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Warning to Kerry: Ethnic Baptists ahead

Did anyone out there see mainstream coverage of the following scene in South Carolina? I sure didn't. It seems that Gen. Wesley Clark recently ended up in a prayer service at the Zion Baptist Church in Columbia. The guest preacher was evangelist Sheila B. Koger of the Bethlehem Baptist Church. With Clark sitting nearby, she launched into a sermon that would get her arrested, if delivered on the floor of the Democratic National Convention.

Thus saith the preacher, as described in the infamous Scrapbook pages of the Weekly Standard:

"Everyone says these days, 'Give me rights,'" Dr. Koger said. "'Give the gay people rights,' they say." Dr. Koger's voice rose: "But the Lord God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. If you're a man, then be a man, not a woman!" Half of the congregation was on its feet before too long, shouting approval.

"Now if you're not sure which you are, you can just ask yourself a simple question: 'Do I have a womb?' If you ain't got a womb, then you're a man. And you better act like one."

There were multiple shouts of "Tell it!"

"They told me I could preach the Gospel unadulterated, so that's God's word, not mine," Dr. Koger went on. "He is a God of decency and order, and he ain't going to bless no mess!"

Clark resorted to making small talk during the sermon with the person seated next to him.

Memo to Sen. John Kerry: One must be careful when visiting ethnic congregations across America and in the Third World. Many of the people there have dangerous beliefs and are convinced that they have the right of free speech.