The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee won’t release details of its investigation into how its former interim president lied about his resume, and the person lined up to be the next interim president withdrew his name the day after he…
NAMB’s lies are worse than McLaurin’s, Will McRaney charges
A former Baptist executive who claims he was defamed by the leaders of a Southern Baptist Convention agency now says Baptists concerned about the fraudulent resume of Willie McLaurin should be more concerned about false witness offered under oath by…
SBC conducting internal investigation on McLaurin’s resume lies
The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee will launch an internal investigation into how its recently removed interim president deceived the denomination for years about his educational background and military service — both of which appear to be bogus. Although Executive…
Letter to the Editor: No one has the authority to deliver absolution to Willie McLaurin
Dear Editor: The Willie McLaurin story came at a very bad time for the SBC, even though it would be hard to find a recent time without turmoil. After spending much of my career as an expert in fraud and…
SBC Executive Committee has another interim president
The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee now has its third leader in 18 months. Jonathan Howe, vice president for communications, has been named interim president following the sudden resignation of Willie McLaurin last Friday. McLaurin was named interim president in…
We have to talk about race when it comes to Willie McLaurin
Willie McLaurin is my friend. However, he doesn’t get a pass from me for lying on his resume. I believe he set the influence of Black Southern Baptists back by two decades or more. If you would have asked me…
Interim president of SBC Executive Committee resigns, admits to falsifying resume
The interim president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee — recently considered a likely candidate for the permanent post — resigned abruptly Aug. 17. A statement from the chairman of Executive Committee trustees said McLaurin had falsified information on…
What went wrong at the SBC Executive Committee?
True confession: I have something in common with Adron Robinson. I, too, have chaired a failed search committee. But my experience was on a local-church level, not on a national denominational level. Nevertheless, I have more empathy for the chair…
SBC Executive Committee rejects nominee for president
In an unprecedented historical moment, trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee have rejected — by a wide margin — the nominee to become president of the powerful SBC coordinating group. Jared Wellman, pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church…
A storm is brewing ahead of the purported nomination of an SBC Executive Committee president on Monday
This story was updated Sunday afternoon, April 30, to include information published by Baptist Press. The nominee to become president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has drawn public opposition over the weekend even before his nomination was publicly…
SBC plans to release list of known sexual abusers in churches, refutes its own former general counsel
The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, hit hard by an independent investigation of mishandling of sexual abuse claims over the past two decades, wants to release a secret file with the names of 703 alleged clergy abusers, has repudiated a…
Against the odds, the SBC is experiencing a double-digit increase in giving
On the heels of a global pandemic and amid its own multi-faceted schism, the Southern Baptist Convention is experiencing something few could have predicted: Financial gifts to the SBC for the 2021-2022 fiscal year are up — way up. The…