A video circulating on social media in June and July 2026 depicted a skit at a church where individuals in military-style uniforms appeared to fatally shoot someone. The performance, which included sound effects and the actor simulating being hit, was accompanied by children and adults chanting “Take him out! Blow him up!”
The video gained traction on platforms like TikTok, Bluesky, Facebook, and Reddit, with some posts adding captions such as “This appears to be a Vacation Bible School skit where volunteers in tactical gear use paintball or gel blasters while children chant ‘take him out’ and ‘blow him up.'” Other posts featured the on-screen text, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.”
Snopes readers inquired about the authenticity of the video, questioning whether it was real or generated by artificial intelligence.
The video has been confirmed as genuine. Dewayne Walker, the pastor of Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky, where the skit took place, verified its legitimacy in a video posted on the church’s Facebook page. The origin of the recording and its initial online posting remain unknown.
Pastor Walker explained that the skit was part of an event called “Commandos for Christ” during the church’s vacation Bible school. He stated the skit’s theme was “killing the devil” and that the video was being shared without full context. He expressed regret if the skit caused offense, emphasizing that it was not the intention.
In his video response, Walker elaborated that the skit represented “evil against good” and was a demonstration of “spiritual warfare” using what he described as “gospel guns,” referring to the word of God as the answer for the devil. He clarified that the actors used air rifles, comparable to paintball guns, and that the performance aimed to visually represent spiritual battles for the children. He stressed that the church’s overall message at vacation Bible school included teachings on truthfulness, hard work, respect, and love for God and others, while also teaching to hate sin and the devil’s influence. He reiterated that the clip did not accurately reflect the entirety of the event or the church’s values, stating, “What you saw, that little snippet, is not even close to what we’re about.”
The church’s Facebook page did not host the specific clip in question. Vacation Bible School events, often abbreviated as “VBS,” are common summer outreach programs hosted by Christian churches.
While the precise date of the skit is unconfirmed, a Facebook search for “S’more About Jesus” VBS located a post from June 26 that indicated the event occurred “a few nights ago.” Some social media users speculated the skit depicted Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, but this claim lacked supporting evidence.
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