Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #1
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    Default My Pastor's Response to the Church Shooting

    My pastor posted this on his facebook page yesterday.

    https://www.facebook.com/profile.php...4ovLhUuPL7su-E

    church website is here http://yorkspringsfoursquare.org/

    All of you have heard about the horrible shooting at the church in Texas by now.
    I want you to know a couple of things.
    First, there is no place I would rather die than in York Springs Foursquare Church. It feels strange to say that, but in truth there have been thousands of our faith-family members since the earliest days of Christianity who died in their church, and if I had my choice there is no other place I would rather be.
    Getting killed in church is almost normal, if you look at the New Testament, or North Korea, or the modern Middle East. I never want this to happen, but I am under no illusions that it doesn't.
    The Bible is full, cover to cover, of people who died in their faith.
    Second, most people know the Bible tells us to turn the other cheek, to forgive, and to expect persecution.
    We believe this.
    We do this.
    Let me tell you a short story about it.
    When our church was first announced publicly, before we even opened, a group of locals broke into our future building and vandalized it with satanic symbols.
    We forgave them.
    I baptized one of them on our opening Sunday
    service. We believe in forgiveness and in
    overcoming evil with good. We have seen the
    value of forgiveness and we practice it.
    Third, we are a safe place. We have a duty to protect the innocent just as we have a duty to forgive the guilty.
    We don't believe in revenge, and we believe only God has the right to judge a person's soul. But he gives us a duty to protect the innocent.
    If something like what happened in Texas were to happen in York Springs we would put up a fight, and we are armed.
    If an attacker kills someone, as Christians we will forgive. But that doesn't mean we wait passively for him to stop, and then forgive when he is done.
    We have a duty to protect.
    We will not wait passively for the killing to stop. We will stop it.
    Our church has been blessed by God with a large number of men and women who love Jesus and have valid Pennsylvania Licenses to Carry Firearms (LTCF). Many of these people have told me that they carry their firearm(s) to church, and it is likely that others are doing so too.
    Since yesterday I have reached out to a number
    of people and specifically asked them to start carrying their firearms here if they aren't already. Most of them already were.
    We have never had any violence in our church, there has never been a threat of violence, and each of these men and women are responsible, God-fearing, law-abiding people. They carry firearms based on the extremely unlikely scenario in which they might be necessary. They keep them concealed so as not to draw attention away from worship or alarm anyone.
    I myself have a valid LTCF, and have preached with a concealed pistol on my person every Sunday of our church's existence. I am not a cowboy, I do not tell people about it, and I prefer to let concealed remain concealed. I am not here to make a political statement or to make a reputation for myself or to prove a point.
    I didn't want to post this at all, but our volatile
    national crisis has made it necessary.
    The firearm is not for intimidation, persuasion, or revenge. It is not a sermon illustration, a point to prove or a way to get what I want. It is a last resort to protect the innocent from violence by stopping the threat.
    And that is all.
    It is better to have a gun and never need it, than to need it only once, but not have it.
    If I am arrested someday for my faith, I will go without resistance to my sentence and forgive those who do it.
    But if God puts me in a position to protect a person from certain violence, I will prevent that violence. It is my Christian duty.
    It is our Christian duty.
    We are a safe church.
    You are welcome here, and you are safe here.
    We teach the Bible, we are friendly, and we believe in expanding God's kingdom. Our children's department is our most important value. We believe in serving one another, giving sacrificially, and making an impact in or community. You are safe here.
    See you sunday.
    Sic semper tyrannis

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Default Re: My Pastor's Response to the Church Shooting

    Sounds like a great place to worship and a good community to worship with.

  3. #3
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    Jun 2010
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    warminster, Pennsylvania
    (Bucks County)
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    Default Re: My Pastor's Response to the Church Shooting

    Well, your pastor rocks.
    There is no greater sorrow than to recall in misery the time when we were happy - Dante.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    next to my neighbor, Pennsylvania
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    Default Re: My Pastor's Response to the Church Shooting

    On am talk radio 1060 this morning a guy called in from chester co. stating his church
    is heavily armed. A lot of the parishioners pack, they have been packing for years,
    he says.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
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    Glockin, Pennsylvania
    (Montgomery County)
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    Default Re: My Pastor's Response to the Church Shooting

    Any person with evil intent towards your church that would read your pastor's posts is now going to change their mind............

    Great post by him. Any state with laws prohibiting lawful carry in places of worship need them changed ASAP.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Birchrunville, Pennsylvania
    (Chester County)
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    Default Re: My Pastor's Response to the Church Shooting

    THAT should be posted in the NYT!!!!!

  7. #7
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    Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
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    Default Re: My Pastor's Response to the Church Shooting

    Quote Originally Posted by hog45 View Post
    My pastor posted this on his facebook page yesterday.

    https://www.facebook.com/profile.php...4ovLhUuPL7su-E

    church website is here http://yorkspringsfoursquare.org/
    Thanks for posting that, especially since the Facebook page is down!
    Illegitimus non carborundum est

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
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    Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
    (Tioga County)
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    Default Re: My Pastor's Response to the Church Shooting

    Thanks for posting that.

    The true Christian gun owner believes he/she is to be a servant to humanity. But that belief does but not extend to being a doormat to those who refuse to live by the rules of reasonable human behavior. -http://www.christiangunowner.com/
    Mass Shooting In Texas Church Illustrates Consequences Of No Visible Armed Security

    November 5th, 2017: Once again, we are shocked. We pray. We grieve.

    For people in a small church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. For the mass of people wiped out by a maniacal shooter who decided to walk in and kill people.

    At this writing, the "reason" for his rampage is unknown.

    And I want to submit it is far less relevant than another issue. HOW TO KEEP IT FROM HAPPENING THE NEXT TIME.

    BECAUSE IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN
    The only question is whether your church or mine will be ready to stop the shooter

    These monsters have proven for decades now that we can pray till Hell grows cool, but they will continue to target houses of worship to kill people.

    How many churches have been shot up in the last 20 years? How many people killed?

    How many have to be killed and injured before church leaders decisively and permanently provide the security needed to stop this kind of atrocity?

    Sudden Death Or Safety Lies In The Hands Of Church Leaders

    That means decisively and immediately implementing either trained, state licensed, clearly identified, armed security, or contracted or employed, fully uniformed police officers.

    In sufficient numbers to cover the places that a shooter could enter and/or operate.

    Not just a token "security guy" to "watch things".

    Churches: Perfect Targets For Murderous Maniacs

    Churches exist in virtually every inhabitable location in America, and these type shootings will happen in the largest cities to the smallest towns.

    Churches are some of the most identifiable, consistent targets in the country. The same numbers of people year after year, gather on the same days at the same time day after day, month after month, year after year.

    Perfect targets for maniacs or terrorists, some being one and the same.

    That's established.

    Deadly Indecision

    What church leaders across the country can't seem to come to grips with is the the controversy wrought by visible armed security. Somehow they deem not having to deal with that more important than securing their congregations from sudden death from a random murderer.

    Finances Are No Excuse For Allowing Murder In A Crowded Church

    Yeah, it costs money to provide official, armed, capable security of any kind. But it now should be understood that if churches do not implement sufficient security, able to quickly dispatch a shooter, their congregation could be next.

    People dead. Because money is not budgeted for security during mass gatherings.

    Church Leaders, it's your watch. People walk in to their places of worship with a sense of safety. Without specific, and ongoing action, at this point, that is a fantasy. No place where people gather regularly in numbers is safe.

    Take action. It's on you to present the financial concerns, the danger, the work involved. It's up to you to put together the teams.

    It's up to you to keep your gathered congregations alive while in church.

    I for one, among many across the nation, will pray for you as you navigate these waters.

    http://www.christiangunowner.com/Tex...-security.html
    Last edited by priell3; November 7th, 2017 at 02:49 PM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    Collier Twp, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
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    Default Re: My Pastor's Response to the Church Shooting

    hog45 - that is a great post,
    I have copied it and emailed it to my family and friends.

    Thank you
    Tomorrow's battle is won during today's practice.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
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    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    (Allegheny County)
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    Default Re: My Pastor's Response to the Church Shooting

    As I read the first portion, I started to think the "stance" taken was that of pacifism - that he was going to say that we should not fight, but rather put our fate in such an event in God's hands.

    I was wrong!

    Nicely worded. Someone has a grip on reality.
    I called to check my ZIP CODE!....DY-NO-MITE!!!

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