As readers of Baptist News Global are aware, opponents of women in ministry often appeal to Scripture as the reason for women’s exclusion from pastoral leadership. Some well-meaning male ministers may even assert that if it were up to them,…
What my grandparents would think of the Southern Baptist Convention today
In 1998, I spent the spring and summer in Rogers, Ark., with my grandparents. I had graduated from college the year before and was floundering, so hanging out for five months with my three living grandparents was a blessing even…
Don’t be lulled by the failure of the Law Amendment
The narrow failure of the Law Amendment to receive two-thirds affirmation at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting should not give anyone a sense that women in ministry are welcome in the SBC. Nor should this vote — or any…
Dear Baptist women: ‘We see God’s image in you’
Baptist Women in Ministry offers appreciation to all the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention who voted against the Law amendment because of their commitment to support and affirm women serving as pastors of all kinds in the SBC. We are grateful…
Day before voting on Law Amendment, SBC removes church that is Mike Law’s neighbor
One day before the much-anticipated vote on a constitutional amendment that would clarify the Southern Baptist Convention’s rejection of women in ministry, messengers to the SBC annual meeting overwhelmingly kicked out another church for its “egalitarian” views. First Baptist Church…
The Law Amendment would force out this Georgia church, among others
Struggling against the powers that be in the Southern Baptist Convention is nothing new to Dunwoody Baptist Church in North Atlanta. In 1989 and 1990 when he ran as the last “moderate” candidate in the SBC presidential race, Daniel Vestal…
This is what support looks like: The First Baptist Richmond story
On May 19, First Baptist Church of Richmond, Va., made Baptist history by voting to leave the Southern Baptist Convention in support of women in ministry. Their decision wasn’t driven by hatred for the SBC or a desire to move…
Watching SBC men posture for position is exhausting
It’s exhausting to the soul. That’s what I’m feeling as I consider all the possible stories I could write regarding what white conservative men have planned for this year’s Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Indianapolis. Capturing most headlines is…
The Law Amendment may not be the most important action taken at next week’s SBC annual meeting
The Southern Baptist Convention has been at war with itself for more than 40 years, with each new battle promising uniformity that never materializes for long. This year’s SBC annual meeting, happening next week in Indianapolis, represents another major front…