By David Wright
The New Bethel Church (affiliated with the Assemblies of God) meets on Valley Station Road in Louisville. At 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 27, the group hosted an Open Carry Celebration. Ken Pagano, the preacher, invited members and visitors to pack their pistols and come to a special service honoring the first two Amendments to the Constitution (i.e., freedom of religion, speech, press, and assembly; and the right to bear arms). About 200 people attended.
The New Bethel Church Website clarified that this was not to be a worship service. Pagano simply wanted to promote responsible gun ownership and firearm safety. However, this stated purpose was lost in the media shuffle. No doubt, reporters will use the story to heighten fears about the “threat” posed by the “religious right.”
When first-century preachers found opportunities to speak, they always preached Jesus. In his Pentecost sermon Peter said that “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36). Beginning with a passage of scripture from Isaiah, Philip told the Ethiopian eunuch “the good news of Jesus” (Acts 8:35). In the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia, Paul said that “through this man [Jesus] forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him every one that believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39). And to the Corinthians Paul wrote that he had decided “to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).
Losing sight of the cross is always a mistake. The Gospel is not about resisting gun-control, opposing dictatorship in Iran, demanding a cure for AIDS, or seeking more government assistance for the poor. Deep compassion for distressed people is certainly a byproduct of discipleship, but the Gospel is not about guns, tyranny, STD's, or welfare. God's great news for men and women everywhere is that Jesus, his beloved Son, left the splendor of heaven to walk in our shoes, die in our place, and rise for our redemption and hope.
