Crazy Friday - AK-47 in one hand and a Bible in the other

One of RPS's consultants is working in Kenya this week, so we bring to you a story for Crazy Friday from Nairobi.

For 12 years, the machine gun preacher was on the battle field rescuing children whose lives were disrupted by the activities of the Lord’s Resistance Army( LRA).

Rev Sam Childers was and is an American who has lead armed rescue missions to save children caught in the LRA conflict. The former drug dealing bikers’ sensational foray into South Sudan and Northern Uganda was subject of a movie titled the Machine Gun Preacher. This is the story of a bad guy, who found Jesus, had a vision and came to Africa to make a difference. It is Hollywood after all.

The idea of preachers and pastors clinging to guns and religion was conversation that was in the past mostly limited to the American way of life.

Times have changed though and a pistol packing pastor, with a gun in one hand and a bible in the other is a notion that is now being entertained in some pockets of Kenya.

Only recently, a group of pastors in Mombasa appealed to the government to arm them with AK47s for their own protection, following the violent death of two pastors shot in cold blood. The machine gun preacher man jumped to mind especially after a TV station snapped up the opportunity to pose a news poll question on whether pastors should be allowed to bear arms.

There was a national outcry of disbelief.

The responses were comical, with most respondents more concerned about having to substantially increase their offerings at gun point. The bottom line is, giving a pastor an AK is bit like going after a mosquito with a hammer!

For decades, religious leaders were generally spared the acts of violence and their institutions were largely considered scared. But ever since thieves started targeting churches for easy spoils that escalated into full blown terrorist acts, religious places have become as vulnerable to criminality as everywhere else.

The underlying storyline is about real religious tension in Kenya degenerating into a cold war of mistrust between Christians and Muslims. On the one hand Muslim leaders blame the government for having a hand in the killing of their leaders under the guise of fighting terrorism whilst on the other there is a growing chorus from Christians who believe they are targets of religious persecution.

So on both sides, everyone wants to trust in God but take their security matters into their own hands.

Adapted from a story by OYUNGA PALA of Standard Digitial

Photo: Standard Digital