While a majority of Americans believe in the right to self-defense, there are some mainstream Christian teachers, such as John Piper, who make the argument that Christians should be willing to die rather than to take an assailant’s life. This view is particularly common among missionaries, with the story of Jim Elliot being commonly held up as an example. In this episode, we talk about the problems with this view and how it can lead to (or be caused by) a fundamental misunderstanding about the gospel, and the nature of justice and mercy. We also discuss the biblical basis for the right to self defense and we talk about how wrong teaching on the issue has caused problems on the mission field and Dan discusses some firsthand experiences he has had in Nigeria.