Thinning the Flock

John over at Blogotional points out a story of a Pastor who's decided to take his politics a little too seriously:

A Baptist pastor in North Carolina has touched off an exodus in his church by declaring Democrats are not welcome as members.

The Rev. Chan Chandler of East Waynesville Baptist Church in Waynesville ex-communicated nine members who refuse to support President Bush, according to WLOS-TV in Asheville, N.C.

Another 40 have left in protest in a controversy that began before the election last November and came to a head Sunday.

Chandler insists he's acting according to the Word of God, acknowledging in a sermon Sunday he has upset church members by calling them out for their political loyalties.

In a free country we cannot expect everyone, including fellow Christians, to share every political belief. I do think it's difficult to be a faithful Christian and a faithful Democrat, since you have to be willing to compromise an awful lot of your Christian beliefs to support some of the things that true-believer Democrats support, but I don't think a "D" next to your name on the voter rolls will automatically condemn you to the lake of fire.

Unfortunately, this guy will be used as an example by every Democrat who will insist that his approach is consistent with the beliefs of all members of the religious right, and that's the real sin in this whole story.