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Student Claims Dismissal from FCA Prompted by Vote for Kerry
A student at Carson-Newman College says he was removed from leadership in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes after telling a chapter president he was voting for John Kerry.

That contradicts official reports from FCA leaders, who say the matter has been resolved and had nothing to do with politics.

Asked last month to respond to rumors about the flap, Joshua Sonoga, an east Tennessee regional FCA staff member who volunteers as a kicking coach for the Carson-Newman football team, told EthicsDaily.com the dispute was not over politics but rather theological issues that he declined to disclose.

That prompted the student in question, who had not answered previous e-mails on the topic, to write a lengthy response labeling Sonoga’s explanation “an absurd lie.”

John Dalton told EthicsDaily.com that he confronted chapter co-president Matt Sexton privately because he felt FCA meetings were too political. Dalton said he knew from comments made at the meetings that Sexton was supporting President Bush, and the other co-president, Brady Tarr, had passed out Bush pins at the front door of FCA meetings.

After he informed Sexton of his political views and his plans to vote for Kerry, Dalton said his friend sought to change his mind, criticizing not only Kerry’s views on abortion and homosexuality but other issues including his healthcare plan.

Two days later, Sexton called and asked for another meeting, where he told Dalton he had prayed about it and reached a conclusion that Dalton’s “spiritual discernment” was incorrect because of the way he was going to vote.

Dalton said Sexton quoted evangelicals who said a person could not vote for John Kerry and be right with God and told him there were two options in the election for a Christian: “to vote for Bush or not to vote at all.”...