Napsterdad

I just couldn't pass this by any longer.
1st, as mentioned above, raffles are gambling. Last I checked that was only okay for Catholics.
Then there's the quote:
"The church said the flamethrower is a "powerful tool" that can be used for "self-defense, hunting, and other purposes."
Really?
Self-defense? The only place this would be practical would be in your home and the resultant property damage would pretty much take away the practicality.
Hunting? Hunting what? That comment was just plain stupid; which is what this raffle is. 
A church is supposed to be a place that reaches out to the community with the Gospel and feeds those with an ear to hear. Firearms and flamethrowers just don't resonate as an adjunct to Jesus Christ. Given the current spiritual and political environment there are many that just salivate at stories like this to discredit Christianity. 
Stupidity like this does nothing but hinder the Gospel from being received. Just a few more doors slammed in the face of a door-knocker. Sad.
 

I have heard him preach many times. My wife and I almost went to Crown College years ago. What a wonderful servant of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Being in Athens, TN our church has a number of young adults that go to Crown and our pastor was a friend of Pastor Sexton. We have been closely watching and praying over his condition from the beginning. While not unexpected, it still brought a great amount of sadness within our church.
But this is where the blessing of our hope comes in. Pastor Sexton is suffering no more and this year he gets to spend Christmas in the physical presence of Jesus Christ Himself. There is a great deal of comfort to be taken from that thought.

Isaiah 5:20-24 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! 24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Can verse 25+ be far off?

Working in pairs or more, like we do when dealing with two different sexes can be an effective means. Don't allow one on one situations.

Not only that @BrotherTony but if he is the youth pastor, he should be called to that position, not appointed. The office of pastor, whether senior or youth is a calling by God, not an appointment by man.

I don't necessarily agree with your assessment. If someone is hired as the youth minister, if he's capable, doing a great job, and there are no problems, he should be left in place.  I've been in many churches where the youth minister and workers have been in place for many years, and there have been no problems. Those that have been in the youth groups love, cherish, trust, and respect these people. And many churches aren't large enough or have enough people to do this. If they did as you are suggesting, the church would be in a constant state of disarray.

It is likely their tithes went up in smoke. ?‍?️

Actually, according to a NPR poll (not exactly a conservative news outlet) nearly two-thirds of Americans (63%) are opposed to allowing transgender women and girls to compete on teams that align with their gender identity, while 24% overall support that. Of course the preponderance that do support it fall in the Democrat category (46%). Among Republicans only 4% support.
The stat that amazes me is the 7 – 15% of those poled that were “Not familiar with this” issue. What rock are they living under?!
Aside from the socio-political nonsense so prevalent today, I don’t see how any rational person can support this. The Economist came out with an article over two years ago that clearly shows the advantage even teenage boys have over elite women in their respective sports. The article plainly states that even after testosterone suppression treatment the muscle loss incurred is far less than the advantage granted by simply being born a male.

I can promise you, this Christian voter will not be voting for anyone in the party which supports gun control, communism, sodomite marriage, sex changes, recreational drugs, or murdering babies; and we all know which party that is.