Church leaders at Red Bank Baptist Church in Lexington, South Carolina have announced that the statue of Jesus Christ at the facade of its building will be donated to another church following a vote to remove the display for being too "Catholic in nature."
Earlier this month, the congregation voted 131 to 40 to remove the statue due to concerns that it is being perceived as a Catholic icon.
In a letter sent to the artist, Bert Baker Jr., church officials explained that his work was being removed because it is "bringing into question the theology and core values of Red Bank Baptist Church."
The statue, which has stood at the church's facade for 11 years, was reportedly commissioned after a vote by a women's Sunday school class. According to The State, the Sunday school class was also instrumental in the decision to take down the display.
Jeff Wright, a pastor at Red Bank Baptist, noted that the statue will be donated to another church, but declined to mention the name of the recipient.
"We are working with a local church that wants to take it. They will remove it when they decide to. But I don't know when that might be," he said, as reported by The State.
Baker expressed his disappointment at the decision to remove his work. He argued that there has never been any confusion about the church's theology among members of the Red Bank community.
He also lamented that the Catholic Church has been singled out, noting that it has been presented as "deficient in theology and lacking in Christian core values."
"I'm not interested in stirring the pot, but people not liking it because it looked too Catholic is crazy, man," he told The State. "The Jesus I serve is not on the front of the building. He lives in my heart," he added.
In his response letter to Red Bank Baptist officials, Baker requested that the statue be donated to another church or be sold to fund missions.
Wright said that the church is still facing some problems about the removal of the display, as the monument could break into pieces upon removal.
The pastor said that the church will not change its stance, and insisted that it was "not a social justice issue."
"It's a church governance issue. It has nothing to do with the community. We're not being unjust to anyone. ... We just want to be able to worship the way our doctrine asks and let others worship the way their doctrine asks," he added.
