Pastor urges inclusivity amid Obama's OK to gay marriage

ATLANTA — Just days after President Barack Obama made his historic announcement granting support for same-sex marriage, pastors preached their opinions from the pulpit.

At downtown Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, it was a message that struck a chord with members.

Channel 2’s Erin Coleman spoke with the Rev. Raphael Warnock, Ebenezer’s pastor, who said his stance on gay marriage is a question he’s heard over and over again.

“There are gay sisters and brothers all around us,” Warnock said.

“The church needs to be honest about human sexuality. Some of them are on the usher board. They greeted you this morning,” he told Coleman.

Warnock is just one of many pastors across the nation preaching on the issue. While, he didn’t commit himself for or against gay marriage, he urged parishioners not to make this a single-issue election.

“No, I’m not mad at the president. We have to keep working this out. This grand experiment called democracy, and democracy is messy,” Warnock said.

Many church members appreciated the message.

“It’s very divisive because of your doctrine, but what the president was talking about was legal stuff, not moral,” a member said.

“The president’s job is to protect the constitution and a pastor’s job is to protect the Bible and its meaning,” another member said.

Warnock told his congregation that no matter what side they’re on, the church is about being inclusive.

“We can talk about this thing,” Warnock said. “We don’t have to solve this today, but let us agree that this is the house of God.”

WSBTV