Prosecutor warns Okla. clergy after pastor killing - Yahoo! News
August 28, 2009
ANADARKO, Okla. â Authorities warned pastors in a town where a preacher was brutally killed inside her own church that they should take precautions at their buildings, even as police refused to say exactly what happened.
We really don't know what happened or why, but our hearts go out to the family and the church.
All reports are that this was a dear and dedicated pastor who loved her people. It is a real tragedy.
Was she singled out because of who she was? The police seem to believe other local pastors need to take precautions. Perhaps that is always a good idea within reason.
Can we be smart without being timid? Can we be bold without being stupid?
We cannot and should not avoid danger. Danger can never rob us of that which is of ultimate value. Romans 8:35 says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?"
We would not be like those the psalmist described in Psalm 107:26, "...in their peril their courage melted away."
This was a horrible thing that happened.
It is OK to lock our doors, but we must never shut down and we must not, ever, abandon our urban settings.