Church backs moderator

Toronto - Canada's largest Protestant denomination, the United Church of Canada, has become a flashpoint for bitter debate among Canadian Christians after its leader, the Rev Bill Phipps, sparked nationwide debate in October when he said in a newspaper interview that he did not believe Christ was God, was bodily resurrected or was the only way to God. The controversy was heightened this week when the church's general council said it unanimously supported the embattled moderator and confirmed his comments fall "well within the spectrum of the United Church".