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Originally Posted by Esther
Interesting timing on this subject. Tuesday a friend of mine that is NOT Pentecostal has a father that is the sherrif of a small town. He goes to a church and is now wearing his gun and guarding the church with some other men. Their concerns is more with what they preceive as the direction the government seems to be heading in regards to the church.
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I work for the government so I’m a bit biased perhaps but here are my thoughts.
Don’t you think that churches becoming militias will only cause the government to be
more suspect of various churches? I mean, if this becomes a trend in Pentecostal churches (or any network of churches), the government will have to monitor and report on their activities. I know most will think that this is strange seeing that the vast majority of churches aren’t a threat. However, all it would take is one or two off balance pastors to escalate issues to a level that could cause significant concern or pose a threat to civil stability. Think of the image this portrays. Imagine how a neighborhood of non-Pentecostals or unbelievers will view a fundamentalist church that has turned itself into an armory and essentially has a small standing militia. This may seem like a trivial issue to some… but this is how militias are born… small… idealist… and seemingly non-threatening. If more churches do this and it makes the press, what else will people think when you say, “I’m a Pentecostal.”?
The best course of action might be to have ushers with radios (or even uniforms) visibly present in parking lots and lobbies. 90% of security is visible presence.
And if word gets on the street about a particular church it’s liable to taunt some nutcase to try something. It puts the church in greater danger.
Personally, I think any pastor who would advocate something like this is paranoid and should be monitored closely.
And those are just my earthly concerns. The spirituality this portrays is absolutely bankrupt. While Gandhi expressed a Christlike peacefulness, we are becoming more like Islamic fundamentalists. Gandhi basically broke British power over India without firing a shot. Even if the church undergoes a season of persecution, violence with only begets more violence and the cycle will continue for generations.
I really don’t think this is a good idea.
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As to the comment trust God to protect you is fine. However, I wonder why you go to work? Why don't you trust God to provide for you? Some things I believe God expects you to do for yourself.
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You’re right. We must do for ourselves, including protecting ourselves. After all, isn’t that why we lock our doors? However, when it comes to violence and the use of lethal force as forms of self defense we are challenged as Christians to be Christlike. Christ illustrated a spirituality that turned the other cheek, blessed one’s enemies and persecutors, and if a man took our cloak we were to give unto him coat also. That means that choosing non-violence, or choosing non-lethal measures of self defense, is an issue of obedience, devotion, and spiritual depth and maturity; not faith in God’s magical power to protect us. Let’s face it… God may not protect us but allow us to be cut down. The question is how do we react to this reality? Do we start preparing to use lethal force for the preservation of self or do we resolve ourselves to obey Christ… even if it means staring down the barrel of a loaded weapon? Do we put together militias or do we resolve ourselves to obey Jesus… even if it means being cut down by bullets while standing in the pulpit?
We’re big on dress standards and hair… but what about the ultimate price of obeying Christ? It only shows that our spirituality is a mile wide and an inch deep if we take our stand on hair… but refuse to endure persecution or even death for the sake of obeying Christ. It sounds to me like Pentecostals like this are all dressed up to meet someone they don’t know.
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He was with David when he went to gather his and his men's family that had been taken away.
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Yes, but two points have to be made. First, this was under the Old Covenant. God was dealing with a nation, now God is dealing with individuals. Secondly, David was anointed to be king giving him full authority to act militarily if necessary. Again, government is the only God ordained institution with the blessing to use the sword to restrain evil and address grievances.
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Also, a church I once attended had a man come in and shoot and kill his girlfirend because she join a Pentecostal church. He also had threatened the pastor, but the pastor had gotten delayed by a phone call and was not yet in the scantuary. Fortunately, there were some off duty police officers that were able to take him down.
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Very sad. But think of this… she’s a modern day martyr. That’s the price some of us will pay for being a follower of Christ. Great is her reward.
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I think each person has to do what they can live with. If carrying a gun is too much for you, that is your call. But don't condemn those who don't have a problem with it.JMO
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I think that as Christians we are called to obey Jesus and aspire to Christlikeness in the face of these trying times… even if it costs us our lives. Being a Christian is about far more than hair and dress codes.
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