A sad story, though unfortunately not an uncommon one.

They were members? And they had no clue that the people they were fellowshipping with would respond like this?

I wondered about that too. Assuming that the Wilsons’ version of events is accurate, I can’t believe that they would have continued to attend a church that treated them like outcasts, let alone let themselves be married in one. Most church congregations, whether the majority is black or white, usually make it very obvious, in attitude and demeanor if not in word, whether or not they’re willing to accept your presence.

“This was — had not — had never been done here before so it was setting a
new (precedent) and there were those who reacted to that,” [Pastor Stan] Weatherford
told CNN affiliate WLBT. ”I didn’t want to have a controversy within the
church, and I didn’t want a controversy to affect the wedding of
Charles and Te’ Andrea. I wanted to make sure their wedding day was a
special day.”

Based on this response and assuming that the quote is accurate, this man, like far too many people with degrees from seminaries and divinity schools (I would not be surprised to learn that this guy is a Bob Jones University “graduate”), demonstrates that he is unfit to preside over a congregation. He is obviously more concerned with pandering to the base bigotry of his congregational majority (and, by extension, ensuring that he doesn’t jeopardize the contents of the collection plate on Sunday morning) than standing up and doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord and providing some true Christian leadership. Weatherford and his congregation have showed their true colors here. The Wilsons would be best served by finding somewhere else to worship – or not worshiping anywhere at all if bodies like Weatherford’s “church” are all that is available.

As one half of an interracial couple, I can attest to the fact that far too many established American churches, whether they are predominately black or white, have simply not gotten past the issue of race (I vaguely recall one of the major news networks some twenty-five or more years ago doing a special report, the theme of which was “Church on Sunday morning: the most segregated place in America”). This is one of the reasons (though not the main one) why my wife and I no longer belong to, and refuse to join a formal congregation. If so-called “followers of Christ” can’t get past something as petty as race, then why should anyone believe that they are following the Scriptures in other respect (most of them aren’t, but that’s fodder for another rant)?