunter for many years, Atwood tallies the tragic and far-reaching costs that accrue in a country with more guns than people. A generalized fear and loss of trust. Suicides and homicides. Trauma for children in neighborhoods plagued by gun violence and in schools with frequent lockdown drills. A toxic machismo that shapes our boys and men in unhealthy ways. Economic costs that exceed $229 billion per year. Atwood also considers the deeper story of racism, inequality, and mass incarceration in which the conversation about gun violence is lodged. Gun violence has been called the theological emergency of our time. The church has a moral and spiritual obligation to side with life against death. Will we rise to the occasion?

One hundred people die from gun violence every day in the United States. Some fifty children and teens are shot. There are more than 35,000 gun-related deaths every year. Yet many Christians say gun violence shouldn't be talked about in church. In Collateral Damage , pastor and activist James E. Atwood issues an urgent call to action to Christians to work together to stop gun violence. An avid hunter for many years, Atwood enumerates the tragic and far-reaching costs that accrue in a country with more guns than people. Collateral damage includes a generalized fear and loss of trust. Suicides and homicides. Trauma for children in neighborhoods plagued by gun violence and in schools with frequent lockdown drills. A toxic machismo that shapes our boys and men in unhealthy ways. Economic costs that exceed $229 billion per year. Atwood also considers the deeper story of racism, inequality, and mass incarceration in which the conversation about gun violence is lodged. Gun violence has been called the theological emergency of our time. The church has a moral and spiritual obligation to side with life against death. Will we rise to the occasion?

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