Posted on 05/06/2005 1:36:32 PM PDT by kingattax
The minister of a Haywood County Baptist church is telling members of his congregation that if they're Democrats, they either need to find another place of worship or support President Bush.
Already, the Reverend Chan Chandler has ex-communicated nine members of East Waynesville Baptist Church. Another 40 members have left in protest.
During last Sunday's sermon, he acknowledged that church members were upset because he named people, and he says he'll do it again because he has to according to the word of God.
Chandler could not be reached for comment today, but says his actions weren't politically motivated.
One former church member says Chandler told some of the members that if they didn't support George Bush, they needed to resign their positions and get out of the church, or go to the altar, repent and agree to vote for Bush.
A former church treasurer says she's at church to worship God and not the preacher.
PONG
Hmmm...sort of like our own pastor who says if you don't get in and back his "pupose driven" program, you should leave...
I wonder how accurately this is being reported.
...so I did.
Goodbye tax-exempt status!!
Not necessarily...
Foxnews has this story in their "half-hour" headlines.
All the preacher is doing is connecting truth to reality. So no problemo here. Love to see more of it. Not everyone has to agree but they should at least have choices. We need more diversity after all.
You make a very good point. If the story is accurate, the preacher is wrong and needs to be relieved.
I guess he figures that Democrats can't be saved, and they have been "turned over to a reprobate mind"?
That's pretty extreme. Even my pastor wouldn't say that.
If the preacher owns the building and everything is in his name, there's nothing anyone can do about it, either.
Accuracy? I doubt there's any--there's not "excommunication" in Baptist Churches, no authority to forbid communiun, although ministers run people off every day.
Truth ro reality? You must be kidding. What he's doing is tying God to a political party. It doesn't matter if your Dem, Repub, Ind or whatever. This doesn't belong in church.
FYI
im sure "excommunicate" is the AP's way to describe what happened and is not Baptist doctrinal practice.
Well, it is hard to disagree with the Pastor.....just kidding....sounds like there maybe more to this story than what is being reported.
Sounds like a bunch of disgruntled Democrats who didn't like the preaching about one topic or another.
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