Atlanta Shooter’s Church Ties Raise Questions for Pastors

We must know our congregations well enough to respond to the false gospels and distorted teachings infiltrating their spiritual lives.

As Christians all across the country are processing this week’s events involving the acts of Robert Aaron Long, our heads are filled with questions. Along with the media and the rest of Americans, we mourn the victims and wonder about this shooter’s motivation, in hopes that understanding what led him to his confusion and violence could help us prevent others from taking harmful action to themselves and others. With the details reported so far, we’re unpacking possible factors around gun culture, perceptions of Asian Americans, and beliefs about sex.

But as Christians, we have even more questions about the situation. Not long after the shootings and arrest, a video of Robert Aaron Long being baptized in an Atlanta-area church began to make its rounds online. His self-description on Instagram said, “Pizza, guns, drums, music, family, and God. This pretty much sums up my life.”

We in the American church are bound to wonder how a follower of Jesus could do something like this and what the church could have done to better teach, correct, or care for this deeply troubled man.

While we don’t blame the church or Christianity for the actions of one person, there are a few things this tragic event should lead Christians, and particularly Christian leaders, to think through. As a pastor, I see three questions that we may ask about our congregation. Read More