GOSPEL: Unclear Blog Post Consumes Church
ENFIELD, CT—A firestorm of comments erupted on First Baptist Enfield's website this morning quickly escalating into Jim Crow-era intimidation.
The comments started on an informational post announcing a new partnership between FBC Enfield and the River Valley Rescue Mission but quickly turned into hate mail, rocks thrown through windows, and a cross burning when the post didn't make clear what role a Gospel presentation and altar call would play.
Here is a timeline of the events:
6:50am: Local reformer and renowned internet troll, Owen Greig, 54, came to the FBC website to download and review the church's expanded doctrinal statement and read through the partnership announcement.
6:55am: Greig commented, "Will the Gospel be the main course or are we just fattening these people up for slaughter?"
6:57am: Greig commented, "Is this going to be just some kind of social gospel, good works, feeding the homeless baloney or Gospel proclamation?"
6:59am: Greig commented, "I'm all for helping out hurting people, but unless we're addressing the real hurt that's coming on their soul if they die as unregenerate sinners, what's the point?"
6:59am: Greig commented, "Typical, your silence says it all."
7:05am: Greig began posting links to various on-line messages and articles focusing on regeneration, proper Gospel proclamation, and the dangers of emergent theology.
7:15am: Incensed by a lack of response, Greig writes threatening letters to the Senior Pastor, fills them with baking powder, and drives to the post office to mail them to the church.
7:35am: Greig arrives at FBC Enfield and begins throwing rocks through the stained glass windows with the messages, "The Social Gospel is Bad News," "Emergent Warning," and "Faith, not works."
7:45am: Greig drives to home depot to purchase two 2x4s, a box of nails, and can of gasoline.
8:05am: Greig places a burning cross in the front lawn of FBC Enfield and begins cutting his flesh and screaming, "Your false gospel is burning this cross!" and "You may not answer me, but you'll answer to God!"
8:12am: Police and fire arrive at FBC Enfield, take Greig into custody, and douse the flaming cross.
8:30am: Pastor James Watson arrives at FBC to begin his workday and is briefed on the morning's events.
10:15 am: Greig issues the following statement from the Hartford County Jail, "I do not regret my actions. You don't say 'Please' and 'Thank you' to an emergent wolf who's sinking his teeth of false teaching into one of your lambs, you beat him with the shepherd's staff of Truth. If anything, I hope we all learned that the church needs a clear and proper focus on regeneration in everything."
While awaiting trial Greig is excited to see that the jail has a tape library with messages by "some really good Gospel preachers."