There’s a story that goes like this. A Southern Baptist minister was asked if he thought only Baptists went to heaven. He replied that was true but he also thought some Baptist weren’t going either.
Apparently, one of them was a football and basketball coach.
Baptists used to think that religious freedom meant that you could attend the Baptist Church of your choice. Alabama has decided that’s too damn liberal.
Although he coached the basketball team to a state championship and coached the football team to making the playoff for the first time in many years, Scott Phillips was given a choice – come to East Memorial Baptist Church to teach at our school or lose your job. It is of note that Phillips is a member of Church of the Highlands so it’s not like he’d be teaching Sharia law or anything.
In June 2012, Phillips agreed to accept the athletic director position following the resignation of then-athletic director Vic Foxworth. He taught science and Bible, coached boys basketball and served as a football assistant prior to taking on his new role.
Phillips says that EMCA officials told him that the AD position must be a member of East Memorial Baptist Church — a claim the school’s headmaster Bryan Easley confirmed to the Advertiser in an email.
Now this is Alabama so I’ll bet you a dime that nobody asked Bear Bryant what damfool church he went to. The choice between Jesus and having a winning football team is a tough one.
Welcome to East Memorial Baptist Church, where religious freedom isn’t religious or free.
Thanks to UmptyDump for the heads up.