Killers in the Church

I can see the heads swirling around now checking the corners and the hallways.  No, there is no mad monster with a power saw and a Halloween mask stalking the halls leaving beheaded corpses in his wake.

A killer walks but not that kind.  The killer is that personality type that professionals call the psychopath or sociopath.   Some sources indicate as many as 1 in every 25 people is a psychopath.

Simply put, these are people who lack certain elements of their makeup associated with the best of human nature.  They lack sympathy, they are manipulative, they lie, they are self-centered, and their own needs come first.  

The Gospel speaks of being born anew, Romans stresses the need for transformation by allowing Christ to consume the human nature changing it into His own, and Corinthians and the Letters of John warn of what happens when this does not happen.

What happens is there are killers in the church.  There are people who are hard at work slaying the souls, the hope, and the dreams of those in the community of faith.  They stalk like a hungry lion, leaping out when least expected and shredding human hearts.  

They are often invisible, the classic mild next door neighbor who never caused any trouble, until they are captured and charged with a string of horrific murders.  

The weapon for such stalking killers in the church is prayer and an ever deepening spiritual relationship with the God who saves, makes new and brings love.