When white male pastors challenge Black female leaders

Supporters of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists expressed surprise and shock when leaders of the American Baptist Churches in the USA recently sent a cease-and-desist letter asking to be removed as a “partner” on AWAB’s website.

The original news story explains the context of that event, but it’s the story behind the story that’s more important. For obvious reasons, nobody really wants to talk on the record about all this, so I’m going to attempt to explain it based on conversations with several folks who have firsthand knowledge of what’s going on.

Perhaps the easiest part to explain is that the ABCUSA had operated with a loose definition of what it meant to be a “partner” with the denomination. That created an opening for an attack on AWAB, although not a new opportunity. And that’s part of what matters here.

AWAB was formed three decades ago by American Baptists. Not by the denomination itself but by individuals and churches affiliated with ABCUSA. All the other Baptists were late to the game on this. You can see how AWAB might feel like it’s a partner with American Baptists even if the denomination doesn’t feel the same way.

The bottom line is AWAB did not suddenly claim “partner” status with the ABCUSA. It has made that claim for years. However, two other recent changes appear to factor into the new concern from a small group of all-white male ministers.

“AWAB did not suddenly claim ‘partner’ status with the ABCUSA.”

The first is that this summer AWAB merged with the Affirming Network of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. That was significant because CBF — which has its own divided mind on LGBTQ inclusion — finally was willing to be publicly identified with AWAB.

The second is that ABCUSA’s two top leaders now are Black women. Gina Jacobs-Strain is the newly elected general secretary of the denomination and Nikita McCalister is the newly elected president.

Gina Jacobs-Strain

Nikita G. McCalister

AWAB supporters believe it is not coincidental that a renewed attack on LGBTQ inclusion was launched when two Black women came to leadership and not earlier — even though the facts of the case were mainly the same. They see this as a not-so-subtle form of racism and gender bias. White men typically think they can exercise authority over Black women.

With both women fresh in their offices, they received a two-page letter from a group of 10 white male ministers: Aaron Kilburn of ABC Dakotas, Al Fletcher of ABC Maine, Andy Quient of ABC LA Southwest Hawaii, Brian Johnson of ABC Michigan, Charles Revis of ABC Northwest, Mark Click of ABC Ohio, Mark Thompson of ABC Indiana Kentucky, Mike Sisson of West Virginia Baptist Convention, Ron Bouthillette of ABC Vermont New Hampshire, and Steve Bills of ABC Central Pacific Coast.

Within the last three weeks, copies of that undated letter have begun circulating on social media and via email distribution. This is the letter that reportedly set off an evaluation of all entities that claim to be “partners” with ABCUSA.

But the letter is explicitly aimed at AWAB. It states with underlined letters: “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”

That’s a quote from a 1992 ABCUSA resolution on sexuality these ministers want to enforce in the denomination today.

For whatever reason, the denomination has not made any other official policy statement on sexuality since 1992 — 32 years ago.

“The denomination has not made any other official policy statement on sexuality since 1992.”

Consider how much has changed in the last 32 years in American life and in our understanding of sexuality, in biblical scholarship, in court rulings, in the real-life experiences of same-sex couples and in the reality of a whole lot of American Baptists.

It’s not hard to understand why ABCUSA might not have wanted to take up the contentious issue of LGBTQ inclusion more recently. Southern Baptists have cornered the market on the other side, passing resolution after resolution damning gay people and denouncing same-sex marriage. Perhaps the ABC folks thought they could just let the parade pass by.

If you were to ask most Southern Baptists what they know of American Baptists, you’d likely hear them described as more “liberal” Baptists. But that label isn’t universally true. American Baptists are a much more diverse group than the rest of us understand — defined often by region, church size and history.

And that’s the fracture now on display in the debate over whether AWAB should be a “partner” with the denomination.

“It is harmful and confusing for ABCUSA to appear to support or partner with an organization whose stated purpose for existing is to advocate directly against an American Baptist resolution,” the letter declares.

It adds: “Several of our regions have already lost congregations and are facing the imminent loss of more congregations and of entire associations due to the perception that ABCUSA is in partnership with AWAB in opposition to both the clear teaching of Scripture and to the American Baptist resolution on homosexuality.”

The first question these male ministers ought to answer is why they’re just now raising these concerns. What changed to make them act now? The only thing that appears to have changed is the skin color and gender of the leaders in charge.

And the question everyone in the ABCUSA ought to answer is whether they want to keep living under a 33-year-old resolution on sexuality that is outdated and reads like it could have been written by the SBC.

Meanwhile, AWAB is unhindered in its work. It is expanding, adding members, growing income and gaining influence across denominational lines. It doesn’t need the ABCUSA’s official partnership to survive. That’s an idea that would have been popular in, say, 1992.