“Armor of Light” – One Sided Propaganda about Misguided Preacher by Pro-Abortion Producer

This post is part of a larger conversation on the subject of Christians and guns at Patheos around the new documentary, The Armor of Light. For more responses to the film, click here.

The above still is from a new movie called “Armor of Light” about a pro-life pastor Rob Schenck who is now a crusader against the so-called “gun culture” in America.

This post in Raw Story calls out my mom, because Schenck uses her as a great example of how Christians should NOT be:

The documentary, “The Armor of Light,” asks whether it’s possible to be both pro-gun and pro-life, according to the website Addicting Info. The film follows Rob Schenck, “an Evangelical minister trying to find the courage to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America.”

In one scene, Sarah Palin tells a cheering National Rifle Association crowd not to waste ammunition on a warning shot.

In the clip, Palin warns about efforts to “strip away our Second Amendment rights.”

“When pastors, preachers, bible teachers, ignore these questions, it creates a vacuum,” Schenck says in a voice over. “And other voices fill that vacuum.”

At this point Palin goes into a disturbing tirade about shooting first and asking questions later.

“Speaking of which, Joe Biden, remember this, telling women before an assault just to fire a warning shot,” Palin tells the crowd. “Just aim up in the air, that was his directive—Gals, you know that nowadays, ammo is expensive. Don’t waste a bullet on a warning shot.”

The movie is nothing more than liberal propaganda camouflaged as “thoughtful commentary.” The pastor says he caters to the conservatives and Tea Party activists as the camera pans over some photos of the pastor with famous conservatives – including what looks like the Pastor Saeed prayer vigil with Ted Cruz and one of my mom and dad with (apparently) the pastor and perhaps his wife. It looks like it was taken in Alaska. (I asked Mom about it – she doesn’t remember taking that photo and doesn’t remember meeting them.)

You would think — based on the noise around the film — that this film includes some courageous spiritual and moral guidance on guns. Though the pastor says repeatedly that he isn’t trying to have a “political conversation” but a theological one, he never, ever, ever looks to the Bible (which DOES speak to this issue).

Instead, he only looks to politicians and political issues. He says not to get your spiritual counsel from Fox News or the NRA, but from “trusted spiritual authorities.”

What about the Bible as a primary source?

It speaks to the weapon issue, though he conveniently skips the Bible passages that talk about being armed and protecting one’s family. The pastor says he doesn’t want to be labeled as a “liberal,” though he spouts leftist talking points from the first moments of the movie.

The movie goes back and forth between the pastor’s “courageous” and “risk-taking” advocacy against the 2nd amendment and the tragedy that occurred when Michael Dunn shot a black child named Jordan Davis over the volume of music coming from his vehicle. This, of course, is horrible. Our hearts and prayers should go out to the family affected – demolished – by those bullets. (The killer was convicted and is in jail.)

Jordan’s mom Lucy becomes a spokesperson against the Florida “Stand Your Ground” laws, saying that it’s the “will of the Lord” to change that policy. She gets a message from God that people need to see God’s face and repent from the gun culture. “We’ve replaced God with our guns as our protector.”

“Wow. That’s a bold, courageous thing to say,” the pastor says.

“Jesus never advocated violence, ever,” she says.

“I assumed we all thought that way,” he says.

Jordan’s mom isn’t pro-life, but she decides it’s okay to work with someone who’s pro-life like Rob Schenk.

Here’s my question. Since the number of deaths per year by gun users is dwarfed by the number of people killed through abortions, where’s the moment in the movie when he turns to Lucy and challenges HER beliefs that allow babies to get killed? Oh, that’s right — because it’s produce by a pro-abortion activist.

The Pastor keeps asking the most inane question “Can Christians be pro-life and pro-guns?” Maybe he thinks that the swelling emotional music behind the words somehow make them more “important.”

In speaking of the Holocaust, he said, “this is what happens when good people do nothing.”

But how did the “good people” stop those “bad people?” By wearing hipster glasses, making movies, and “having tough dialogues?”

His version of “courage” and “risk-taking” are pretty sheltered.

He must not know the importance of guns to my family, and many other families just like us.

We use those guns to FILL OUR FREEZER. To “live off the land” if you want to call it that. We use those guns to PROTECT ourselves, like many, many other people. Gun’s aren’t used strictly for violence like people want to paint them to be. I carry and I know by carrying its keeping my kids and my household a whole lot safer from creeps like we unfortunately face everyday.

This pastor must have had a pretty sheltered life not needing, or knowing the importance of guns in many American homes.

When a more liberal African American church goer said that God doesn’t call us to be “warriors,” and he says he tends to agree with them more than his conservative Christian counterparts.

It must be nice to sit back in your pew and let others defend you.

But it just sounds cheap and cowardly to me. I think Christians have a DUTY to carry and protect the innocent.

If you want to know what the Bible REALLY says about topics like this, buy my Mom’s new devotional instead of watching this new film:

Sweet Freedom: A Devotional