Posted on 06/14/2021 4:02:19 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
As Southern Baptists prepare for their biggest annual meeting in more than a quarter-century, accusations that leaders have shielded churches from claims of sexual abuse and simmering tensions around race threaten to once again mire the nation’s largest Protestant denomination in a conflict that can look more political than theological.
More than 16,000 voting delegates are pre-registered for the two-day gathering that starts on Tuesday in Nashville. Southern Baptist Convention members have been a powerful force in conservative Republican politics for a generation. This year’s convention follows weeks of internal controversies stoked by leaked letters, secret recordings and video rebuttals.
Despite claiming 14 million members, the denomination has been in decline for 14 years. Adding to long-term membership losses have been the recent loud departures of its top public policy official, a mega-selling author and several prominent Black clergy over issues that include sexual abuse, racism and the treatment of women.
Key votes on who leads the convention and where it stands on these issues will not only set the denomination’s direction but determine whether more people head for the exits, including Black clergy who see the denomination regressing on racial issues.
Controversy is not new to SBC meetings, but this year it has reached a fever pitch thanks to leaked letters from Russell Moore, who resigned two weeks ago as head of the denomination’s powerful public policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Moore was a staunch advocate for abuse victims and an ally of the denomination’s Black pastors.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Definitely a hit piece. Russell Moore is pit viper. His version of compassion for abuse victims is accepting millions in tax money for illegals. He’s also advocated aspects of critical race theory be accepted. The resistance to CRT is one reason some blacks are leaving.
We are witnessing the separation of wheat from chaff.
The Wall Street Journal weighs in with their hit piece—
‘Our Lord Isn’t Woke.’ Southern Baptists Clash Over Their Future.
By Ian Lovett
June 11, 2021 3:24 pm ET
This article is in your queue.Open Queue
Evangelical Christians were a regular presence in the Trump White House. They laid hands on the president as they prayed for him, stood at his shoulder as he signed executive orders, and saw vindication for their support in his antiabortion policies and conservative judicial appointments.
Now, the Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s largest and most influential evangelical denomination, is at war over what direction it will take after the Trump presidency.
What leaked letters?
Leaked letters from whom to whom else?
Leaked letters from whom to whom that said what?
Bkmk
And they love to act as though the SBC has some sort of centralized power that it doesn’t. The SBC is a mere cooperative for missions, printed materials, etc. But it does not have the slightest power over any individual church.
They want it badly but it’s not in the cards.
Catholics circled the wagons in a similar manner years ago. Instead of addressing the issues, they kicked the can down the road. It has not been helpful.
The atheist AP is salivating, hoping for the worst.
While the individual churches are independent, you left out one thing on what the SBC provides as services to the churches. That is the seminaries. The seminaries are going woke. Even Al Mohler is now going woke and about to fall into the Russell Moore camp.
This will be a critical meeting for the SBC. This could be the last chance to clean house.
Otherwise I am heavily leaning towards IFB. If the SBC doesn’t change course, especially with the seminaries, it will be promoting a different false gospel.
The individual churches must reduce the funding of the headshed.
Squeeze out the bad apples.
Leaked letters?
What leaked letters?
Leaked letters from whom to whom else?
Leaked letters from whom to whom that said what?
****** I guess they haven’t written them yet!!!
MSM/Progressive Memo:
Our successes so far...
Catholic Church... check
NRA... check
Boy Scouts... check.
Now as to those damned Southern Baptists...
Therein lies the problem. BIG is bad. Big Government, Big Pharma, Big Tech and even Big Religion.
Southern Baptists aren’t as conservative or as Christian as many people are led to believe.
Southern Baptists: Get woke, go broke.
Russell Moore, Beth Moore, and the black pastors who left are all heretics. They needed to go. Critical Race Theory is just a racist version of Marxism, which is inherently atheist.
I do not trust Al Mohler. He brought in the communist Russell Moore and protected him for years. The seminaries are definitely a big problem.
Tennessee has banned CRT.
It would appear not.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.