Creighton Lovelace
Encyclopedia
Creighton Lee Lovelace (born December 15, 1981) is Pastor of Danieltown Baptist
Church in Forest City, North Carolina
. Lovelace and his church received brief international attention in May 2005 over a controversial sign on church grounds that stated, "The Koran needs to be flushed!"
This appeared in The Daily Courier, the local newspaper covering Forest City, in a story written by Josh Humphries shortly after a May 1, 2005, report in Newsweek
that United States
officials had flushed a Koran down a toilet at Guantanamo Bay
(see Qur'an desecration controversy of 2005
). That statement proved to be false and Newsweek apologized on May 15. Apparently a Koran had been desecrated in some way, but not involving a toilet. The original report received widespread international attention and sparked protests in Muslim
countries. 15 people in Afghanistan
died in a protest riot over the story.
Lovelace and his church posted the sign as the Newsweek controversy unfolded. This inflammatory message received attention from the Associated Press, all major United States news networks, and various international publications. In a May 25 MSNBC interview, Lovelace denied that his congregation desecrated any actual Korans. Unapologetic for the sign, he said the message was "a figure of speech." In conservative Christian
theology Muslims cannot enter heaven
.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7980565/
From a Christianity Today
story about the Danieltown Baptist Church sign, "Muslims have a saying: 'Kill me, but do not mock my faith.' In Islamic jurisprudence, blasphemy is considered a capital crime, and the laws of states such as Pakistan reflect this. Muslims around the world will feel this sign is an attack on their honor, and in Muslim cultures honor can only be avenged with blood. Inevitably local Christians in Iraq and Pakistan, missionaries, and anyone with white skin will be considered fair game, as will church buildings."http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/121/42.0.html No specific attacks on Christians or United States citizens have been linked to this incident.
Following two days of intense and universally negative press coverage, Lovelace issued an apology. On June 8, 2005 the Associated Baptist Press reported that Danieltown Baptist Church had withdrawn from the Southern Baptist Convention
, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the local Sandy Run Baptist Association.http://www.abpnews.com/371.article
Lovelace graduated from Chase High School in 2000 and was previously active in the school's Future Farmers of America program serving as Chapter President for two terms 1998-2000 and as Western Regional N.C. Vice President (1999–2000). He also advocates a King James Only
position by promoting the Defined King James Bible and his annual "Bible Revivals." He is married to Heather Foss. He also served as past state chairman of the North Carolina Constitution Party
but left switching his party affiliation to Republican
. In 2008 he endorsed U.S. Congressman Ron Paul
for president. He is also a member of the Pro Geocentric Association for Biblical Astronomy. In 2011, his first book, It Could Happen To You was published by Tate Publishing of Mustang, Oklahoma.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church in Forest City, North Carolina
Forest City, North Carolina
Forest City, formerly known as "Burnt Chimney," is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,549 as of the 2000 census.-Geography:Forest City is located at ....
. Lovelace and his church received brief international attention in May 2005 over a controversial sign on church grounds that stated, "The Koran needs to be flushed!"
This appeared in The Daily Courier, the local newspaper covering Forest City, in a story written by Josh Humphries shortly after a May 1, 2005, report in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
that United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
officials had flushed a Koran down a toilet at Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
(see Qur'an desecration controversy of 2005
Qur'an desecration controversy of 2005
The 2005 Qur'an desecration controversy began when Newsweek's April 30 issue contained a report asserting that United States prison guards or interrogators had deliberately damaged a copy of Islam's holiest book, the Qur'an....
). That statement proved to be false and Newsweek apologized on May 15. Apparently a Koran had been desecrated in some way, but not involving a toilet. The original report received widespread international attention and sparked protests in Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
countries. 15 people in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
died in a protest riot over the story.
Lovelace and his church posted the sign as the Newsweek controversy unfolded. This inflammatory message received attention from the Associated Press, all major United States news networks, and various international publications. In a May 25 MSNBC interview, Lovelace denied that his congregation desecrated any actual Korans. Unapologetic for the sign, he said the message was "a figure of speech." In conservative Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
theology Muslims cannot enter heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7980565/
From a Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
story about the Danieltown Baptist Church sign, "Muslims have a saying: 'Kill me, but do not mock my faith.' In Islamic jurisprudence, blasphemy is considered a capital crime, and the laws of states such as Pakistan reflect this. Muslims around the world will feel this sign is an attack on their honor, and in Muslim cultures honor can only be avenged with blood. Inevitably local Christians in Iraq and Pakistan, missionaries, and anyone with white skin will be considered fair game, as will church buildings."http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/121/42.0.html No specific attacks on Christians or United States citizens have been linked to this incident.
Following two days of intense and universally negative press coverage, Lovelace issued an apology. On June 8, 2005 the Associated Baptist Press reported that Danieltown Baptist Church had withdrawn from the Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the local Sandy Run Baptist Association.http://www.abpnews.com/371.article
Lovelace graduated from Chase High School in 2000 and was previously active in the school's Future Farmers of America program serving as Chapter President for two terms 1998-2000 and as Western Regional N.C. Vice President (1999–2000). He also advocates a King James Only
King-James-Only Movement
The "King James Only movement" advocates the superiority of the Authorized King James Version of the Protestant Bible. The topic increased in newsworthiness in 2011, the 400th anniversary of the translation's 1611 initial publication....
position by promoting the Defined King James Bible and his annual "Bible Revivals." He is married to Heather Foss. He also served as past state chairman of the North Carolina Constitution Party
Constitution Party (United States)
The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
but left switching his party affiliation to Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. In 2008 he endorsed U.S. Congressman Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
for president. He is also a member of the Pro Geocentric Association for Biblical Astronomy. In 2011, his first book, It Could Happen To You was published by Tate Publishing of Mustang, Oklahoma.
See also
- Conservative ChristianityConservative ChristianityConservative Christianity is a term applied to a number of groups or movements seen as giving priority to traditional Christian beliefs and practices...
- Qur'an desecration controversy of 2005Qur'an desecration controversy of 2005The 2005 Qur'an desecration controversy began when Newsweek's April 30 issue contained a report asserting that United States prison guards or interrogators had deliberately damaged a copy of Islam's holiest book, the Qur'an....
- Religious intoleranceReligious intoleranceReligious intolerance is intolerance against another's religious beliefs or practices.-Definition:The mere statement on the part of a religion that its own beliefs and practices are correct and any contrary beliefs incorrect does not in itself constitute intolerance...
External links
- Danieltown Baptist Church
- MSNBC Interview With Creighton Lovelace (video download, transcript cited above in text)
News reports
- The Digital Courier
- The Muslim News Online
- Baptist Press News
- Associated Press as carried in a Russian newspaper
- Daily Times (Pakistan)
Background
- BBC re: Guantanamo Bay
- CNN re: Newsweek retraction
- Washington Post re: Newsweek apologizes