Following the shooting in Charleston, S.C., that took the lives of nine church members, the issue of gun control has again come to light with some advocates believing more guns are needed, and some others believing the opposite: that having weapons in church for protection would tarnish God’s sanctuary.
Local pastors are reflecting on the shootings, and in some cases, they are taking steps to protect their congregations in the future. At the very least, a serious discussion is being had, and opinions on the subject of being armed in church vary.
The Rev. Greg Partman, pastor of the Community of Believers Cultural Fellowship in McComb, said he took precautions at his church after a 2006 church shooting in Baton Rouge took the lives of four people.
“After that incident, we made the decision to bring in two guys who were trained and licensed. No one in the church knew about it, but I felt like we had to put some measures in place. We positioned them in certain places where they could have a good vantage point over us,” he said.
Partman said over the years, that practice ended. But due to the Charleston shootings he has begun to reconsider.
Another factor raised the need in his mind.
“One of our members called me after the shootings and asked me, ‘Can you protect me and my family while we are in worship?’ ”
On allowing guns into church, Partman said, “We say it’s a shame, but it’s a protective measure. We don’t want everyone in the church to carry a gun. We don’t want our church to be the OK Corral, but we need some measures in place. Especially on Wednesday nights when the attack happened in Charleston,” he said.
Partman reasons the church is no more immune to violence than other institutions.
He said security is a conversation the church community needs to have.
“All of us need to reassess. Schools, the hospitals, all organizations and agencies take measures ensuring their security. At church, we trust in God and we believe God, and we also believe that He would allow us to use the tools he gave us to protect ourselves and others,” Partman said.
In Mississippi and much of the South, carrying a gun is a common thing, J.J. White Memorial Presbyterian Church Pastor Bob Phelps notes. It’s looked upon in a different way than much of the rest of the country. With concealed carry and enhanced carry, Phelps said, it’s impossible to know if worshippers are carrying or not.
“It’s a cultural thing down here, so I’m sure during our service, some of the congregation is carrying. I may have 15 packing on any given Sunday,” he said.
Although opposed to the idea of guns being in the worship hall, Phelps doesn’t take a hard line on the issue or demand that worshippers disarm.
“Part of the idea, as Presbyterians, is to help those with different viewpoints to come together. Honestly, I don’t like the idea of having guns in church. I mean I would hope it’d be unnecessary, or the last place you would bring a gun, but unfortunately, while many come to worship to get away from the reality of the world, sometimes that reality comes in with them,” he said.
Ray Reynolds has a unique insight into the situation. As police chief of Magnolia, he is tasked with protecting his citizens. But he has also been the pastor at Greater Saint Stevens Apostolic Temple in Magnolia for 20 years.
On carrying handguns into church, Reynolds is firm.
“Absolutely not. I’ve always felt a place of worship is a sacred place. I think it’s important not to have a knee-jerk reaction from what happened in Charleston. Thankfully, we’ve never had to deal with a situation of that sort. We pray to God it doesn’t happen, but I don’t support having guns in church,” he said.
Each of the pastors suggested deep-seated societal issues contribute to tragedies like that in Charleston.
“It’s the culture in which we live. We’ve become a polarized community,” Phelps said. “In many ways, we think the only way for me to be right is for you to be wrong. I would hope that despite that, it doesn’t come down to shooting each other.”
Partman said, “This is the depth of our society’s thinking and is just another example of how far society will sink to evil and the depth of our thinking and world view of the church. We say it’s a shame that we would need protection in our sanctuaries, but it’s necessary.”
Reynolds said, “A larger conversation about where we are as a society needs to take place. There are a host of issues outside the gun issue. What is it about society that leads to these actions? Economic inequality, hatred and prejudice. What are the root causes? We need to address those. And that’s the job of the church.”
