An organization in Missouri announced their training event that will teach Christians physical combat and \u201cfighting from your vehicle.\u201d The Missouri Embattled Warriors Event is similar to the military-style practices widespread in the 1990s throughout the US. The organization expressed its goal to \u201chalt and push back the forces of darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a group of Christian men and women that go out and will stand against unrighteousness,\u201d declared Kevin VanStory, head of the Salt and Light Brigade MAKO edition. \u201cThis will be an intensive study about self-defense. What happens if you were driving on I-70 last year when all those riots were taking place in Kansas City and St. Louis? It\u2019s about time that Christians start going on the offense \u2014 at least stop being always on the defense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many skeptics have expressed their concern over the true nature of the event\u2019s motives. For decades, the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights has kept tabs on extremist religious groups. Devin Burghart, executive director of the Institute, shared his apprehension about the Christian organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe group is trying to hide far-right paramilitary training behind a friendly facade,\u201d Burghart spoke of the group. \u201cWhatever the label, the group traffics in racist scaremongering to draw people into paramilitary activity. Whether or not they call it a militia, everyone should be concerned about a far-right paramilitary group like this coming to Missouri.\u201d<\/p>\n
VanStory countered the concerns by stating that the event is casually assembled, not a strict militia format, and nothing to be alarmed about. \u201cWe\u2019ll be out in the country, and actually, most of the training is going to involve airsoft guns,\u201d the Salt and Light Brigade leader explained. \u201cI have no intention of ever using my gun on another human being unless I\u2019m in absolute fear for my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
VanStory has had a very controversial past. In 2020, the group\u2019s leader ran unsuccessfully for the US House in Missouri\u2019s 7th Congressional District. His recent Facebook feed is primarily anti-vaccine posts. For instance, he referred to Dr. Anthony Fauci as a \u201cGodless demon\u201d in a post on his page. VanStory has also facilitated events in Joplin and Carthage this year to protest \u201cforced tyrannical vaccinations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the very first sentences in our Constitution is the right to pursue liberty,\u201d Vanstory expressed. \u201cBut our liberties are getting taken away now at a pace that\u2019s unfathomable. I am not crazy. I\u2019m a God-fearing, USA-loving person. I never, ever in my life expected to be doing the things I\u2019m doing now. We\u2019ve had basically four decades of sissified or feminized pastors that have taken the man out of his rightful position as the leader of his family. I\u2019m not saying I\u2019m a man\u2019s man, you know, I just want to protect my family.\u201d The Salt and Light Brigade is a faction of a larger nonprofit headquartered in Hebron, Ohio.<\/p>\n
The organizer of the Missouri Embattled Warriors has announced the event has been canceled, but the question that remains is, \u201cIs physical combat right or wrong given God\u2019s teachings?\u201d<\/p>\n
Although self-defense is a helpful practice to know for worst-case scenarios, the organization\u2019s motives are questionable. Their strong stances on many controversial issues have a tone of anger, prejudice, and fear that contradict God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n
The Bible tells us, \u201cFinally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.\u201d (1 Peter 3:8-9). God instructs us to respond to conflict with love and not physical violence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Missouri organization’s training event aims to teach Christians \u201chand to hand\u201d combat. Is this right or wrong given God\u2019s teachings?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":642,"featured_media":2730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[170,240,362],"class_list":["post-2712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible","tag-bible","tag-christians","tag-violence"],"yoast_head":"\n