Black clergy walk a fine line between religious liberty, discrimination

c. 2015 Religion News Service

(RNS) Since the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is constitutional, Jerry Young has been in a quandary.

As the president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, a predominantly black denomination, he is grappling with a new reality: how to respond to the specter of discrimination against gay and lesbian people. While he doesn’t support same-sex marriage, the refusal of some religious bakers and florists to provide services to gay and lesbian people prompts memories of racially segregated hotels and restaurants.