File this one under: "You just can’t make this stuff up."
An Oklahoma City TV station reports that one of its local Baptist churches was forced to cancel a controversial free giveaway of semi-automatic assault rifles at its Youth Rally this week when one of the event’s organizers – emeritus Pastor Jim Vineyard (an ex-Green Beret himself) – injured his foot and would be unable to attend events which begin today.
The free AR-15 assault rifle giveaway proved to be such a popular event at least year’s Youth Rally that Windsor Hills Baptist Church decided they’d feature it in their promotional material this year. (Well, studies have shown that there’s just nothing like including a free assault rifle giveaway for increasing attendance at your basic Christian Youth Rally.)
You can watch the church's promotional film here showing the shooting competition from last year’s Youth Rally which occurs at about the 7 minute marker. [NOTE: Windsor Hills Baptist Church has been taking things down from their website apparently because of the flak (no pun intended) they’ve taken over giving away assault rifles to teens – so I hope it’s still up.]
They also included "war game" activities at least year’s event, which will also probably have to be canceled this year.
Giving away assault rifles to teens at a Baptist church youth rally?!? One’s mind reels at how wrong this is how so many levels. But unless one hunter has actually been forced to shout to another,
"Watch out there, Billy Bob Joe! Bambi’s packin’ ... and he looks pissed!"
... well, it’s just wrong!
It would seem that if these fine folks at Windsor Hills Baptist are literalists when it comes to scriptures, their Bibles must surely have deleted Isaiah 2:4 (KJV)
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Maybe next year they’ll decide to focus on the Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount ... at least one can hope. (Or who knows – maybe after watching a bit of their film you might think they’ll be giving away Swastika paraphernalia.)
[Note: Windsor Hills does dispute that they spent $800 associated with obtaining the assault rifles, but it does appear in several sources who directly spoke with Bob Ross, their Youth Pastor.]