While sharing in affirmation of the “conservative resurgence” of the late 20th century, three men vying to become president of the Southern Baptist Convention expressed different current priorities during a first-of-its-kind candidate forum May 4. The event at First Baptist…
The tragic tale of a sexual abuse case, a deacon ordination and the quest for control of the Southern Baptist Convention
We have written three drafts of a news story you’re not going to see published. Instead, I’m going to use this analysis column to explain how exceedingly complicated it is to address the challenges of sexual abuse and politics in…
SBC presidency is a three-way race again with Barber announcement
It took less than 24 hours to fill the gap left when Florida pastor Willy Rice pulled out of the race for Southern Baptist Convention president April 6. The three-way race became a two-way race and now once again is…
A surprising nominee for SBC presidency announced in a surprising way
The most conservative wing of the Southern Baptist Convention bypassed the denominational news service in favor of a conservative political outlet March 22 to announce its slate of two candidates for office when the SBC gathers this June. As if…
‘Bindergate’ story shows the behind-the-scenes struggle for unity versus strict orthodoxy in SBC
Southern Baptists were early to the cultural war over Critical Race Theory, but documents obtained by the Nashville Tennessean show the tightrope denominational leaders have walked trying to placate white ultra-conservatives while not running off Black conservatives. A Dec. 8…
SBC says church planters must pledge not to hire women as pastors just like they pledge not to drink alcohol
Faced with pressure from its rightward flank, the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board issued a statement Oct. 14 promising that “only qualified men” will “serve as the communicator for teaching and preaching” at church plants endorsed by NAMB….
New details emerge about how SBC Executive Committee wants to control the sexual abuse investigation, as outrage mounts among other Southern Baptist leaders
Less than a day after the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee again declined to follow the explicit request of convention messengers, the resulting governance meltdown spread to the leadership of other agencies who fear they will lose funding from SBC…
What the Critical Race Theory debate has to do with Professor Harold Hill
I’m not an expert on Critical Race Theory, and neither are you. So let’s all stop pretending we know so much more than we do. This term, which refers to an academic construct that originated in law schools, has become…
Southern Baptists are still obsessed with Critical Race Theory
The specter of Critical Race Theory loomed large over the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting June 15-16, yet no concrete actions to address it by name were taken. That delighted Southern Baptist pastors and leaders who believe months of debate…