The mayor of Toms River, New Jersey, says he has a plan to revitalize the town’s riverfront and to create a new park for local families who live nearby. He’s found the perfect spot— three underused marinas and a large parcel of land with a great parking lot.
There’s just one problem. A local Episcopal church sits on the 11-acre property and has no interest in selling. Instead, church leaders want to build a shelter for the homeless on the property to expand their ministry in the community.
Mayor Daniel Rodrick, a Republican, said God would approve of his plan.
“There’s a real need for the local residents up in those neighborhoods to be able to walk somewhere and put their kids on a swing,” said Rodrick in a recent phone interview. “I just think it’s a very positive thing. And I believe Christ would agree.”
This mayor is exactly the kind of BS that Jefferson was afraid of when he wrote that there needs to be “a wall of separation of church and state.”
Yes, clearly Christ would want people of relative affluence to have a park rather than you help the homeless.
"If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” – 1 John 3:17
As an Episcopal priest myself, I’ll be keeping an eye on this story… I guess since we’re the “wrong” kind of Christians (y’know, because we do same-sex marriages and have LGBT+ clergy and all), a Republican has no problem trying to steal one of our churches out from under us.
True, you all actually benefit your community. When the schism happened in the Methodists church near me, all the homophobes left the United Church. I was happy to see the United Church put up a billboard near me that wasn’t some Catholic anti-abortion nonsense; it was a message about how hate divides us and love unites us. I am no religious man, but I appreciate the ones who want to make society a better place for everyone.
Why am I not surprised it’s a Republican?