Data from Barna’s Discipleship in Community study highlights significant generational differences in how Christians feel about following Jesus and how they express and experience their faith.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Spiritual Fitness: How Long Does It Take to Read the Bible? ]
The US Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) has published, First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs: A Case Study on the Link Between Domestic Violence and Mass Attacks.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Criminals and Terrorists Overwhelmingly Select Gun-Free Zones For Mass Attacks in Public Spaces ]
The 40-page report examines the background and behavioral history of the gunman who killed 26 people, including his wife’s grandmother, and wounded an additional 22 others in the attack at the church in Texas on November 5, 2017.
[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Shooting Analysis Reports ]
The attacker had a long history of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual violence perpetrated against friends, family members, and others.
In today’s world brimming with conflict, it’s not unusual to personally experience stress, grief, panic, even trauma.
The ministry Spiritual First Aid™ offers the free downloadable PDF resource, 14 Self-Aid Fact Sheets, which provide a quick reference overview of the following common everyday mental health challenges:
A three-year study by Concilium Inc. concludes that criminal attacks during church services and in church buildings, not motivated by robbery or theft, are usually foreshadowed by warning signs—erratic behavior, severe mental health symptoms (hallucinations, paranoia, delusions, depression, and suicidal thoughts), a major life stressor, communicated threats, or the harboring of a grievance against a church or member—which are visible to people the assailant knows.
[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of DE-ESCALATION ]
When these observable warning signs are reported, law enforcement and the potential assailant’s family members, friends, and peripheral contacts stand a good chance of preventing violence.