This week both the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary announced their perspective nominees for new leaders. The ERLC is bringing forth Evan Lenow, currently serving at Mississippi College with recent connections as…
Embattled ERLC looks toward a new leader
The man nominated to lead the embattled Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission believes “a married couple’s efforts to prevent pregnancy might be morally problematic.” Evan Lenow, an administrator at Mississippi College, is the nominee to lead the…
Will anyone in the SBC really speak against racism?
In 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a resolution apologizing for its past ties to systemic racism and repenting of its founding history rooted in support for slavery. In 2015, the SBC adopted a resolution vowing to “rededicate ourselves to…
ERLC quits Evangelical Immigration Table
The Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has broken ties with the Evangelical Immigration Table. The national group’s mission is “to encourage distinctly biblical thinking about issues of immigration” and advocate for “public policies consistent with biblical values.”…
With two leadership roles open, will SBC embrace a younger generation?
Wanted: Creative leaders who have a spine but are flexible enough to accommodate diverse opinions and changing political tides. Must be Southern Baptist. Only males need apply. With not-unexpected news of the resignation of Brent Leatherwood as president of the…
Leatherwood quits ERLC
The embattled president of the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee resigned July 31. Brent Leatherwood tendered his resignation with no apparent future employment lined up. He has been the lightning rod for criticism from the far right…
Here’s what didn’t happen at this year’s SBC meeting
The most notable thing about this year’s Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting is what didn’t happen. The convention did not advance a third try at the so-called Law Amendment that would enshrine a Constitutional ban on females in any role…
SBC annual meeting may be deja vu all over again
Note: For more discussion on the upcoming SBC annual meeting, check out the latest episode of BNG’s podcast “Stuck in the Middle with You.” In less than three weeks, messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting will descend…
Why Mohler is wrong about the ERLC
While it greatly pains me to contradict Southern Baptist Theological President Al Mohler, an evangelical and Southern Baptist leader I have held in highest esteem for most of my adult life, I feel compelled to offer a respectful rebuttal to…
‘As God is my witness,’ Mohler has changed his tune on ERLC
R. Albert Mohler Jr. has declared another holy war in the Southern Baptist Convention, as if the nation’s largest Protestant denomination needed more side skirmishes among its institutional leaders. In a recent wide-ranging and low-impact interview on the “Baptist21” podcast,…
ERLC under attack again, but with a twist: It has no Trump influence
An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Scott Colter as leader of the Center for Baptist Leadership. In fact, Colter retweeted the statement from the Center for Baptist Leadership, which is headed by William Wolfe. The far-right in…
Southern Baptist ethnic leaders call for compassion toward immigrants
More than a dozen Southern Baptist ethnic ministries have joined the chorus of other evangelical voices calling for immigration policies that protect religious freedom and show compassion toward migrants. A statement signed by the leaders of 13 ethnic groups aligned…