Southern Baptists aren’t the only U.S. denomination struggling with how to prevent and respond to clergy sexual abuse. The Presbyterian Church in America — the more conservative wing of U.S. Presbyterianism — finds itself in a knot as well. An…
In other news, the SBC is not threatened by AI but is threatened by transgender people
Amid all the headlines about the Southern Baptist Convention’s stance against women in ministry last week, other actions that would have made headlines in a normal year fell from view. Two such actions came in the form of resolutions among…
Belmont says no to Promise Keepers after warning of ‘mutilated bodies’ in anti-trans post
Spreading “biblical” hate speech about transgender people apparently got Promise Keepers booted from using a venue at Belmont University for a fall event. Although details are sketchy and contested, the bottom line appears to be that the evangelical men’s organization…
At this Baptist gathering, there will be no debate about women preaching
The national media won’t be on hand, and there aren’t likely to be hot debates over women in ministry when the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship gathers in Atlanta next week for its General Assembly. The largest of two breakaway groups from…
What’s happening with church budgets and personnel expenses in a post-pandemic world?
When rethinking church budgets in a post-pandemic world, one old-fashioned rule still applies: Every situation is unique. While some church leaders may be tempted to seek ready-made formulas to guide their new-world budgeting, that’s never been a great idea, according…
Picking up the pieces of the SBC
An email pen pal wrote me this weekend to point out the irony of the Southern Baptist Convention’s actions last week against women in church leadership: “Do we realize a 20-year-old boy in college can pastor a Baptist church? But…
AWAB decries Uganda’s anti-gay law as ‘another step backward’
Uganda’s strict new anti-gay law is “another step backward for the ever-growing LGBTQ community of Uganda and the whole of Africa,” according to the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Same-sex relations already were illegal in Uganda, but the new…
Anti-egalitarian forces make clean sweep at SBC annual meeting
Anti-egalitarian forces in the Southern Baptist Convention made a clean sweep of their agenda to exclude women from serving as pastors of any kind in SBC churches. In the process, they affirmed the expulsion of the denomination’s largest church and…
Barber easily wins re-election as SBC president
Faced with an unprecedented opponent in his quest for a second term as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Texas pastor Bart Barber handily won reelection Tuesday, June 13. The congenial pastor-farmer who was a late entry into the race…
Saddleback and Fern Creek churches face off against Al Mohler at SBC meeting
By appearances, the deck was stacked against Linda Barnes Popham and Rick Warren before they ever took the microphone at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting Tuesday, June 13. Just an hour or so before, the nearly 13,000 messengers to…
In irregular move, SBC Executive Committee puts forward a proposal it doesn’t want to pass
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee doesn’t favor a proposed constitutional amendment banning female pastors but wants messengers to the SBC annual meeting to vote on it anyway. During a June 12 meeting in New Orleans one day before the…
Rick Warren apologizes to women for his previous views on church leadership
In the runup to the biggest theological fight of his life this week, Rick Warren has issued a public apology to “Christian women.” “My biggest regret in 53 years of ministry is that I didn’t do my own personal exegesis…