6 days ago
Tiny town of Plains ponders its future in a post-Jimmy Carter world
PLAINS, Georgia — Protestant churches often have two flags at the front of their sanctuaries, the American flag on the left and the white banner, blue rectangle and red cross of the Christian flag on the right. At Maranatha Baptist in Plains, Jimmy Carter would have none of that.
Passionate about the separation between church and state, he kept the flags out of Maranatha's sanctuary. And because of who he was, little was said. But shortly after his death last December, conservative members of the congregation put both banners back. Pastor Ashley Guthas had them taken out, and then the church's deacons got involved and voted that they had to be returned.
