It is the gun totin' Pastor from Kentucky, Ken Pagan o. As you probably know, Pastor Ken's organising an 'open carry celebration' in his Louisville church on Saturday, July 27th. As I understand it, this is to show support for 2nd Amendment rights and register a little grass roots, Assemblies of God protest against any attempt by TPTB to take away our guns. The service will evidently feature rousing patriotic music, a potluck picnic and a $1.00 handgun draw, which is a bargain for sure. It all sounds vastly entertaining and, were I in Louisville, I'd probably tip up for the picnic in the doubtless vain hope of winning the handgun. But I like guns - of all sorts, others are less keen and remind me that a "gun service" doesn't sound too Christian, after all, we're supposed to be a religion of peace; Jesus, despite having an especial fondness for members of the professional Roman Army, wasn't a scimitar weilding desert warlord. 
So what's to be made of Ken's celebration of the gun? Should we follow his example and take our pistols to church? I have to admit it sounds a little strange, but there is precedent - the Present Arms by an Honor Guard at the Consecration, the sacramental bestowal of Knighthood with a sword, to name several instances of weapons in church; I'd be surprised if Raymond didn't enter the Sepulchre armed to the teeth, alongside Bishop Odo and his fearsome Club. The list goes on, but...
Leaving aside the theology of thing, and there's a fair bit of it, I'm not about to start getting the parishioners to take the sidearms and rifles they're currently leaving in the truck into Mass on Sundays. You see, tempers can get strangely overexcited in church, and I'll leave it at that.
On a completely different theme, someone, or thing, has been ripping off the OBS - see Albert Rasch's excellent Outdoor Chronicles - and for an interesting take on Mein Kampf, Moonshiners and more, have a look at the enormously enjoyable (to me at least) Boomers & BS site.
Cheers,
LSP
My Great Grandfather was a circuit rider Evangelical United Bretheren with at one point 5 churches, travelled with a 12 gauge coach gun (I still have) and a .32 rimfire vest pocket revolver that I still have and am in the tediously slow process of restoring as I have to make all the parts and springs as you can't call people up and order parts.
ReplyDeleteSome of his descendants ended up moonshiners and bootleggers and some ended up military officers and some of 'em ended up like me. for good or for bad...
He'd never carry tithes without a gun and he was actually one of the more liberal minded preaching folk of his era, as to not making war with others.
Won a lot of turkey shoots too! And was a good dirt farmer.
Makes you kinda wonder when people like us get worn out by an 8 hour day and having to go to the post office, doesn't it. Had 5 boys, a girl, a wife, multiple churches, and a farm and he never ever ever complained that anybody can ever remember.
Me and my pastor talk about hunting and shooting all the time. Jew part of my family some were IDF. And I don't know anybody I'm friendly with that isn't a gun owner outside of on a very superficial acquaintance level.
Sounds like this feller has his head on straight.
If anybody carrying a gun at my place of worship ever did anything wrong or stupid or nutty they'd be pinned to the ground or dead so we don't much worry about that, as far as congregants being armed. Usually the only worry is that one of the pastors will get exuberant in an extended sermon and then you have to wait in line at the place where we all like to go get breakfast after. Where you end up forgiving the pastor for going over-time and talk about antelope hunting in West Texas or what might be a good way to bait javelina. All works out at the end of the day and firearms are only dangerous if dangerous people have them.
Thanks for the review.
They certainly were tougher; as the Good Book says, "There were giants in those days."
ReplyDeleteGod bless,
LSP