Guys, I'm not a pacifist. However, it seems to me that the purpose of a seminary or Bible college is to train folks for the ministry. Part of that is learning to evangelize and minister to the hurting. If a Christian wants to learn how to shoot a gun, fine. Go to a private gun range and learn there. But to mix ministering to sinners and saints with packing heat....well, to me it undermines the concept of reaching sinners with the gospel.Originally Posted by BAP
Liberty University is more than a seminary or bible college . They study everything from aviation to law to nursing. In essence they are a University with a Christian emphasis.
Even if they were only a seminary I still fail to see how carrying a gun diminishes their Christian Walk but for the record they are a University not a seminary
Agree some need a 44 magnum and others a 22
Agree some need a 44 magnum and others a 22
No, I think that the "Founding Fathers" had at least one other reason, so that citizens could resist an oppressive and unconstitutional government. If the Federal, State or Local government attempt to take away our "God" given rights, these rights are not derived from or granted by government, we the citizens along with loyal military and law enforcement could stand up to the tyranny.Gun control = taking careful aim
So, you'd stand there and let someone rape your wife and slaughter your children???
That's un-godly. No, it's not a pleasant subject but a decent man would defend his family with whatever force it takes to protect his family if faced with that situation.
Why do you think Jesus said what He did in Luke 22:36?
Ain't but one legitimate reason to own a weapon... self defense.
I see your point, but remember that this is a volunteer activity. Students are not required to learn gun safety and usage like they are required to go to chapel. Of course no one is suggesting that you have a Bible in one hand and gun in the other while trying to witness to the lost. I wish my Christian college had offered this. Bookman, I see your objections and understand here they come from, but not all believers agree on this subject. I don't financially support Liberty or any other University or College at the moment. I think Liberty is taking a balanced view and actions on this, but it is MHO.
Nah, hunting is another legitimate reason to own weapons. Venison is our friend.Gun control = taking careful aim
So, you'd stand there and let someone rape your wife and slaughter your children???
That's un-godly. No, it's not a pleasant subject but a decent man would defend his family with whatever force it takes to protect his family if faced with that situation.
Why do you think Jesus said what He did in Luke 22:36?
Ain't but one legitimate reason to own a weapon... self defense.
Security is a necessity now. It has been for several years in some nations.
Having lunch with some missionaries from Pakistan that spoke at our church about 10 years ago, they told me how they had men with weapons standing guard with automatic weapons around their mission church.
In our state (South Carolina) there was a horrible shooting incident in a church about a year ago. a punk kid with meanness on his mind entered a church, attended a Bible study, then pulled pout a firearm and murdered nine worshipers, including two preachers. The sentencing phase of his trial is in the news now.
If the pastor of that church, or some other trusted member, had been packing, perhaps they could have stopped this maniac before the carnage escalated to such a level.
The massacre of nine Christians during a prayer service at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., highlights the need for all congregations to implement security measures, a security expert told Baptist Press.
"The biggest obstacle for churches is just not believing that [a violent attack] could happen at their churches," said Jimmy Meeks, a Southern Baptist police officer in Hurst, Texas, who presents church security seminars across America. People "don't listen to what needs to be done until they believe it needs to be done."
Since 1999, there have been at least 971 incidents in which "deadly force" was employed at faith-based organizations in the U.S., according to statistics posted online by church security expert Carl Chinn. Those incidents resulted in more than 550 deaths, with more deadly force incidents occurring in Baptist churches than among any other group, according to Chinn.Prior to the Charleston slayings, the most notorious church shootings on record included a 1980 attack at First Baptist Church in Daingerfield, Texas, that left five people dead and 15 injured, and a 1999 shooting at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, in which a lone gunman killed seven people and wounded seven more before committing suicide. In 2009, pastor Fred Winters died from four chest wounds sustained during a shooting at First Baptist Church in Maryville, Ill.
Though some church violence garners widespread media coverage, violent deaths continue at a rate of more than 30 per year even when there is little media attention.
Establishing and training a security team, Meeks said, is the most important way a church can protect itself from violent intruders. He added that small and large churches alike need security teams.
"You have got to train" a security team, said Meeks, who has been interviewed by TIME and NBC since the June 17 shooting in Charleston. "... Men don't rise to the occasion. They sink to the level of their training."The number of deadly episodes at sanctuaries has soared over the last decade, and mass shootings at schools, malls and movie theaters have left Americans feeling like it could happen anywhere.In 1999, there were 22 violent deaths — including homicides and suicides — reported at worship centers nationwide, according to statistics compiled by Chinn. Last year, there were 115 attacks, with 75 of those ending in a fatality, he said.At Calvary Chapel, a dedicated team of about 30 to 40 plainclothes volunteers are tasked with protecting the 10,000 people who crowd into the church's primary campuses in West Melbourne, Viera and Sebastian each weekend for services. Last month, the team met with Chinn for a training session.
"You never know who may come to your facility but if you're visiting us, you learn early on that there are a few people who are paying attention and watching the crowds. And we do have armed people in the services," said John Lucas, the chief security officer for the church."It wasn't too many years ago that even gangs respected church grounds," Chinn said. "Now we're seeing more incidents," from violent disputes between congregants that break out during services to break-ins, assaults and other crimes.Unfortunately, church violence is something that every pastor and church leader should be concerned about. Does your church have a violence response plan? Has your church weighed the safety and liability risk of not having a church security team? If the answer to these questions is “no”, these alarming statistics are a great reason to quickly and strategically ensure that your church is protected from such tragedy. The Biblical leader Nehemiah’s response to security threats is worth noting. In Nehemiah 4:9, he stated “we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch (posted a guard).”
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