Mississippi church trying to weather 'storm'

Several stories moved on the wire last week about a predominantly white Mississippi church that did not want a black couple to have their wedding at the church.

The pastor of First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs said he asked the couple to have it elsewhere to avoid controversy, although he still officiated at the wedding. He said he made that decision after several church members came to him and said they did not want the couple’s wedding performed in their sanctuary.

Apparently, the church has been getting some negative feedback about this. The wedding is over but the pastor said they are weathering a “storm” because people are calling the congregation racist and saying the decision to reject the black wedding was un-Christian.

I read the first stories about the issue, but I think I’m more intrigued by the latest story that ran in the  Clarion Jackson-Ledger on Sunday. 

I can see why the pastor is coming under fire because some folks (judging from the comments section) think he should have stood up to the people who did not want the wedding performed at FBC-Crystal Springs. Others think he could have had the wedding at his church and let people know who didn’t want the service to be held there.

It looks like some members of the church feel like they now have to defend their church from harsh criticism that is, in many ways, unfair to the congregation as a whole.

It’s certainly an interesting situation.