You may remember that about two weeks ago Rev. Ken Pagan held a “wear your gun to church” event at his New Bethel Church in Valley Station, Kentucky, near Louisville.
My organization, Interfaith Paths to Peace (IPP), in cooperation with 19 other churches, peace groups and individuals, hosted an alternative event at Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church in Louisville on the same day and at the same time. We called our alternative, “Bring Your Peaceful Heart…Leave Your Gun at Home.”
Related to Rev. Pagano’s event, I want to offer him two thank you’s, one with a touch of humor, the other with real seriousness.
First, I plan to present Ken with a thank you gift, because he, more than any other person on the planet, has communicated to millions of people around the world IPP’s name and mission. How did that happen? Just about every time Pastor Ken’s gun event was mentioned in the news media, the story also contained information about our alternative event, and the fact that we found the idea of wearing guns to church very troubling. Stories about the two events appeared in the New York Times, USAToday, the Associated Press, the BBC and so on and so. These stories were read by literally millions of people. So, Pastor Ken, we thank you for helping us gain worldwide fame.
But now, a more serious thank you. I spoke to Ken a few days before his gun event to let him know that we would be hosting the alternative. I told him that we held no ill will toward him or his congregation. Our conversation was very friendly. At one point he asked me when and where our event would be taking place. I told him, and he responded by saying that he would announce our event at the one he was hosting. I must confess that I didn’t believe him.
But during our Peaceful heart event a reporter from one of our local TV stations who had just come from Pastor Ken’s event, interviewed me. As we were preparing to go on camera she told me that Ken had mentioned our event to his congregation at the gun event. She then added that he also told his congregation that if he didn’t have to be at his own event that night he would be at ours. I was deeply moved, and I shared Ken’s words with our picnic-ers. They responded with awe.
I was reminded of Gandhi’s admonition that we must never seek to destroy or vanquish our opponent or enemy. We should engage our opponent with respect and dignity. For whatever reason, Ken did that in dealing with us. And I hope we did that with him
And I am hoping in the days and weeks ahead, Ken and I (and his congregation and my friend), can continue a dialogue about guns and other topics in a spirit of dignity and friendship.
Please visit the new web site for Interfaith Paths to Peace at http://paths2peace.org/
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