Kentucky pastor drops flock for his Glock
he Kentucky pastor who drew notice earlier this year for hosting a God-and-guns event at his church is giving up his flock for his Glock.
Pastor Ken Pagano resigned his post last month at the New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky., after nearly 30 years in the ministry, saying he wants to focus on Second Amendment and church-security issues.
"Thirty years was a good, long run, but it's time for a change," Mr. Pagano said in an interview with The Washington Times. "If I can write my own ticket, I want to get involved more in Second Amendment issues as they affect the church, and I can do more from outside the pulpit than from behind it."
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Mr. Pagano said he was considering a career change even before the event, but the ripple effect led him to Rabbi Gary Moskowitz of New York, who has long worked with synagogues on protection from terrorist threats.
Mr. Pagano and Mr. Moskowitz have since teamed up to form the International Security Coalition of Clergy, an organization dedicated to "making the vulnerable less vulnerable," according to their mission statement.
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Mr. Pagano advocates a security team of five church members who have at least 40 hours of training in firearms and other tactics. The advantage of using church members instead of a hired guard is that they're better able to separate the regular attendees from the first-time visitors.
The idea is self-defense, not aggression, Mr. Moskowitz said.
"I'm not taking the position that everyone should have a gun. I'm taking the position that every house of worship or any other high-visibility target should have a person or persons trained in the use of firearms," the rabbi said.
I found this part especially hard to swallow....
What some people don't realize is that a pastor isn't a "sanctified sheep," Mr. Pagano said, but a shepherd, the protector of the flock. That includes the physical safety of the parishioners within the church building.
"People have this idea that Christians have to turn the other cheek," Mr. Pagano said. "That's true, but I don't think there's anything in the Old or New Testament that requires them to roll over and die if someone attacks them or their family."
Right out of the gate I think he may be a bit off target (get it, off target! Ha!) regarding the purpose of a pastor. I don't recall "Being a good shot" as a quality we should seek in an elder and I am pretty sure that "protecting the flock" applies to false teachers.
What do you think? Should we put on the whole armor of God, grab the sword of the Lord and lock and load before we gather with God's people?
3 comments:
Not saying its wrong to defend oneself, but I can't even begin to square his views with scripture. Perhaps when the author of Hebrews said, "You have not yet suffered to the point of shedding blood" he REALLY meant to add "But when you do be sure to fill those scumbags full of lead!"
Must be a nuance in the Greek.
Can't this guy walk and chew gum at the same time?
I guess not.
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