(RNS) A Kentucky minister is giving new meaning to the phrase “praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.”
Pastor Kenneth Pagano of New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky., set off a firestorm of criticism after asking parishioners to bring unloaded firearms to church.
“I have a lot of people saying you are a backwoods, redneck hick, but I’m from New Jersey,” said Pagano, who is part of the Assemblies of God denomination.
“I have my bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees and I’ve been in Kentucky for over 30 years,” he said. “I’m not just someone who fell off the pumpkin truck, so to speak.”
Pagano’s Pentecostal church will host the event, dubbed an “Open Carry Celebration,” on June 27 to celebrate the Fourth of July and the First and Second Amendments; the latter upholds the right to bear arms.
With handguns secured in holsters, attendees can expect picnic food, patriotic music and a gun safety presentation. “All that is asked is that you bring a sidearm, a friend who has a sidearm and a canned good for the local food bank,” reads the church’s online flyer.
For $1, guests can also enter a raffle to win a handgun.
Pagano, a certified concealed weapons instructor and former Marine, promises tight security to ensure safety. He envisioned the outreach event as a way to “touch our community and attract people who don’t normally attend church.”
“I wanted to think outside the box, but I think I may have a new sermon title that says `How to get back in the box,”‘ said Pagano, who has been surprised by the national media coverage.
Critics have lifted up Christian messages of peace and non-violence, as well as raising safety concerns.
“To have a pastor encouraging people to bring guns to church really contradicts at least the way I learned the Bible,” said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “Most religions tell us to put down the sword, to put down the gun.”
Though planned months ago, the event’s publicity also comes on the heels of the shooting death of abortion doctor George Tiller in his Kansas church, which Helmke says highlights another reason “you don’t want guns in churches.”
