It has been a busy week for violence in and against church & religious groups. I have to keep reminding myself of the awful tragedies represented by these incidents because, as numbers grow, it's easy to forget the personal side of the events.
Nevertheless, at the risk of sounding too clinical, there are lessons to be learned from these events.
On the east coast, the vestibule of St. Thomas Syrian Orthodox Knanaya was the scene of violence and murder. An estranged husband entered the church building, shot and killed his wife and critically wounded two others. He shot all three in the head. (MYFOX News)
This was a domestic incident, and as you should know, domestic disputes result in more police deaths than any other type of case. KGMB9 reports
Police say the woman who died had recently moved from California to escape an abusive marriage and had filed a restraining order against her husband.
Restraining orders do not prevent violence, and in many cases,they provoke it. See The Gift of Fear for a fuller explanation.
If you are your church's sheepdog, you don't need to be a busybody, but it would be good to make yourself aware of domestic issues in your congregation that could erupt into violence. They present a real danger and could prove deadly.
On the west coast, there were two incidents this past week. One was a shooting at an event sponsored by Seattle's Valley Bible Church as an article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reveals.
In this case, the church group was not the target. An unfriendly exchange between men outside a convenience store was carried into the community center where the church young-adult function was taking place.
As the incident escalated, one of the men drew a handgun and fired. It is not clear from the sources I read whether the young man who died from a gunshot wound to the chest was one of the participants in the incident or just a bystander.
In an instance like this, the orcs are not specifically targeting churches or Christians. Their violence just spills over into the church and its activities. They do not fear God, so there is no respect of the church as a holy sanctuary.
The lesson here is simple: alertness.
The final instance is as strange and quirky as it is sad and violent. According to a report from the LA Times online, a security guard at the Scientology Celebrity Center shot and killed a man with former ties to the California-based cult.
An eyewitness described a bald man with tattoos who,
. . . stopped [the red convertible] abruptly in the driveway and climbed out with a 5-foot sword in his hand and an angry expression on his face. He walked toward the building, before returning to the car to get the other sword.
He entered the building and, brandishing the two samurai-style swords, approached security officers. One of them shot and killed him, and police say surveillance videos reveal that the officer plainly acted in self-defense.
I guess the lesson here is that anything can happen (especially in California).
Let this be a reminder to stay prepared in 5 major areas:
1) Mindset,
2) Skills,
3) Mindset,
4) Tactics and
5) Mindset.
Nevertheless, at the risk of sounding too clinical, there are lessons to be learned from these events.
On the east coast, the vestibule of St. Thomas Syrian Orthodox Knanaya was the scene of violence and murder. An estranged husband entered the church building, shot and killed his wife and critically wounded two others. He shot all three in the head. (MYFOX News)
This was a domestic incident, and as you should know, domestic disputes result in more police deaths than any other type of case. KGMB9 reports
Police say the woman who died had recently moved from California to escape an abusive marriage and had filed a restraining order against her husband.
Restraining orders do not prevent violence, and in many cases,they provoke it. See The Gift of Fear for a fuller explanation.
If you are your church's sheepdog, you don't need to be a busybody, but it would be good to make yourself aware of domestic issues in your congregation that could erupt into violence. They present a real danger and could prove deadly.
On the west coast, there were two incidents this past week. One was a shooting at an event sponsored by Seattle's Valley Bible Church as an article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reveals.
In this case, the church group was not the target. An unfriendly exchange between men outside a convenience store was carried into the community center where the church young-adult function was taking place.
As the incident escalated, one of the men drew a handgun and fired. It is not clear from the sources I read whether the young man who died from a gunshot wound to the chest was one of the participants in the incident or just a bystander.
In an instance like this, the orcs are not specifically targeting churches or Christians. Their violence just spills over into the church and its activities. They do not fear God, so there is no respect of the church as a holy sanctuary.
The lesson here is simple: alertness.
The final instance is as strange and quirky as it is sad and violent. According to a report from the LA Times online, a security guard at the Scientology Celebrity Center shot and killed a man with former ties to the California-based cult.
An eyewitness described a bald man with tattoos who,
. . . stopped [the red convertible] abruptly in the driveway and climbed out with a 5-foot sword in his hand and an angry expression on his face. He walked toward the building, before returning to the car to get the other sword.
He entered the building and, brandishing the two samurai-style swords, approached security officers. One of them shot and killed him, and police say surveillance videos reveal that the officer plainly acted in self-defense.
I guess the lesson here is that anything can happen (especially in California).
Let this be a reminder to stay prepared in 5 major areas:
1) Mindset,
2) Skills,
3) Mindset,
4) Tactics and
5) Mindset.
1 comment:
I hadn't heard...thanks for posting. Oh, I'll be the first to admit, this state is nuts....
Spencer
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