Guns In Church

I guess I am going to have to ask the Pastor at the Church I attend if he is “packing heat.” I am pretty sure no one else is. Since there seems to be some concern regarding the safety of sanctuaries and the people who occasionally inhabit them, perhaps it is time to arm someone.

DETROIT — A Detroit church service turned tragic Sunday when a man with a brick went after the pastor, but likely didn’t anticipate what would follow: the pastor pulled out a semiautomatic pistol and fatally shot the man, police said. (USA Today)

I have a bit of concern that semiautomatic pistols seem a bit much in the face of bricks, but then, who knows. Dodging a brick shouldn’t be too hard, and if someone gets close enough to hit you with it, a swift, well-placed kick ought to be the major damage. Of course that is easy for me to say, I wasn’t there.

Actually my concern for Churches is not bricks, or hammers, or knives, or even guns. Lives are being damaged every time the Church gathers and the Truth is not clearly and accurately proclaimed. Pastors need to wield the Sword of the Spirit, rather than soft-soap stories, and pleasing words leading to easy belief that holiness is not mandatory before God. The Sword cuts wide and deep when used with the authority of God’s Spirit.

Don’t hear me saying we shouldn’t protect the gathered flock. Of course we should! But the bigger problem is not bricks, but the shifting winds of the Enemy’s wiles and ways as he attacks  those made vulnerable by the lack of knowing and living Truth.