Several African-American pastors are
calling on congregants to oppose Amendment One, the North Carolina
May 8 ballot question which would bar the state from recognizing the
relationships of gay and lesbian couples with marriage, civil unions
and possibly domestic partnerships.
Rev. Earl Johnson of the Martin Street
Baptist Church in Raleigh spoke out against the amendment during an
April 30 sermon, Religious
News Service (RNS) reported.
Johnson kept it brief, telling
congregants that such unions are already illegal in the state, the
governor opposes the measure and the amendment could strip unmarried
heterosexual women of domestic violence protections.
“It's a traditional church. When you
get to be a certain age you don't budge on your point of view. It
would take years of chipping away at it to change it,” Johnson said
on his decision not to discuss the church's stance on homosexuality.
The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP
has also come out against the amendment without endorsing gay
marriage.
Rev. David Forbes, pastor emeritus at
Raleigh's Christian Faith Baptist Church, has taken a similar stance,
saying the measure would “polarize people who make different
choices.”
“This has social justice
implications,” he said.
(Related: Jodie
Brunstetter criticized over claim that Amendment One would protect
Caucasian race.)