East Waynesville Baptist Church

I love the way this story has played out so far, with Christians from across the political spectrum reacting against the idea of expelling members over their political affiliation. This Reverend Chandler appears to be back-pedalling in response to pressure both from within and outside of his congregation, and I suspect he'll wind up losing his position before this is over.

What makes me a little nervous, however, is the presence of lawyers in this whole affair. The Baptist denomination has a form of organization known as the "gathered congregation." This means that churches are based not on where you live, as in Catholicism, but on like-minded believers coming to worship together. In this context, I'm concerned about legal - and hence government - intervention in what could easily be seen as a matter of doctrine. It sounds cliche, but the freedom that allows a bunch of right-wing radicals to run a church their way is the same one that allows someone like Hugo Schwyzer to worship where he does. Let's settle this, but let's keep it a religious matter.