Gunman Hated Liberals, Gays

Submitted by Alex Carpenter on August 1, 2008 - 5:27am.

Just so we're clear on how dangerous it still is for churches to welcome LGBT believers. . .

The shotgun-wielding suspect in Sunday’s mass shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church was motivated by a hatred of “the liberal movement,” and he planned to shoot until police shot him, Knoxville Police Chief Sterling P. Owen IV said this morning.

Jim D. Adkisson, 58, of Powell wrote a four-page letter in which he stated his “hatred of the liberal movement,” Owen said. “Liberals in general, as well as gays.”

Adkisson said he also was frustrated about not being able to obtain a job, Owen said.
The letter, recovered from Adkisson’s black 2004 Ford Escape, which was parked in the church’s parking lot at 2931 Kingston Pike, indicates he had been planning the shooting for about a week.

“He fully expected to be killed by the responding police,” the police chief said.

Owen said Adkisson specifically targeted the church for its beliefs, rather than a particular member of the congregation.

“It appears that church had received some publicity regarding its liberal stance,” the chief said. The church has a “gays welcome” sign and regularly runs announcements in the News Sentinel about meetings of the Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays meetings at the church.

The church’s Web site states that it has worked for “desegregation, racial harmony, fair wages, women’s rights and gay rights” since the 1950s. Current ministries involve emergency aid for the needy, school tutoring and support for the homeless, as well as a cafe that provides a gathering place for gay and lesbian high-schoolers.

Apparently, we have someone bitter over economic troubles, clinging to power through their gun and their conservative religious views toward LGBT Americans. . .

Of course this doesn't apply to most, but there is something that lurks behind the sinner rhetoric that leaks out in sometimes dangerous ways.

One of the reasons that I write about this tragic story and invite discussion of equal rights on this blog is because this mix of fear-wrapped ideology and sexual insecurity shows up in our communities beyond our control.

Calling someone a sinner masks Biblical ignorance and fears about boundaries and security. In thinking about our moral duty as Bible-believers, it's truly vital to realize where our texts point.

Here's video of the foster child of the UU man who stepped between the shooter and the congregation.

» Alex Carpenter's blog

Strengthening the progressive Christian network for justice, compassion, & peace