Shortly before noon on Sunday, most of the swaying and singing had subsided at the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, N.C., and the Rev. Patrick L. Wooden began his sermon.
He talked about how the powerful Amaziah tried to intimidate the humble Amos, who warned of the impending doom of Israel. “The people didn’t like [Amos’s] preaching,” Wooden told the 1,600 congregants in attendance. He saw a parable for modern times.
“We’ve got a sitting president who supports same-sex marriage, who never met an abortion law he didn’t love,” Wooden preached. “Our definition of marriage doesn’t come from the president or the Constitution. We get our definition of marriage from the creator,” he thundered, and a chorus of “amens” and applause pealed through the cavernous church....