He Shot A Man Dead For Insulting Jesus

[<Home] [<News Archives] September 1999

He shot a man dead at point blank range in 1948 for rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the trial of the decade, as many of us remember. Rev. Bubba T. Gatlin is one of the greatest martyrs the Baptist church has ever known. He went to jail for Jesus. He was locked up, shut down, and holed in at Iowa State Maximum Security Penitentiary for 51 years. He was punished for trying to share the gospel of Christ. On September 3rd, pastors and deacons from Landover Baptist Church will ride up to Iowa State Penitentiary and pick up Rev. Bubba T. Gatlin. He'll be waiting outside the gates, dressed in the same clothes he wore nearly 51 years ago. He'll be holding the only items he ever owned, a 1611 Leather-bound King James Bible, a Colt 45 Revolver, and half a pack of stale Luckies.

"This man, is one of the last real men," Pastor Ebeneezer remarks, "He is the last of a dying breed. A fleeting remnant of a time when Christian widebodies struck a tone of Godly fear into heart of every devil loving town across this great nation. He rode a horse, carried a gun in one hand and a Bible in the other. He was not given to strong drink, nor was he easily angered, but boy when he got mad.. well, you know the story."

Bubba's release from prison will be celebrated all across Landover Baptist Campus. Landover Towers will be closed for the day, there will be picnics on the lawn, golfing, sack races, target shooting contests, watermelon rolls, and horse shoes. The celebration will culminate in the dedication of Rev. Bubba's gold coated, bronze bust. It will be added to Landover's Hall of Christian Greats.

Rev. Bubba will preach the Sunday sermon in the Main Sanctuary. It will be an open air event, with closed circuit broadcasts all over the campus. He is expected to speak on how he racked up more prison time than Paul, Peter, and John combined. He will tell us of how he led an entire prison to Christ, led them back into sin, back to Christ, had them backslide for two years, and eventually lead them back to Christ again. It will be a soul stirring event, and a 'don't miss' testimony from this Christian legend. Bubba is a man who would not stand for anyone to insult his Lord, a man who puts hair on your chest just by passin' you by. Some folks say if he looks you right in the eye, you'll wet your pants out of Godly fear.