The Minneapolis Incident

CHURCHES NEED PRUDENCE,
VIGILANCE & PREPAREDNESS

A recent episode of my radio show, “Free Expression,” featured an interview with Rob Chadwick, former FBI agent and now Director of Training and Education for the U.S. Concealed Carry Association. We spoke about the need for churches — in particular, Catholic parishes — to have plans in place to guard against violent attacks.

Our discussion occurred a few weeks after an attack on an Evangelical church in Wayne, Michigan, during which a security team killed the attacker. That team, all members of the congregation, had just attended a church security seminar conducted by USCCA.

This week’s suicide attack on Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, during which two children were killed and 17 other people wounded, underscores the need for church security even more dramatically. And the shock which this incident has engendered demonstrates a truth about most Christians…

People of faith have trouble imagining that the place where they seek peace and closeness with God could become a target of crazed religious hatred.

It also illustrates the sort of massive tragedy that can unfold when potent chemicals collide with mental anguish.

Robert Westman, the attacker, was a 23-year-old man who “identified” as a woman (he called himself “Robin”). His diary and other writings he left behind clearly indicate a long struggle with sexual conflict — of a type described nowadays as “gender dysphoria.”

He had been undergoing what’s referred to as a “transition from male to female,” a process involving massive infusions of hormones. He had come to regret his decision to do it, but it clearly had its effect on his emotions and self-control.

Why Westman chose to vent his devastating inner conflict by slaughtering Catholic school children attending Mass will probably never be fully understood.

What is clear is that someone’s murderous fury can explode upon the surrounding world at any time. And churches, being grand symbols of ultimate happiness — happiness that eludes the emotionally tormented — are ready targets of anger and personal resentment.

Some people in Minnesota had recognized the possibility that such an attack could happen. After the 2023 shooting at a Nashville, Tennessee Christian academy,  Covenant School (by Audrey Hale, another gender-conflicted individual), the Minnesota Catholic Conference and MINNDEPENDENT, an association of private schools, had written to Governor Tim Walz (running mate of Kamala Harris) to request state assistance in enhancing security.

They noted that, along with threats to Christian schools, private Jewish and Muslim institutions were also vulnerable. This appeal seems to have gone unanswered, which is probably another indication of how hard it can be to make people see the hazards faced by religion-related facilities.

In my interview with Chadwick I observed that Catholics usually don’t seem able to grasp (or don’t want to think about) the possibility that their parish or parish school could be in somebody’s crosshairs. He agreed, commenting that in his USCCA presentations…

“The first thing I tell people is that [improved security] starts with acceptance. Evil does exist, and good people have to take a stand against it ….

“The church is supposed to be where we welcome all people — people who are hurting, people who are broken perhaps. We want those doors to be open.

“But at the same time, it’s naïve and foolish to think that it could never happen at your church, because we see it happening at many houses of worship around the country.”

Chadwick noted that USCCA has tracked some 200 incidents at Catholic facilities alone. And he insisted that while he doesn’t advocate “a show of force,” parishes should present “a show of vigilance, a show of mature consideration.”

USCCA provides resources and training services for all houses of worship. And they offer a free book to help in gauging a church’s risk, identifying security weak spots, and taking the first steps toward organizing to meet potential threats.

Go to the USCCA website to reserve a copy, and check out their comprehensive approach to church security.

It must be acknowledged, of course, that USCCA is an organization whose main focus is firearms. This can make some people uncomfortable.

I understand that believers may be reluctant to view their churches as targets to be hardened. And I surely respect the argument that Christians must put their faith in God, who is our ultimate protection.

But while Jesus told his disciples to be “innocent as doves,” he also advised them to be “wise as serpents.”

What happened in Minneapolis is only the latest in a sad series of incidents that reflect a growing trend of hatred for faith in general and anger at the Catholic Church in particular. There could be no stronger argument for prudence, vigilance and preparedness.

It’s a reality of modern life which believers must be willing to face.

“Peace
be within your walls
and security
within your citadels.”
Psalm 122

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Here’s a link to my interview with Rob Chadwick of USCCA…

https://billkassel.podbean.com/e/free-expression-episode-158/

 

And here’s one to the website of the U.S. Concealed Carry Association…

https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/stories/houses-of-worship/

 

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Old friend Rick Fisher posted this reflection on Facebook…

I also came across a meme that notes the common thread in some recent mass shootings…

This graphic is a little crudely rendered, but the memester makes his point.

Then, of course, there’s this predictable attempt to change the discussion into a rant for gun control……not to mention taking the opportunity to attack religion……along with — naturally — a defense of transgenderism that carries the slightest whiff of a stab at Donald Trump…Ah, well…