Benjamin Boswell, a former Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. pastor, was asked to step down after a politically divisive sermon. During his eight-year tenure, the congregation plummeted from 350 to 150 members. The board voted 17-3 in favor of asking him to leave. Many parishioners felt alienated by the extreme political rhetoric and focus on social issues.
Boswell said in his controversial sermon that the political atmosphere was like the “gathering dark of Hitler’s rule.” He also warned that Trump’s policies would lead to migrants facing “crucifixion.” He added, “But our faith also teaches us … that every crucifixion needs a witness,” Boswell said. “The fight is not over, it’s just beginning.” Despite the congregation’s liberal leanings, this was the final straw, and the pastor was asked to step down.
Marcy McClanaham, the board’s chairman, cited a declining congregation. She says the Baptist church has lost 200 members since Boswell became the head pastor. “Ben has been given every chance to change his words and actions to appeal to a broader audience,” the chairman said, “but has not been successful in doing so.” He concluded by saying, “We have got to put more butts in the seats.”
Robert Dulin says that the significant issue was Boswell’s woke racism. He quoted one ex-member as saying, “Indicted because I’m white.” He added, “I am tired of being indicted because I am white. I am tired of being banged over the head every week about immigrants and LGBTQ, and I just want to come to church and be encouraged.” Another woman explained that she “was ready for less guilt-trip and more love.”
According to Bob Thomason, the congregation is progressive, “But for some people, being able to focus on social justice … would be a welcome luxury because they have alcoholic spouses,” he explained. “They have children that are addicted. They have cancer. They have these personal needs.” He said his former pastor was great at woke moralizing but bad at pastoral work. He said, “We were basically taking care of ourselves as best we could.”
Since 2020, the Church budget has shrunk by 25%. One deacon said, “Ben needs to leave for our church to take a different direction and grow because we are dying on the vine.” Despite this, some members still support the disastrous pastor. Deacon Allen Davis resigned in protest after Boswell was fired, saying he thought the move would compromise their commitment to progressive causes.
“The church betrayed me,” Bruce Griffin said. He thinks Boswell created the ideal church environment. At the meeting where the controversial pastor was let go, he says, “There was no hugging” and “there was no fellowship.” Griffin plans to leave the church, and when some other members expressed they felt ‘beaten down’ by Boswell’s continued emphasis on social and racial justice, Griffin responded that as a Black man, he felt beaten down every day.
“What will come out is that we’ve snatched the keys from the … minister who had been pushing us to confront whiteness to challenge racial justice in our community,” Davis said. However, McClanahan isn’t worried. She says One person’s leaving does not change that path at all,” Boswell also protested the decision.”My feeling is that as a progressive congregation, as a progressive pastor, our job right now is not to back away but to double down,” he said.