Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Anti-Clinton activists protest where he worships Date: Fri, 30 Oct 92 15:33:28 EST Message-ID: \SE A \HD Anti-Clinton activists protest where he worships \BY Larry Witham \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Little Rock's Immanuel Baptist Church, the largest congregation in town, is taking hits from without and feels stirring from within because of its most prominent member. The pastor, the Rev. Rex Horne, says the faith of its 4,000 members is above partisan politics, but fundamentalist protesters from neighboring Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee say they want "God's judgment" passed on both Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton's beliefs and his policies. "Bill Clinton has no moral values," says the Rev. W.N. Otwell, an independent Baptist from East Texas who has been leading protests outside the church since July 26. "The man is a spiritual hypocrite," he said in a telephone interview. With a megaphone, Mr. Otwell brought some of his 100 parishoners to Immanuel to call for church "disfellowship" of Mr. Clinton because of allegations of adultery and his support for abortion rights and homosexual rights. Baptist doctrine as promulgated by Baptist churches - including those in the Southern Baptist Convention, with which Immanuel Church is affiliated - teaches that homosexuality and adultery are sins, and most Baptists oppose abortion in most cases. But Baptists are not bound by a creed beyond professing faith in Christ as a personal savior and a willingness to follow Him in the ordinance of baptism. Mr. Otwell's protests have drawn counterdemonstrators supporting Mr. Clinton and homosexual rights. Parishioners have been asked to leave the massive Gothic building by the back door and, if the Otwell group gets inside, to stand and sing the traditional Baptist anthem "Amazing Grace." "They can get a bigger platform here than if they stayed home," Mr. Horne, the pastor, said in a telephone interview. "Our people have usually ignored them." He has asked his parishioners "to deal with them in a Christ-like way." At the request of the church, police have prevented demonstrating on church property. Mr. Otwell says about 50 of his followers have been arrested. Inside, says Kenneth Beard, a deacon, there are no arguments: "The only thing [Mr. Clinton] has done in the church is sing in the choir. Most of the people in the choir are behind him and most of the rest are not. Most of the people are superconservative." But former Immanuel member, Carole Baker, said the leadership at Immanuel is "trying to keep it [the Clinton issue] from splitting their church." Mr. Beard, who described himself as "no Clinton fan," says church membership has grown more than usual since the protests began. The governor has been a member of Immanual Church since 1980; his wife, Hillary, is a member of the First United Methodist Church of Little Rock. Mr. Clinton's pastor, who gave the closing prayer at the Democratic National Convention, says Mr. Clinton has never exploited the church for politics. "Where his views are not my views . . . we don't have to support them or oppose them. I would be pleased to give my views on any counsel sought by him, especially on spiritual matters. The thing that I'd feel most comfortable with him is sharing what I personally feel on biblical standards. I wouldn't feel it incumbent on me to preach a message opposing him." Though associations of Baptist churches have no authority to discipline individual Baptists, regional bodies have occasionally "withdrawn fellowship" from congregations. On the recommendation of the North Carolina Baptist Convention, the Southern Baptist Convention voted at its annual national meeting in June to expel Baptist churches in Raleigh and Chapel Hill - in one case for licensing an avowed homosexual man as a preacher and in the other for sanctioning a same-sex "marriage." This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM