A pastor at a Baptist church in Kentucky is defending a viral video that shows staff members leading a mock firing squad in front of a group of children. The video, posted on Reddit, shows men in military-style costumes marching down the center aisle at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Lexington and pretending to open fire on a person in a black outfit on the steps to the altar.

Pastor’s Response

Pastor Dewayne Walker addressed the controversy in a Facebook post, saying he was “befuddled” by the outrage. He explained that the video showed an event that was “nothing more than a small part of our vacation Bible school,” and that the church has held similar rituals for over 30 years.

Walker described the “skits” as an attempt to make church “fun” and said that the characters in the skit represent good and evil. He said that the clip showed “killing the Devil” and that the church has been doing this ritual for 32 years. Walker also stated that the commandos for Christ have been part of the vacation Bible school for the last several years.

Criticism

The viral video drew criticism from the Kentucky chapter of Moms Demand Action, an organization focused on preventing gun violence. A volunteer for the group characterized the clip as “unbelievably disturbing” and said that vacation Bible school and churches should be safe spaces for children.

Other critics on Reddit described the skit as “depraved” and said that there was not enough context to make it okay. The controversy has sparked a debate about the appropriateness of the skit and the message it conveys to children.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.