After Pittsburgh, Poway and Christchurch and the continuing escalation of religious violence, I have come to an unpleasant conclusion: Stop being passive: if you need a sword, get a sword; if you need a warrior, get a warrior.

If your faith is worth preserving, it’s worth defending. As far as I can tell, that’s pretty much been the case throughout human history.

The First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, was the scene of a horrific shooting. In the aftermath, the church decided against relying on hope and a speedy response from law enforcement. Figuratively speaking, it got a sword.

There is nothing in the scripture that counsels passivity when attacked. The Lord forbade murder, but not killing.

Think of what you might do to a rabid dog that threatened your child. I went through the standard rabies treatment when I was a child. Let’s just say it wasn’t pleasant.

Someone who would invade your church is no different than a rabid dog.

I am sure this offends many sensibilities, but I don’t really care anymore. We won’t always win, as the bombings in Sri Lanka proved, but we sure as hell can quit losing so often.