The Ultimate In Partisan Silliness/Outrageousness
Joe Gandelman
If you want to know how silly partisanship has gotten in this country — to the extent where it totally blurs peoples' perspectives — read this:
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. — 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.
I wonder why?
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.
I never realized God put a bumper sticker on his car. So why should we hold elections at all? Why not just let Reverend Chandler tell us who He picked? Think of all the money it'll save.
Chandler could not be reached for comment today, but says his actions weren't politically motivated.
No. Because He told him that people who don't support President Bush can't worship in that church.
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.
And let me guess: instead of a Bible I'll bet he uses this book.
A former church treasurer says she's at church to worship God and not the preacher.
It doesn't matter. As long as she supports President Bush. Otherwise she can and will go to...........
Obviously the church membership is happy with his antics or they would have him removed from office himself. Yet another reason to dislike the SBC and their toleration of nutjobs.
Why is it again organized religion is a good thing?
I've met very few Baptist, of any denomination and there are several, that are in a position of importance/power in their church that doesn't put on airs and pretend the be better than their fellow believers (we won't even bring in those that DON'T follow their brand of religion). That's a sad comment on the state of the SBC. They have no moral grounds on which to stand until they clean their own house.
The SBC doesn't own any churches. Every state has a state baptist organization that has its own relationships with every church, and so on.
This has created problems for a number of years as the culture wars have gone on, because the convention has very little control over what individual churches say - right or left.
The SBC does indeed have a part in this, as no preacher in any SB church I've ever been in can behave outside the bounds of what the SBC deems acceptable and keep their job. Those that do manage to stay in office break from the SBC and stop 'paying dues'.
That said, the members of that church are the most to blame for tolerating the viper in their midst.
Actually, they can. I don't know how many churches you've been in, but a church with a long-serving pastor who disagrees with the current drift of the SBC leadership can remain as long as he wants as long as the congregation agrees with him.
For instance, a number of "moderate" churches (by southern baptist standards of the past 30 years) have remained members of the SBC despite stances on societal issues and political beliefs that differ with the national agency. I can point you to some in Fort Worth, Texas, if you're interested.
The membership is actually based on the baptist faith and message, which you can read here.
Most of the material is doctrinal/theological. There are very few matters that deal with social issues or matters of politics.
And many of the churches that have remained who disagree with the current stance of the convention have done so because of typically southern baptist reasons: "We've always done it that way," or "the support of missionaries."
There's even a competing "denomination" within the denomination known as the cooperative baptist fellowship.
And for the record, I think - If this is actually just as shallow as is being reported - this is incredibly stupid for any pastor to do. I'm wondering, however, if there aren't other currents of congregational politics involved.
And it's a little too convenient for this pastor to disappear now that this stuff has exploded.
But they rarely bother.