In wake of Texas shooting, Rev. Robert Bakke tells pastors to stop teaching weakness.
By BENJAMIN GLATTArkansas Alive 10/20/15 - Interview with Robert Bakke (YouTube/Victory Television Network)
The only answer to the Texas church shooting is for houses of worship to arm themselves, said a Minnesota preacher who also has a black belt in Shotokan karate.“This is not about gun control, rental trucks or fertilizer bombs. It is about evil, and you will never stop evil because it is in the world,” said Rev. Robert Bakke. “But you can deter a coward by letting him know you have plenty of firepower on the premises.”A pilot and also a race car driver, Bakke said churches can no longer remain soft targets and must arm themselves. He said that Christians’ religious beliefs demand them to overcome evil, instead of running into the shadows and hiding from it.Twenty-six people were killed at First Baptist Church of Sutherland in the Sutherland Springs, Texas, massacre on Sunday.Authorities said that the gunman, Devin Patrick Kelley, was in the middle of a domestic situation with his in-laws. Half of the people killed in the shooting were children.“I’ve never understood why so many pastors teach weakness as being the way of Christianity,” he said. “Our God is almighty and all powerful, and we are made in that all-powerful nature... It is time for the people who target churches to get a taste of that reality.”The author a self-published book called Prayer at Full Throttle, Bakke said that a personal experiences made him realize that advertising a weak point opened up the floodgates to take advantage of it. He recalled the first time he saw a retail store with a sign that read “We do not allow guns on the premises.” Bakke said he entered the store and immediately confronted the store’s manager.“I told the store’s manager to change the sign to one that reads, ‘Rob this store, we’re unable to defend ourselves,’” he said.Bakke said he believes as long as movie theaters, schools, churches and other businesses promote themselves as being “gun-free,” they will attract cowards who are looking to prey on soft targets.“Mass killers are still sane enough to seek unarmed targets,” said Bakke, pointing out that if anyone attempted to disrupt one of his services, they would quickly realize they have made a mistake.“I take my call to overcome evil very seriously,” he said. “Perhaps this horrible tragedy in Texas will fortify our churches, ultimately prompting the church to lead the way to a safer America.”