The Christian Security Network is dedicated to helping Christian organizations in the United States become safer and more secure.

I know some of the people that receive our newsletter and visit our website are from Canada, the U.K., and other parts of the world, but really, these folks are small percentage.

It is not that we do not care about the Christian organizations in any other country, it is just that there are over 300,000 churches in the U.S. alone and with over 75% not having security or emergency plans in place, we feel that it is a big enough job to concentrate on just the United States.

That said, we do get asked from time to time why our newsletter, our seminars, and other material address things that are happening in other parts of the world and the topic of terrorism.

And I can understand why this is asked.

When you look at, say our newsletter, we are putting things like crimes that happen in Christian churches and ministries in the U.S., we are identifying resources and giving information to make the U.S. Christian organizations safer and more secure and then all of a sudden there is information about terrorists or State Department alerts - some people ask "What's the connection?"

Well, first and foremost, we live in a world where whatever is happening in another country will eventually have an impact on ours, directly or indirectly.

This is why we support the Christian church's efforts to bring aid to impoverished and hard-hit parts of the world.

It is the Christian thing to do, it does lead many of these people to the Lord, and, maybe not so apparent, the better we make other parts of the world, the less likely they are to fall in line with groups that hate the U.S. ideologically.

Somalia is a great example; this area of the country has become one of the great recruitment and training areas for terrorists. They either kidnap young males and force them to become part of their terrorist group or the people, mostly young men, join voluntarily just to be fed and make money for their families just so they may eat. Most of them really don't understand why they are doing what they are doing; it is just a means to an end.

Somalia may seem like a long way away from the U.S., but now, in recent incidents, we are seeing direct impacts of terrorists that are coming from there to attack the U.S.

So it is important for all of us to keep on top of news about what is happening in other parts of the world and support efforts to assist where we can.

The second reason we report on different parts of the world is because Christian groups are all over the world helping people in really, really bad areas. They do so because they are called by the Lord to serve in places like Africa, the Middle East, Asia, etc. These places that are so unstable and dangerous, especially for Christians.

So we try to keep up on alerts and information from sources like the U.S. State Department because there are Christians that are either going to different parts of the world to serve or know someone in different parts of the world serving.

Like we have always said: being informed is the first step in being prepared.

So, when we print a State Department Alerts about something going on in Mali or Estonia, you may say "So what?" or "Where is Mali and Estonia?"  But if you had a mission group there or friends serving there or even supporting a child through a Christian organization like Compassion International there, you probably should know what is going on in that area of the country.

Lastly, the reason we focus in on terrorism so much is because we strongly feel, that based on trends and intelligence, there will be more attacks on the United States, and I believe eventually the targets will include Christian churches or ministries.

The primary purpose of "terrorism" is to create "terror", which by definition is to cause a state of intense fear, to cause anxiety, to intimidate through destructive acts and coercion. In a war there is an "end game" where peaceful ties will be reestablished and the country we are at war with may re-build, grow, and thrive; we have seen this throughout history. Even when the U.S. bombed Japan during WWII, we were careful not to destroy Japan's cultural centers, so when the war ended, their way of life and history was preserved.

But in terrorism, there is no "end game", there is no resolution, there is no peaceful ending. The end game to a terrorist is to completely destroy the culture of who they are targeting, as if they never existed.

It has begun to happen in the United States, but what about when it comes to the church?

How confident will people be to bring their kids or loved ones to a place they don't feel secure?

What will happen to our culture when people stop attending church out of fear? You can say, " We will never be afraid to attend church", but wait until the first church is targeted by a terrorist act; fear never known will become a reality.

As we have stated in the past, churches today are not ready to stop a drug-addicted burglar; how will they handle it when they are faced with possible acts of terrorism?

What happens in other parts of the world matters and needs to be watched closely.

In Christ,
Jeff Hawkins
Executive Director

Comments from last week's article:

"Your comments on security everywhere but church really hit home. My biggest frustration (leading a security team at our church) was the resistance to putting more security measures in place for the children. Even though we had some protective measures, the leadership felt that stronger controls would impede the "friendliness" and "welcoming" environment for parents and others. My suggestions to communicate (with parents) on what and why security measures were in place, met with resistance. Your comments have re-enforced my conviction to educate churches on this important issue." R.G.

"Thank you for covering this subject. This has been one of my concerns for a long time. Parents have a "false sense" of security when at church and some if not most in some cases just let their children "run wild" T.S.

"Great article.  So true.  You’ve probably figured out the thing that strikes the closest nerve for me is the “evil within”.  Outsiders we notice.  Those who have been among us we tend to defend against our own instincts. While I’m at VBS I have a very strong sense that security is tight.  Not restrictive, but ‘snug’.  It ‘feels’ safe.  I appreciate that on behalf of all the moms and dads who trust us with their children.  Doing registration, I encountered more than one mom who was dropping her kids off at something like this for the first time.  One mom in particular was very nervous.  I explained how closely her children would be watched, no potty breaks without a leader, etc., and she was relieved…but still nervous.  She said, “I’ve just never brought them here before, and I’m nervous, I’m sorry.”  After I told her not to apologize for being concerned about her kids’ safety I said, “Do you see these yellow shirts?  These men are here to make sure nothing happens to your sons.” Her face broke into a relieved smile, she was fine.  She squeezed my arm and thanked me again." M.H.