Delegates to the annual meeting of the N.C. Baptist State Convention voted overwhelmingly this morning to expel Charlotte’s Myers Park Baptist for welcoming gays and lesbians without trying to change them.
The liberal church of 1,970 members became the first to be kicked out under rules passed at last year’s meeting that said any Baptist church that affirmed or endorsed homosexual behavior would be considered “not in friendly cooperation with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.”
The vote by the nearly 3,000 delegates, or “messengers,” came after two leaders of Myers Park Baptist called on them to open their hearts to homosexuals who want to worship with them and to respect local Baptist churches’ autonomy in interpreting the Bible.
Link [Updated with correct link]