According to a report from the New York Times, soon after President Obama made his announcement about gay marriage, he "gathered eight or so African-American ministers on a conference call to explain himself," WORLD News Service reports. The Rev. Delman Coates, the pastor of Mt. Ennon Baptist Church in Clinton, Md., who was on the call, said the call worked, and that those on it agreed to "work aggressively" on behalf of the president's campaign, despite the fact that "gay marriage is contrary to their understanding of Scripture," he said. The New York Times also said that "in the hours following Mr. Obama's politically charged announcement, the president and his team embarked on a quiet campaign to contain the possible damage among religious leaders and voters." Among those the White House called was Joel Hunter, a megachurch pastor in Florida, who told the president that "some of the faith communities are ... afraid this is an attack on religious liberty." Hunter said this decision made it more difficult to support Obama but that -- so far, at least -- he would continue to do so.
