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The Scandal Tearing Apart America's Largest Protestant Denomination
the atlantic ^ | May 3, 2018 | Jonathan Merritt

Posted on 05/04/2018 5:38:58 PM PDT by Morgana

A denominational leader’s claim that abused women should remain in their broken marriages is forcing Southern Baptists to pick sides.

Over the past 20 years, the Southern Baptist Convention has weathered an onslaught of controversies, from renaming the denomination to repudiating the Confederate flag. But in the end, all it took to potentially rend the organization in two was a single quote about domestic violence from a solitary leader that most Americans have never even heard of.

Paige Patterson is the 75-year-old president of Fort Worth’s Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, which claims to be one of the largest schools of its kind in the world. He is lionized among Baptists for his role in the “conservative resurgence,” which is what some call the movement to oust theological liberals beginning in the 1970s. But this week, his past legacy and present credibility were called into question when a 2000 audio recording surfaced in which Patterson said he has counseled physically abused women to avoid divorce and to focus instead on praying for their violent husbands, and to “be submissive in every way that you can.”

Domestic-violence advocates quickly and unsurprisingly condemned the remarks, but, and as The Washington Post reported, it sent “leaders scrambling to respond.”

Some notable SBC leaders echoed concerns about Patterson’s comments and whether he should step down. Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, a book-publishing house and retail chain that is owned by the SBC, released a statement denouncing domestic abuse and calling out Patterson by name. Ed Stetzer, a former Southern Baptist employee who is currently a professor at Wheaton College, penned an article for Christianity Today arguing that Patterson must resign post-haste. Others, including theologian Albert Mohler and mega-church pastor Matt Chandler, also made statements condemning spousal abuse.

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Evangelical Christian
KEYWORDS: southernbaptists
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Anyone else heard this?
1 posted on 05/04/2018 5:38:58 PM PDT by Morgana
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To: Morgana

Yeah, when I want to hear about topics such as this I always look to the Atlantic. /s

Lol.


2 posted on 05/04/2018 5:42:33 PM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: Morgana

Ahhhhhh.....the Atlantic.

The Atlantic is filled with crabs, sewage and old wrecks.

It’s also the name of an ocean.


3 posted on 05/04/2018 5:42:53 PM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: ifinnegan; blueunicorn6; All

Actually never heard of this site, how I found out about this article? One of my Facebook pages posted it.

It’s called “Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (G.R.A.C.E.)”


4 posted on 05/04/2018 5:44:40 PM PDT by Morgana ( Always a bit of truth in dark humor.)
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To: Morgana

The ones that are doing the most complaining are the Godless heathens in the democrat party. These atheist are not members of the Baptist church.


5 posted on 05/04/2018 5:45:37 PM PDT by Flavious_Maximus
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To: Morgana

Baptists do not have a “leader”.... And he’s a moron. He styles himself a “conservative” but that’s in his mind. He’s one of those “earth is 4000 year old” types. Positions like that lead him to believe he is fighting “liberal influences” who think the earth is a bit older.


6 posted on 05/04/2018 5:46:30 PM PDT by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: ifinnegan

+1


7 posted on 05/04/2018 5:47:46 PM PDT by SoFloFreeper
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To: DesertRhino

“Baptists do not have a “leader”..........”

Dude am a bit lost. Which person from this article where you referring to? Several names were brought up and I have no idea who was “in charge”.


8 posted on 05/04/2018 5:51:31 PM PDT by Morgana ( Always a bit of truth in dark humor.)
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To: Morgana

If he really said this, it tells me he is an abuser.


9 posted on 05/04/2018 5:55:29 PM PDT by SendShaqtoIraq
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To: Morgana

You’ve never heard of The Atlantic?

Why, they have some of the best breakfast recipes ever.


10 posted on 05/04/2018 5:56:22 PM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: Morgana
Ed Stetzer, a former Southern Baptist employee who is currently a professor at Wheaton College, penned an article for Christianity Today arguing that Patterson must resign post-haste.

Seems like Wheaton College, once a bastion of Bible-centered Christianity, is being infiltrated. I suspected this several years ago when their football team stopped calling themselves the Crusaders because the term is offensive to Muslims.

11 posted on 05/04/2018 6:16:35 PM PDT by Fiji Hill
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To: Morgana
The modern definition of “abuse” is as fluid as gender. It entails genuine abuse but is now augmented with new offenses, such as saying “honey, I think you should lose some weight”.
 
12 posted on 05/04/2018 6:22:30 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie (MAGA in the mornin', MAGA in the evenin', MAGA at suppertime . . .)
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To: blueunicorn6

This is the first time I’ve read anything from them if I do recall. You know who I usually post from, and it’s not them!


13 posted on 05/04/2018 6:28:38 PM PDT by Morgana ( Always a bit of truth in dark humor.)
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To: blueunicorn6

LOL! Good one!


14 posted on 05/04/2018 6:39:29 PM PDT by wjcsux (The hyperventilating of the left means we are winning! (Tagline courtesy of Laz.))
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To: Morgana

I agree that some people are much too quick to pull the plug on a marriage.

Worse, the left insists that people pull the plug on the slightest pretext. At the same time, they keep elevating slighter and slighter pretexts to the level of grounds for divorce.

No deviation is permitted from leftist orthodoxy, and leftist orthodoxy on the issue of spousal abuse becomes more extreme every day.

However extreme it becomes, though, conservatives just follow right along. In our defense, it is a demonically clever ploy. It is destructive of the family, and yet there is no way to oppose it.


15 posted on 05/04/2018 7:05:39 PM PDT by dsc (Our system of government cannot survive one-party control of communications.)
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To: Morgana

These so called “churches” are all franchise operations. They pay royalty to the franchisor. They make hamburgers slightly different. Some boil the meat— some charbroil. Some use shredded lettuce or sour dill pickles. Some prohibit dancing or think they are “predestined”. Etc Etc. Save your money. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and you are absolutely saved forever. In fact , that is the only way to any eternal life.


16 posted on 05/04/2018 7:15:59 PM PDT by raiderboy (" weÂ’ll close down the country because we need border" DJT NOW !!)
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To: raiderboy

Right on right on. It is what God says in His Word to us.


17 posted on 05/04/2018 7:59:18 PM PDT by MHGinTN (A dispensational perspective is a powerful tool for discernment)
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To: raiderboy

These so called “churches” are all franchise operations.... Believe that Jesus is the Son of God and you are absolutely saved forever. In fact , that is the only way to any eternal life.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That is a pretty good post.

however you did leave out the parts about:
+ you can’t overcome the penalty of sin on your own,
+ and you must rely on the sacrifice that Jesus paid by his death

BTW - the original post was about that Patterson dude making a controversial statement about spouse abuse.


18 posted on 05/04/2018 8:04:09 PM PDT by Honest Nigerian
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To: Morgana
"...Tearing Apart America's Largest Protestant Denomination"

Wishful thinking by the atheists of "The Atlantic"...

Squabbles between self-proclaimed "Religious Leaders" have less effect on the spiritual lives of believers -- than pi$$ing contests between congresscritters have on patriotic citizens!

19 posted on 05/04/2018 8:04:24 PM PDT by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias; "0bama": Allah's stooge; "Moderate Muslims": Allah's useful idiots.)
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To: Morgana

All men are abusers, that’s the tone. I oppose violence, but nowadays a man can “trivialize women’s feelings” just by sitting with his knees spread apart. What is “abuse” when every man is de facto preseumed to be abusive?


20 posted on 05/04/2018 8:12:45 PM PDT by Marchmain (hagan lio?!?)
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