Chan Chandler leaves East Waynesville Baptist Church
• Christian Fundamentalism
Chan Chandler has resigned from the East Waynesville Baptist Church. With all the publicity surrounding his political intolerance he'll probably find a new home in a rich conservative church.
"If you vote for John Kerry this year, you need to repent or resign. You have been holding back God's church way too long. And I know I may get in trouble for saying that, but just pour it on," Mr. Chandler told his flock last October, according to a tape recording of the event cited in news reports.
Many of those who opposed Chandler's leadership say they agreed with the pastor's positions on abortion and other hot-button religious topics, but disliked linking those beliefs to specific political positions and candidates.
Limits of pulpit politics tested in N.C.
While many of the parishioners agreed with the message but not the manner some Chandler fans regard those who disagree as "ungodly."
As Chandler and his wife drove out of the church's parking lot followed by a police escort, about 40 of his supporters walked out as well, with many saying they were resigning their memberships.
"I'm not going to serve with the ungodly," Misty Turner declared.But Maxine Osborne, 70, among those who stayed behind, had a different view. "A lot of these young people had not been in the church more than a year," she said. The Chandlers ''brought in a lot of young people, but they also brainwashed them."
Pastor resigns from N.C. church
Earlier: Baptists tell Democratic congregation members to leave