First Baptist Church of Maryville, Illinois Tragedy

It absolutely broke my heart to read about the tragedy that struck Maryville, Illinois' First Baptist Church on Sunday morning. Accounts say that a gunman walked in and while details are sketchy, he did approach the front of the church, had some words with the pastor and then shot him, killing him. His handgun then jammed at which point he produced a knife and somehow stabbed himself before being tackled by two parishioners who also got stabbed.

I don't know Pastor Fred Winters, but his family is in my prayers for the forseeable future. I cannot imagine what they must be going through right now - he had two adolescent or teenage daughters. Been married for 22 years, and has pastored that church just as long. Such senseless violence, in a church of all places - a place that is supposed to be a shelter or refuge for both saved and unsaved alike. Thankfully, Pastor Winters knew the Lord.

I can't say where the gunman's head was at when he perpetrated this awful crime, but I will be praying for him as well, for his salvation, as hard as that may be for me and I'm sure, others, to do.

I read about this account once I got home from a new church that I started attending (in the past two weeks). This church is a rather large church, much like the Maryville congregation. It is situated in a fairly remote location. And I was sitting there thinking, in the past couple of years, there have been several reported church shootings. It's sad when people may feel apprehensive about going to church in the upcoming weeks. I remember after the Colorado and Tennessee church shootings, I went to my next church service wondering what my own plan would be should a gunman burst onto the scene during a service. But these shootings are so rare, but when it happens, people take notice.

And unfortunately, people tend to look at the whole gun control debate as a result. Lots of website comments have indicated that concealed carry laws or the ability to exercise the same, may have averted this tragedy. I'm not so sure of this - after all, the accused shot the pastor pretty quickly, by all accounts - even if someone in the congregation was armed, would they have been close enough to the perpetrator and pastor in order to safely fire a shot to stop the gunman? I'm not so sure. Maybe it would have subdued him after he took the shot and saved the two heroes from getting wounded in tackling him. But I think Pastor Winters would have been shot regardless.

I'm pro-firearms ownership, but I am on the fence when it comes to concealed carry. On some days, I'm a staunch supporter of it. On other days, I have to think long and hard. I am a firm believer that those who wish to perpetrate public shootings tend to pick the "gun free" zones like churches and schools. Illinois have fairly strict regulations for gun ownership (that is, compared to the rest of the U.S. I know this because the fellow I deal with at my local gun shop is from Chicago). I'm not sure if they are a concealed carry (CC) state or not, but regardless, I am not sure if it will help.

I worry about who gets CC licences, even though I agree with them in principle. Think about this - the gunman today is reported to not have a previous criminal record. In effect, he could have gotten a CCW (Concealed Carry Weapon) if he wanted, if Illinois is a CC state (which again, I'm not sure - I suspect probably not). Think of all the law abiding citizens that cut you off on the road. Have you been upset by that? I have. Have I wanted to crash my car into them to teach them a lesson? Sometimes. Have I uttered obscenities towards them? It's to my shame that I mention that once or twice, the answer is yes. Now, my wife will tell you, I'm a pretty genteel person overall. But just as with even the most calm people, something...eventually...can set them off. I am just not sure whether giving everyone a CC is the right thing to do - overall, I do know that more guns do equal less crime. Deterrence is a strong thing. Had the gunman known that parishoners at First Baptist Church can and are armed - would have have selected that church? I have a hard time believing he would. Again, notice that the public shootings for the past 15 years or so almost always seem to be in a place that is considered gun-free (schools, malls, churches, restaurants). You almost never see these tragedies happening at gun clubs or target shooting places, even though there is a high concentration of guns there.

Now, back to churches. I'm not sure what the answer is here. Perhaps armed guards are an answer, but has it gotten so bad that we have to resort to this? Maybe so - the Bible tells us that the depravity of man gets worse and worse over time. People should be able to go to a church or a school without fear of violence inflicted upon them. But it is becoming clear that such a notion may be idealistic at best. People can't just wish away violence. Unfortunately, it's everywhere.

A good starting place is prayer, and not just for victims, but perpetrators as well. People need the Lord more than ever, and there hasn't been as fertile of a ground for evangelism than ever before. Perhaps if more people knew the Lord, less of these things would happen. Even then, I realize that I too am projecting an idealism that may not mirror reality. But God is more powerful than the laws that we enact or not enact, and is more than powerful enough to change the hearts of man.

In the meantime, I'd encourage all my readers to keep First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois, in your prayers, and especially Pastor Winters' family as they mourn and try to make sense of this terrible tragedy. May God's enduring peace and His comfort blanket over them at this time.