Lexington church goes viral for skit ‘shooting’ the devil in front of children
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A Lexington church video showed people in commando costumes firing at a devil character.
- Pastor Dewayne Walker apologized to offended viewers and said misinformation circulated.
- Walker said the VBS skit, used for 32 years, aims to teach kids to hate sin and the devil.
A Lexington church is being criticized after a video went viral depicting church staff shooting the devil in front of several children during the church’s vacation Bible school program.
The video shows a room full of young children and adults at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church. Soldiers armed with air-soft rifles march down the center aisle while a character representing the devil is laying on the steps to the church’s altar as the children chant “take him out, blow him up.”
The soldiers eventually “open fire” on the devil for several seconds. After seemingly shooting and killing the devil, the soldiers drag the devil outside the room through a side door. Pastor Dewayne Walker then starts counting up and at the eight-second mark, an explosion can be heard followed by loud cheers from the children.
The video, which has been shared widely online, depicts fictionalized violence.
On Monday, Walker posted a video on the church’s Facebook page and apologized to anyone who might have been offended by the video, but said what’s being shared online contains a lot of misinformation.
“The misinformation out there is sad,” Walker said in the video. “I guess it’s a part of what this generation has become.”
Walker said the church has been putting on vacation Bible school for 32 years, and every year they feature a skit highlighting the difference between evil and good. In the last several years, the skit has included “commandos for Christ,” using “the gospel gun.”
Walker said the skit was included in a message intended to teach kids to hate sin and hate the devil.
“It’s the answer for the devil,” Walker said. “The gospel and the word of God it’s the answer. The clip you saw was simply killing the devil.”
Walker further clarified that the video was just a small part of the church’s vacation Bible school program and that the clip does not represent the entirety of the church. He also defended the message’s intent of hating the devil and said he would kill the devil every day if he had the opportunity.
“I thank God that we can give the kids a week of fun and joy and realness about really what’s the real world now,” Walker said. “You may think we went over the top. You may think it was a little bit extreme, and maybe you’re right, but don’t you believe that the devil is really using extreme measures in this generation.”
Walker said he does not plan to further address the video publicly.
This story was originally published June 29, 2026 at 1:34 PM.
