Protesters want voucher funding stripped from church school over pastor's comments on rape
Residents in North Carolina's Union County have gathered the last two Sundays in protest of a pastor who made controversial comments about rape, with some calling into question government voucher funding his church's private school receives.
Pastor Bobby Leonard, the 85-year-old longtime leader of Bible Baptist Tabernacle in Monroe, issued an apology last month after a clip of an August 2023 sermon in which he said he wouldn't convict a man for raping a woman who was wearing shorts if he served on a jury went viral.
Since then, the church has faced protests by community members who shared their distaste for what they view as unacceptable and dangerous rhetoric.
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"I'm appalled and indignant," one community member, Rebecca Frick, told a local news outlet WCNC Charlotte.
"We don't like [what he said]," another demonstrator named Sanders told WCNC. "We're done with it, so he needs to be gone."
Specifically, protesters are upset that Tabernacle Christian School, affiliated with the church, receives funds through the state's private school voucher program.
State lawmakers created the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship program in 2013 to award scholarships based on a family's household income. The scholarships can be used to pay tuition and fees so students can attend eligible private schools of their choosing.
According to the NC State Education Assistance Authority, Tabernacle Christian School is among dozens of eligible private schools that students and families can choose from for an opportunity scholarship.
The NC Education Assistance Authority displays how Tabernacle Christian received over $900,000 of the over $184 million the state dished out for its state voucher program for the 2023-2024 school year. The state distributed just over $5 million for eligible students in Union County.
Local Callie Price told the outlet that she is displeased with how the funds are being used to support the church and the pastor.
"Why should our money go into this school?" Callie Price told WCNC.
"This church that preaches this message, and is not protecting women and children, and is promoting rape culture, and it's just something we've got to stand up against in this community."
Demonstrators said they plan to continue to protest until action is taken.
"We need accountability for this man and leadership and these people in leadership for these statements," Price noted to WCNC.
"They need to be held accountable."
"I want to take our tax dollar dollars out of this school because I'm not paying for a school that has an environment for rapists and sexual assault," Sanders added.
In response to the controversy, Bible Baptist Tabernacle posted an apology message from Leonard on its marquee sign in front of the church.
"I am sorry for any hurt, I was wrong," the sign stated.
The clip of Leonard's sermon, which was reportedly recorded in August 2023, was first shared by Bad Sermons on Instagram on Feb. 20. It went viral after it was shared by The Roys Report founder Julie Roys in a post that has received over 3.4 million views.
"Yes, a man is a man — not an animal. And HE is responsible for controlling himself. This pastor needs to resign," Roys wrote in a post on X.
Nicole VanDyke is a reporter for The Christian Post.
