A 24-year-old man has been killed and a further three injured after they were ambushed by an armed gang in Birmingham, Alabama.

The men were on their way home from a bible study when they were suddenly attacked leaving one man dead and another two fighting for their lives in hospital.

The brutal killing is the latest clash between the rival Christian gangs as local church leaders condemned the attack and urged the violence to stop.

Police have confirmed the incident is linked to an ongoing war between the Calvinist and Arminian factions of the Evangelical church which has claimed four lives in the past three months.

Chief of Department Steven Laidlaw has asked the public to be vigilant and appealed for eyewitnesses to come forward saying, “We are looking for a group of four men aged between 20 and 25. They were dressed in checked shirts and skinny jeans with two wearing thick rimmed glasses with thick beards.”

Well known Calvinist preacher John Piper has spoken out on the tragedy commenting, “My heart weeps over this senseless killing. The men that did this had a choice to reject Christ and his teachings. They have lost their salvation all because of an argument over theology.”

Tha Calvinist-Arminian divide dates back to the Netherlands in the early 17th century. It is a theological dispute based on the differing views of John Calvin and Jacobus Arminius.