Rev. Dr. Monty Knight

Mediated by Religious Studies Professor Dr. June McDaniel the panel featured Mohammed Melham, the Imam of the Central Mosque of Charleston; Reverend Peter Lanzillotta of Charleston's Unitarian Church; Pastor Monty Knight of the First Charleston Church in West Ashley; and Pastor Shawn Maze of Sanctuary Church at the Citadel.

Pray For : Rev. Monty Knight

Rev Knight , is the minister at First Christian Church in Charleston South Carolina.He will be undergoing Hip surgery on June 13.

Entered : 06/13/2001 8 : 58 : 23 AMSubmitted by : Christian Church in Georg

Pray For : Fay

I am joined by Rev. Dr. Tom Summers, a retired United Methodist minister; Rev. Dr. Monty Knight, pastor of the First Christian Church of Charleston; Rabbi Sanford Marcus, rabbi emeritus of the Tree of Life Synagogue; and the Hindu American Foundation, a non-profit advocacy organization that provides a voice for over two million Hindu-Americans.

Rev. Monty Knight, pastor of First Christian Church in West Ashley and also head of the Charleston chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said he plans to vote no because he sees the amendment treading across the line separating church from state.

"I think it is a First Amendment issue.I think marriage in a secular society such as ours is a civil contract, and there's a difference between a civil contract and a moral commitment," he said.

While he approves of civil contracts for homosexual and heterosexual couples, he has refused to marry some heterosexual couples in his church because their understanding of marriage didn't meet his Christian standards.

"I suggested they find somebody else," he said.