A Rose By Any Other Name

Stories about Baptist fussing and fighting are nothing new. What is new about the story from northern Georgia is the reason. Some of the of the folks in Gwinnett are upset about the recent vote to change the name of the local Baptist church there. Among the new names offered for the one hundred fifty year old church are: Oak View, Fort Daniel, Hamilton Mill, Mill Creek or Oak Hill.

The old name? Hog Mountain Baptist Church. Senior minister Barney Williams says a different name will attract more people to the church, which averages about 50 to 65 people for Sunday services. 'Sides that, Rev. Williams says that in the Bible, hogs are associated with sin. Sin, or no sin, the change has upset some older folks, like Charles Warbington, 65, who was a faithful member of Hog Mountain Baptist Church for 55 years. "All the old people around here, their hearts are broken," Warbington told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "You can change the name, but you can't change history. What're they going to do with the historic marker? Change it?"

'Course Mr. Warbington left Hog Mountain back in 1994 for a megachurch down the road.