This day in age, churches are all about the giveaways. You have to get people in the doors somehow, and many churches are convinced giveaways are the way to do it. But what to give away, exactly? What are people into? Books? Get real. iPads? Dream bigger. Flat screens? Getting warmer. If you’re Ignite Church in Joplin, Missouri (which The Kansas City Star describes as playing “loud rock music, its color scheme is reminiscent of a video game system, and its pastor has tattoos and a short mohawk.” They also note the church has raised eyebrows in the past for commissioning provocative billboards urging married couples to have more sex.) you’re giving away AR-15 rifles for Father’s Day. Actually, you’re raffling them. Every dad who attended service got a ticket, and received a bonus ticket for each of their children who attended with them.
Unsurprisingly, it’s a move that ruffled some feathers, with another Kansas City pastor named Steve Urie calling the move “careless and reckless.” But Ignite lead pastor Heath Mooneyham can take the heat. “It’s easy to not like us. It’s not hard,” Mooneyham said. “You don’t need to go out and find ammunition, we’ll just hand it to you – we give away guns and talk about sex” …
