ONLINE FIRST
published on March 12, 2020
Brad Stoddard
https://doi.org/10.5840/jrv202031171
God¡¯s Favorite Gun
The Sanctuary Church and the (re)Militarization of American Christianity
This article analyzes the Sanctuary Church in Pennsylvania, pastored by Reverend Hyung Jin ¡°Sean¡± Moon, son of the late Reverend Sun Myung Moon. It specifically addresses the church¡¯s history and the theology that motivated ¡°Pastor Sean,¡± as he is commonly called, to host a marriage blessing ceremony where attendees brought crowns and AR-15 rifles to church. It argues that this ceremony, and Moon¡¯s theology itself, are extensions of the unique political, cultural, and legal battles increasingly common in the United States. It also explores the church¡¯s critics who used the blessing ceremony as an opportunity to ¡°save¡± the categories of Christianity and religion from being tainted by Moon¡¯s martial theology.