(ChurchLeaders) Pennsylvania Pastor Daniel Miller and his wife survived a terrifying ordeal last week, and the alleged suspect turned out to be familiar. About 4 a.m. last Wednesday, Miller confronted someone who was banging on his front door in Newton Township. The pastor immediately recognized 44-year-old Christopher Phillips, a man he had baptized just two days earlier.
According to Miller’s account, Phillips “wanted to fight me.” The pastor and his wife, Deb, were able to flee to safety, escaping out a bathroom window and running through a wooded area to a neighbor’s house. Phillips is now in police custody and faces numerous charges, including attacking his father before confronting Pastor Miller.
Daniel Miller: ‘Two Days Ago I Baptized You’
When Pastor Daniel Miller opened the door and asked Phillips what he was doing, the suspect reportedly responded, “Get out here, you’re not Pastor Dan.’” Miller replied, “I am Pastor Dan. Two days ago, I baptized you in the swimming pool right here.” Phillips raised his fists and “was going to beat me to death with his hands,” Miller says, recalling the “sheer terror” of the incident.