A Duluth pastor helped to lead the charge Tuesday in the Southern Baptist Convention's historic vote against displaying the Confederate battle flag.
Rev. James Merritt, lead pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, stepped to the microphone during the Baptists' annual conference in St. Louis and addressed the hall filled with thousands.
“This is a seminal moment for our SBC,” Merritt said. “What we do today will reverberate through this nation, not just today but 100 years from now.”
He offered an amendment to the flag resolution that made it clear the group wanted people to put away the flag.
“There is one thing no one can deny,” said Merritt, a former SBC president. “This flag is a stumbling block to many African-American souls to our witness, and I say that all the Confederate flags in the world are not worth one soul of any race.”
A roar of approval rose from the hall.
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