Prayer At South Carolina County Council Meetings Becomes Controversial

Today's Spartanburg, South Carolina Herald Journal reports on the controversy over prayer at Spartanburg County Council meetings. The Council's chaplain-- Jerry Clevenger, a Sheriff's Office employee-- usually closes invocations by invoking Jesus' name. However, apparently the prayer policy provoked scrutiny when in March Councilman O'Neal Mintz filled in for the chaplain at one meeting and delivered a prayer condemning abortion and same-sex marriage. Now Unitarian minister Don Rollins is organizing a "silent protest" against opening meetings with Christian prayer, seeking to have prayers delivered by members of different faith communities. Council chairman Jeff Horton says that as a Christian he could not ask anyone not to pray in Jesus' name.