A Baptist church in Conyers, waiting patiently for nearly two years, found a way to air its anti-gay bigotry: taking aim at gay troop leaders in the Boy Scouts.
First Baptist Church of Conyers and its executive pastor, Craig Beall, weren't happy with the Boy Scouts when the organization allowed gay troops in 2013. Neither was this Atlanta preacher. Or this one. Definitely not this one.
So First Baptist changed its contract with Troop 973 to say if there's any more of that gay stuff by the national scouting organization, its local troop would be evicted. So in July, when the Boy Scouts approved gay troop leaders, Beall had enough, he tells WSB.
“We did put in there that if the national Boy Scouts did allow homosexual leaders, that we would discontinue our troop. Which, we simply acted on a decision we made a little over two years ago,” Beall says.
And if you don't like his intolerance, Beall says blame the national scouting organization and not him, he tells the Rockdale News.
“They made the decision more so for us,” he said.
Besides being a bigot, Beall isn't all that smart. Though the Boy Scouts OK'd gay troop leaders, the fine print allows local scout groups sponsored by churches to decide if they will accept gay troop leaders. Meaning Beall could have both kept the Scouts and his homophobia in the same place.
But the troop in his church, which has to be out by Oct. 1, is better off finding a more accepting home. Like this Baptist church.