necrotization of america part 2: armed christians in church

Okay, the story gets worse.  Turns out the 'security staff' that killed the gunman was a volunteer, a woman, Jeanne Assam, one of the faithful of New Life Church..  Here's her own words:

"I give the credit to God, and I mean that, I say that very humbly, God was with me the whole time I was behind cover," she told reporters. "It seemed like it was me, the gunman and God."

"This has got to be God, because of the firepower that [the gunman] had versus what I had – was God. I did not run away, and I didn't think for a minute to run away. I just knew that I was given the assignment to end this before it got too much worse. I just prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide me."  [story here]

I suspect the Holy Spirit might be a bit surprised to find that She was guiding the trajectory of the bullet that killed the gunman.  Lethal force, as far as I know, is not generally considered one of the gifts of the Spirit. I am not a complete pacifist.  I believe there are times we must meet violence with violence, but this is alwalys evidence of sin, not grace - it is, at times and at best, a necessary evil, but evil it remains. Maybe it's just me but somehow I can't imagine God being delighted to know that the megachurchians waving their arms in praise are packing heat just in case they need to take someone out during worship.

Comments

[Larry Gregan]

Evidence of sin in the circumstance does not equal sin in the person. If the action is "necessary", as you say, one is called to do it and it is not sin.

Your language suggests, though, that you really do believe the person's whole action was sin. That is a more defensible position than the conflicted one you are (not too well) articulating - just come right out and say it.

Even better, put yourself in her shoes: you have someone who has already crossed the line into lethal violence (not an easy line to cross) and you have the means to stop it. You are out gunned and you have to pull yourself together in order to cross that line yourself and you experience faith in God as being central to doing that.

Your snide attitude toward "megachurchians" is clouding your assessment of human experience.

And, what's wrong with the security staff being a faithful woman volunteer? Again, the tone you use.