Clearing a room also must be done in “one fluid movement,” the pastor said, discussing the importance of Christian unity. Many people are “afraid to get engaged in the manifestation of the kingdom of God,” Thornton added. “They’re looking for a spiritual daycare rather than looking for basic training and advanced training when it comes to the Spirit.”
The church must wake up and “have each other’s back,” Thornton said, just as soldiers in military operations do. “God is awakening a generation who’s going to know what it means to walk by faith,” he said. “I happen to be a man and I like man stuff, so if this offends you…It’s impossible to offend a dead man. If you’re dead to yourself and alive under Christ, there’s no action that’ll happen on planet Earth that you will take an offense at.”
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All followers of Jesus “take shots” for him, said Thornton, referring to “a spiritual bullet.” He told worshipers, “Anybody in this room that has not, I dare say you’ve never attempted to use your faith to accomplish anything.”
Critics Decry Lack of Gun Safety
In a statement, Legacy Faith Church noted that Pastor Philip Thornton “makes it abundantly clear” from the beginning that “the rifle was a PROP and for illustration purposes only. The firearm was disabled (firing pin removed), cleared, and publicly shown to be ammo free.”
The church also referenced specific Scripture passages Thornton was illustrating. “This message has garnered great attention,” it stated, “and for that we are grateful.”
Thornton’s sermon prop yielded strong reactions—including from gun-rights advocates. One person wrote:
As a supporter of the Second Amendment and responsible firearm ownership, I found [this] deeply disturbing. Our right to bear arms depends on demonstrating that we can exercise it responsibly. Pointing a rifle (loaded or not!) at a congregation violates every basic rule of gun safety and undermines the very freedoms we claim to defend.
Another person wrote:
If and when a speaker or pastor ever [waves] a gun around in front of you, get out of there! That is a sign of insanity. Gun safety rule number one is that you never point a weapon at another person. Doesn’t matter if it’s loaded or not…This was not a sermon. This was an open display of a threat! I hope the members of this church reported this to the proper authorities. This is dangerous, irresponsible behavior. That guy should never be allowed to purchase a firearm again!
Someone else offered to take a collection to send the pastor to a weapons-safety class, saying, “If you have to continually repeat that your hand is off the trigger and it isn’t loaded, you are not practicing gun safety.”
In Thornton’s state of Pennsylvania last year, a man attempted to shoot a pastor during a livestreamed sermon. The gun misfired, and a deacon tackled the gunman.
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ChurchLeaders reached out to Thornton for additional comment and will update this article with any reply.
