Pastors fret Christian group might be a threat

Star News on-line, South Carolina/February 13, 2007

Anderson, S.C. | Several Upstate pastors say they are concerned about a group that wants conservative Christians to move to the area so they can take over local politics.

Christian Exodus began about four years ago, and founder Cory Burnell says 15 families have actually made the move to South Carolina and another dozen are planning to relocate.

Tom Ritchie, pastor at Young Memorial Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, said he has difficulty finding scripture that suggests Christians should take over government.

"I think it's pretty tragic and pretty frightening stuff," Ritchie said. "If the people of Anderson allow it to happen, we probably get what we deserve."

Some are worried about Christian Exodus' suggestion that the church should use the power of the state to enforce biblical morality, said Dan Olinger, a professor in the seminary at Bob Jones University in Greenville.

"We want to be good citizens and participants, but we're not really interested in using the iron fist of the law to compel people to do everything Christians should do," Olinger said.

Bob Marcaurelle, interim pastor at Mountain Springs Baptist Church in Piedmont, said the Middle Ages were proof enough that Christian ruling groups are almost always corrupted by power.

"When Christianity becomes the government, the question is whose Christianity?" Marcaurelle asked.

Christian Exodus said it plans to field candidates, but does not plan to create a theocracy.

The group's message also says the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was illegally ratified and takes away power from states. That amendment guarantees the right to vote, due process and equal protection under the law to all citizens.

"My hunch is that Jesus is more interested in how we take care of the poor, the hungry, those without health care, those left out of so much of the abundance of our culture," Ritchie said.