After the murder of nine members of Emanuel AME Church last night in Charleston, N.C., Bishop E.W. Jackson said he worries the attack was on Christianity.
“I have to tell you, I am deeply concerned this gunman chose to go to a church because there does seem to be a rising hostility against Christians across this country because of our political views,” Jackson told Fox News.
He said that many people will assume the crime was a racial issue.
“I long for the day when we stop doing that in our country,” Jackson said. “But we don’t know why he went into a church, but he didn’t choose a bar, he didn’t choose a basketball court, he chose a church, and we need to be looking at that very closely.”
Jackson also said he thinks pastors and church members should start preparing themselves in case of an attack saying that he would “absolutely” protect his church members with force if needed.
“I’m a pastor. If someone comes in to hurt my church members, I have an absolute obligation to defend them, to protect them,” he said. “Nine people dead, of course, I think people understand that it’s sad, but this is the world that we live in”
