A Freedom Ministries Church in Grandview, West Virginia went up in massive flames last weekend, essentially reducing everything to ashes.
Reports pointed out that around 1 a.m. on March 2, the Coal City Fire Department was dispatched to assist to fight the fire, however, under the impression that every combustible object within the building was mere residue.
Resident Jerry Wistling told news station WVNS the church was “totally engulfed in flames”.
“I mean, it was shooting 50 feet high (15 metres). It was hot,” he told the station.
Posting on their official Facebook page, the volunteer firefighters say although the odds were against them, God was not.
“On March 3 around 12:58 am our department was dispatched to assist Beaver VFD with a structure fire at the Freedom Ministries Church, located in Grandview WV. Though odds were against us, God was not. Picture this, a building so hot that at one point in time, firefighters had to back out. In your mind, everything should be burned, ashes.”
The firefighters, however, made a discovery when digging through the wreckage the ensuing morning that some are calling miraculous.
“Not a single bible was burned and not a single cross was harmed!! Not a single firefighter was hurt! Prayers for the pastor and the congregation today,” they wrote,“ Coal City Fire wrote.
The department shared photos of the damage with one picture showing more than 10 intact bibles. A nearly unscathed cross hung against the wall.
The story has since opened a conversation online whether there is any wonder in bibles not burning or it is just logical that books rarely burn swiftly.
We publish some of the responses:
One Facebook user, Dean Vandall, said that of fires burning everything but sparing bibles does not startle him as in his 20-years’ experience as a fire warden, that has always been the case.
“Out of every structure fire I have responded to in the past 20 years, not one bible has burned, they might have smoke damage or chared around the edges but you could still read every page. We gave the owners back alot of bibles over the years. It just goes to show that God’s word is more powerful than the devil’s fire and fury no matter how hot it gets. God was watching over all you guys lastnight, and every fire call yall go on,” Vendall wrote.
“I was a responding vol. firefighter on 9/11 to Flight 93 in Shanksville, Somerset County. We were walking in the woods yelling for survivors, and looking for the wreckage, when we got on scene. We found wallets and papers, blowing in the wind, that were charred and burnt. Unreadable. We did however, find a Bible. Untouched. Completely readable. I don’t talk much about responding that day, but felt compelled to share my story too. I have PTSD from that call. But your right. God is with us on those bad calls, those bad days. You just have to look up,” another named Erin Hoover said.
“My apartment burned down about 12 years ago.. steel beams melted in half. Every item was gone. I STILL have my bible… fully intact. The word of God stands,” Angietim Butler.
“When our house burned in Texas I had the family bible laying on dad’s army trunk that he carried around the world doing his tours of duty. The top of the trunk burned a hole through the top where the bible was laying and it didn’t damage the bible in any way. I still have both the trunk and the Bible. They serve as a reminder to me how great the word of God can be,” Sharon Lackey.
Others did not see a miracle in this story. They argued that it is only logical that the material bibles are made with ensures that they do not burn instantly.
“Bibles burn slower or can withstand heat because of the material on the outside and the thickness of the book. Nothing to do with divine powers or other forces; it’s science….”Sorry about all your personal belongings and house, couldn’t really help you out there, but hey i saved the bible” – God,” Jason Smalling.
“Not trying to downplay the blessings and miracles God gives us… but books are rarely damaged in fires. If you toss a closed book into a burning fire the inner pages are not burned. My husband, who is a professional fire fighter, and I had this conversation one time when we were watching a cold case show.
I asked why the books/documents were not burned even tho there was a huge fire. He explained unless its moved and manipulated (poked at with a stick or something to open pages up) the fire will not burn the inner pages bc there is no oxygen flowing thru.
You can test this yourself which we did so he could teach me. Have a bonfire toss some old books and dont mess with them. The outside may burn a bit, the edges but the inside of the pages will be completely fine. (sic)” Lia Rennie-Casey.
Writing on Patheos, Hemant Mehta questioned the nature of a God who destroys the building, but the books.
“Christ… it’s likely the Bibles were so bulky that they were only charred on the outside while the insides remained untouched, or maybe the heavy protective covers shielded the pages, or maybe they weren’t directly in the path of the flames. Whatever the reason, it never seems to cross the mind of people sharing these articles that the same God who protected the books still burned down the entire church.
Somehow, it’s a miracle that the Bible and cross were spared… as long as you ignore how the fire destroyed the actual building…
None of this is a miracle. None of this is special. None of this is God sending a message. If anything, God would’ve done the church members a favor by destroying the books and cross and keeping the building intact. At least the first two things are easily replaced.
It’s one thing to point to God’s “mysterious ways,” but this is just willful ignorance,”
wrote Mehta.
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