Vice Mayor Won't Offer Invocation If It Must Be Non-Sectarian

The Roanoke, Virginia Times reported on Wednesday that Roanoke's vice mayor, Sherman Lea, who is also a minister, is asking that his name be removed from the list of clergy who offer invocations before city council meetings. His request came after council members and the ACLU received an e-mail from a Roanoke citizen complaining about Lea's Dec. 15 invocation which included several Christian references. Lea says he would rather not offer prayers than compromise his beliefs by eliminating possible references to Jesus. [Thanks to Scott Mange for the lead.]