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Religion Professor Roger Sneed comments on church split

Roger Sneed, Department of Religion.

Last updated January 26, 2026
Published June 14, 2023

By Tina Underwood


Amid descension over LGBTQ+ issues and marriage equality in the United Methodist Church, more than 100 South Carolina Methodist churches are splitting off. FOX Carolina turned to Roger Sneed, chair and professor of religion at Furman University, for comment. “I think it’s a big deal,” he said. “I think anytime denominations get into debates about sexual orientation and gender identity it’s always a big deal.” It’s one that has been ongoing for 30 years, he said. “I think if we did a plot of when churches break up or split, there might be a kind of parallel shifting in society.”

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