St. Louis Area Pastor Killed

Why did 27 year old Terry Sedlack go into the First Baptist Church of Maryville, Illinois, pull out a .45 semiautomatic pistol, and shoot the senior pastor Fred Winters to death?

Shortly after 8:00 AM central time (6:00 AM Pacific), Sedlack exchanged words with the 45-year-old Winters before shooting Winters in the heart. Winters died before reaching the hospital. But in the midst of this shooting, there are more questions that remain unanswered. what was his mewntal state? Sedlack's family said that he suffered from lyme disease, which is a treatable disease transmitted by ticks. However, if it's left untreated, it could cause brain imflammation; sleep disturbances, and even short term memory loss.

This, however, doesn't change the fact that he's now charged with two counts first-degree murder and aggravated battery.

A church is supposed to be a a sanctuary from the seemingly cruel world. Many see it as a place where they find the Messiah many call Jesus, and the Deity- called God by many, but with this shooting, and the ones that happened last year in New Life church- formerly pastored by defrocked pastor Ted Haggard- and the shooting at the Unitarian Universal Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, churches may no longer be the shelters from the storms of the world. Of course, scandals involving churches, priests, and pastors may not help things, and one has to wonder if Sedlack felt left out by the church parishioners or even leadership when he may- or may not- have asked for help. None of the church's members say that they recognized Sedlack, but I can't help but wonder if he felt ignored by the church- or Christianity in general.

(C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.