Arsonist Torches Two Historic Churches in Arizona Town Because of "Negative View of Church Leadership"

 Arson Suspect in Church Fires had Negative View of Church Leadership

Two historic churches in the small town of Douglas, Arizona were set on fire and burned May 22,2023 as the ressult of an arsonist setting blazes.  The two churches, First Presbyterian Church and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, sit next to each other on the east side of a block known as "Church Square," that also includes the First Baptist Church and Grace United Methodist Church.  

The suspected arsonist has been identified as Eric Duane Ridenour, of Douglas.  According to the Herald Review, the only daily newspaper in Cochise County, where Douglas is located, evidence connecting Ridenour to the fires included clothing with residue from the same kinds of accelerant used to set both fires, photos of Ridenour's vehicle parked next to the churches and security camera footage from a nearby day care center showing him entering both churches just prior to the fires starting.  He was also identified in security footage from the local Wal Mart parking lot.  

According to accounts in the Herald Review, Ridenour and his wife had been recently asked to leave the congregation of Calvary Church in eneighboring Bisbee, because of his views against women serving as pastors.  Neighbors said he was attempting to start his own church on his property because he did not agree with women or gays serving as pastors of churches.  The pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Douglas is a woman, the pastor at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is gay.  A third church on the same square, Grace United Methodist, also has a woman as pastor, but no attempt was made to start a fire in that building.  

The suspect has a prior criminal history of misdemeanors involving disagreements with an ex-girlfriend and the finance of an ex-wife over child custody arrangements.  That, and comments that he had made to neighbors about his views opposing females and gays serving as pastors of churches, along with fears of retribution against the leaders of the two churches that were burned, prompted the government to file a motion against his release, which was granted.  

Ideological Violence is on the Rise, and it's Mostly Coming from the Far Right

We live under the protection of a Constitution that guarantees free speech, freedom of conscience and free expression.  An acceptable way of expressing disagreement with a particular church's choice of pastor, doctrine, theology, worship style or practice, would be to simply not show up there to participate in its ministry.  Unless one is a member of the congregation, frankly, what they do as a church is not any of their business.  It is their right to determine if they would welcome communication from outside their membership about their practices and doctrines.  If they choose not to engage in that discussion, that's their choice.  

The suspect has a right to his beliefs, and to express them as he chooses, though his claim to being Christian should have tempered his behavior and the realization that it is not his place to criticize or condemn another church body of which he is not a member.  He is also commanded, not just merely a suggestion but a clear sign of the presence of genuine spiritual faith, to love his fellow Christians, not judge the sincerity of their faith, and to gently correct them if they are in error, leaving acceptance of that correction up to them, parting company amicably and in a loving manner if agreement is not reached.  Any other approach, not made in love, is inconsistent with the instruction and counsel of Jesus and the Apostles. 

And as apparently happened in this case, when the suspect and his wife were asked to leave the church where they were members, or at least where they were attending, because of their views on women serving as pastors, the suspect determined to start his own church.  He's perfectly within his rights to do that, and welcome everyone else who shares his specific views about the Christian faith and who accepts his personal will as the norm for the church's theology and practice.  I'm sure that he was able to find several other angry bigots to share his perspective who would be happy with his church until they got sideways of something he believed that they didn't like.  It happens in churches all the time. 

The political rhetoric on the far right is at least in part to blame for incidents like this one.  This particular suspect has a history of violence related to other issues, for which he has already been ajudicated, and which should have served as a warning sign, and which explains the anger that motivated his actions.  But while violence against former spouses and girlfriends may be an indicator of a bad temper, burning church buildings for the reasons in this case sounds like someone who thinks they are on a crusade and who has accepted that violence committed outside the law is a way of protesting against unjust laws or unjust practices.  And that's what makes this so heinous, so anti-Patriotic, anti-American and anti-Christian.  

Things Like This Don't Happen Here...But on This Side of January 6th, They Do Now

Douglas, a town of 16,500 residents, sits on the US-Mexico border.  There is a border crossing point of entry on the south side of the town, leading into the adjoining town of Agua Prieta, Mexico (Pop. 79,000) and the southern boundary of its city limits is the border with Mexico.  The population of the community is 83% Latino, and that demographic is factored into the membership of both of the churches destroyed by arson. The population has declined since the copper smelter, which was the town's primary source of jobs, closed due to the mine in nearby Bisbee running out of copper.  Most people work in the ranching industry, or in foreign trade around the small manufacturing firms found in similar border communities, in the local schools or at the local junior college campus, in government agencies, particularly the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs services, and about 40% of the population is retired.

Both church buildings had historic designations, though they had newer additions made over the years, and both were virtually completely destroyed.  It was a shocking and tragic loss for the community, and a wake up call to the fact that the potential for violence can happen anywhere.  Because of its demographics and its geography, Douglas is not the typical small town in Cochise County, Arizona, which has become a focal point for issues regarding control of the border.  It is predominantly industrial and predominantly, in fact overwhelmingly, Democratic.  

Neither church has had issues as a result of their ministry leadership.  The Vicar of St Stephen's Episcopal Church is Latino, and grew up in neighboring Bisbee, 20 miles away.  The female co-pastor of First Presbyterian is also a native Arizonan.  Both churches have been vital, and have cooperated together in ministry to the migrants who have come to the area because of the border crossing, seeking asylum in the United States.  One local resident said of the two congregations, "they are the heart of the community."  

In the excessive gerrymandering of Arizona's congressional districts, the 8 precincts in the county which include Douglas, neighboring Bisbee, and all of the territory along the border, sit in District 7, the brown at the bottom of the map which stretches to include Douglas at its far eastern end, 385 miles from San Luis, another border town in far western Arizona, and includes all of the border crossings and communities in the state.  The rest of the county is in District 6, once represented by Gabby Giffords, but drawn in 2020 to eliminate the heavily Democratic parts of Cochise and Pima counties from the district, which had a very slight, less than 1% Republican majority.  

When people think they only have to obey laws they agree with, when they believe they are on some kind of crusade in which God is holding their coat and cheering them on, when they believe that certain politicians will move heaven and earth to prevent them from suffering consequences for committing crimes that are politically motivated, churches are set on fire, people are shot in groups with automatic weapons and the truth is distorted and twisted to the point where it is unrecognizeable.  The truth about right wing extremism, intruding into the church and hijacking its members, is sitting in the heart of Douglas, Arizona, in its Church Square, in the burned out ruins of two historic churches.  

The arsonist who is suspected of the crime, caught with overwhelming evidence that it was him, is being held in jail until his trial, because of the fear of his carrying out additional threats against the congregation members and especially against the clergy who were targeted.  This was done because there was evidence that he has no respect for the law, due to prior acts of violence.  

There are others in that same mindset and category, who have no respect for the law, but who remain out of jail awaiting trial, campaigning for President and still inciting violence with their words and social media posts.