Not every conservative Southern Baptist preacher supports Kim Davis, the Kentucky County Clerk who was recently jailed for refusing to grant marriage licenses to gay couples. Russell Williams, the pastor of McCormick Road Baptist Church in Florida, recently published an open letter on Facebook blasting the controversial public official.
Williams feels that the government is not persecuting Davis; he says she’s simply refusing to do her job. He also points out that Davis has herself has been married four times and isn’t exactly in a position to be preaching about the sanctity of marriage. Additionally, Williams believes that Davis is using her position to profit financially from the many people on the right who are behind her.
He explains that Davis’ crusade, as well as the support of mainstream politicians like Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee, are examples of why Americans are growing increasingly disgusted with fundamentalist Christianity. He feels that conservative Christians are losing the battle for the hearts and minds of Americans because of exactly the type of behavior Davis is displaying. He says conservative Christians should stop looking to the government for protection. Rather, they should concern themselves with themselves and their duty to be good Christians. And Instead of concerning themselves with gay marriage, good Christians need to be righteous in their own behavior. It is by good example, he believes, not condemning others, that Christians can make the most effective statement.
Basically, Williams thinks that Davis should give up the battle. She’s already lost anyway at every level of the court system. And besides, she’s a criminal. A blasted crook who violated her constitutional oaths to exercise her apparently uncontrollable bigotry. Davis says she’ll continue to deny any gay couple that walks into her office a marriage license… So she’ll probably be going back to jail soon. And if she doesn’t, couples can go LITERALLY anywhere else in the United States to get a marriage license. Because it’s legal now! Equality is the law of this land, Davis! Go pound sand.