We are one in the spirit, we are one with the gun....

Say your prayers, pilgrim....

When I was a pastor in Illinois, I was asked at one point to ban a church member from entry into the church building, because the person asking felt there was good reason to keep the member away from another member, and pretty much everybody else.

In essence, I was asked to act as bouncer.  I have no doubt my refusal to do so was one reason that person wanted me out of the church shortly thereafter.

So believe me when I tell you this is a very, very, very bad idea:*

The Mississippi Senate on Tuesday passed  “Mississippi Church Protection Act, opening the door to houses of worship forming militias there.

The Act would, in part, “provide that killing a person while acting as a participant of a church or place of worship security team is justifiable homicide.” Such church security teams would authorize “designated members … to carry firearms for the protection of the congregation of such church or place of worship.”

Had this been available in Illinois at the time, I have no doubt there would have been some clamor to create a "church security team" for the purpose of excluding individuals from the building, and it would have gotten ugly really fast.

Not to mention what it does to the Christian ideals of hospitality.

*And no, it's not a first of April joke.