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…
Female pastors: Appointed or apostate? Southern Baptists decide
What roles should women fill in Southern Baptist churches? Worship leader? Youth minister? Senior pastor? A group of Southern Baptists is convinced women who feel called to be pastors must have misunderstood God’s voice. These Southern Baptists will try to…
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…
Dear Southern Baptists, if ‘all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy,’ then listen to all of Scripture
When messengers from churches of the Southern Baptist Convention assemble in New Orleans for their annual meeting this week, they will consider an appeal from Saddleback Church of California to reverse its expulsion over the ordination of female ministers. (See…
Rick Warren is leading a one-man campaign against the very SBC leaders who once admired him
These days, Rick Warren has become a thorn in the side of Southern Baptist leaders who once admired and celebrated him. From his perspective, he’s simply leading a one-man crusade to return to basic Baptist principles. From the perspective of…
The rhetorical genius of Rick Warren
I look forward to Rick Warren addressing the Southern Baptist Convention at its annual meeting in New Orleans, June 13-14. Warren deserves more credit for his decision to publicly dissent from the SBC ruling expelling the church he founded from…
Is Rick Warren reviving the fight against the fundamentalist takeover of the SBC?
Rick Warren announced a couple of weeks ago that he will appeal the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee’s decision to disfellowship Saddleback Church. In the past few days, Warren has grabbed a bullhorn and “taken to the streets,” so to…
An open letter to all Southern Baptists
Editor’s Note: Rick Warren published this open letter Friday, June 2, and sent it to various media outlets, including BNG. Rather than write a news story about the letter, we decided to run the full letter as an opinion piece….
A primer on why Southern Baptists are fighting over women in ministry once again
Casual observers might have thought the Southern Baptist Convention settled its position on women in ministry 30 years ago. Turns out, that’s not the case at all. An issue that was explosive for the SBC during the heyday of its…