The gun or the cross: Which is the source of true freedom? Which is the path to a life that is fully human and fully alive? For those who live at the heart of empire, who are born into power and privilege denied to others because of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or national origin, the gun guarantees the status quo. For those denied power and privilege, the gun represents the desire to seize control, to upend the status quo, and to replace the overlords.

    Good Friday poses a choice: Do we put our trust in the power of redemptive violence (the belief that peace can be gained through violence) or the power of redemptive suffering (the belief that peace becomes possible through the practice of reconciliation and unconditional love at personal cost)?...