Teapot tempest

Politics | Tiny North Carolina church becomes latest flashpoint in national debate over church and politics | Joel Belz

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. – “Give ‘em an inch,” said Don Partridge, “and they’ll always take a mile. Give ‘em even a quarter of an inch—and they’ll still take that mile.”

Mr. Partridge was munching on a danish at Jack’s Donut Shop just a block down the street from East Waynesville Baptist Church—which last week was easily the most famous congregation in all of North Carolina, and maybe in the nation. Mr. Partridge had traveled north to play golf—as he does every spring and summer—from Fort Lauderdale.

But with a cup of black coffee in his left hand, he pointed disgustedly to the front-page headlines in a local paper, which reported that Rev. Chan Chandler had resigned the evening before from his embattled role as pastor of the East Waynesville church. “Check it out,” said Mr. Partridge. “I’ll tell you it’s not as simple as the newspaper makes it out to be.”