Posted on 04/22/2024 5:32:26 AM PDT by Morgana
No wonder the denomination is in such shambles and on the brink of irrelevancy and death. In a recent report released by Lifeway Research and conducted by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS), a staggering 26 percent of Southern Baptists are registered as Democrats, which signals a drastic ideological shift within a denomination formerly known for its conservative theological and political beliefs.
This startling statistic from the SWBTS’s recent report demonstrates a critical and expanding fault line within the SBC, marking a drift towards the very liberalism the denomination fought hard to purge during the “conservative resurgence” of the 1980s.
This resurgence, which once seemed to fortify the SBC against secular influences and liberal theology, is now unraveling. The past decade, under leaders like Russell Moore, a former Democrat staffer who once headed the denomination’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), has witnessed a gradual but increasingly unmistakable erosion of the SBC’s conservative values. Moore’s tenure and influence reflect a broader acceptance of progressive ideologies that are opposed to the SBC’s historical commitments to biblical inerrancy and orthodox Christian doctrines.
Thanks to weak-minded men and limp-wristed leaders—leaders like David Platt, Russell Moore, and others, who promote ideological pluralism in the Church rather than being of one accord, as the Scriptures command—today’s SBC, despite a majority that still professes conservative values, is increasingly lenient towards aberrant political and theological views. This has allowed progressive philosophies to take root and flourish within the denomination, subtly undermining its doctrinal integrity. Movements like “Racial Reconciliation” and “Living Out” have introduced and normalized ideas that are more closely aligned with secular or liberal Christian movements than with Scripture.
The acceptance of Democrat-aligned members into the SBC not only contradicts the denomination’s longstanding conservative ethos but also raises alarms about its future direction. The Bible’s teachings are clear and non-negotiable on issues central to the Democrat agenda, such as the push to increase access to abortion, the redefinition of marriage and sexual indoctrination of children, including the push for sex changes for elementary-aged children, and the role of personal responsibility in societal structure. Yet, these biblical truths are being overshadowed by a rising tide of leftist ideologies that compromise the very core of Southern Baptist identity.
The implications of this shift are grave—the SBC risks following the path of the mainline Protestant denominations that have abandoned Scripture and embraced leftism to become increasingly irrelevant—or worse, completely apostate. The infiltration of progressivism into the SBC threatens not just the theological purity but also the cultural and social impact of the Southern Baptist Convention.
But what else should we expect when the denominational leadership focuses more on what the world thinks of them than they are about being obedient and true to God’s word?
SBC ain’t what it used to be....................
Sure ain’t
26% of 13 mil.
Big whoop.
BTW, if enough Dems still voted in lockstep with Deep State, Deep State wouldn’t have to steal elections would it?
>Seems to me back in the 1980’s this would have been unheard of.
Actually, a lot of southern whites were fervent Democrats back then. The Mississippi and Alabama state houses didn’t become republican until 2010.
“History ain’t what it used to be.” - Yogi Berra....................
What changed is a total mystery.
“However, in recent years, some black churches have affiliated with the SBC, such as Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago,”
Is the 26% number “staggering” because it is so high or so low?
One cannot be Christian AND Democrat. Not anymore.
What are they thinking? geez
The little-mentioned factoid that the Black churches that have joined the Southern Baptist organization are 99.9% Democrat. This explains the shift. The article wants the public to believe that people of faith are abandoning Republicans for the commies.
I think it’s partly due to the effect of Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Church methodology.
Similarly, there might be a little nuance in here. I don’t know...but there might be. One urban megachurch (SBC) I’m very familiar with is both very conservative/Biblical, and exceptionally integrated racially. I don’t think any of us would have any issues with where the pulpit/teaching lands on anything. But....there are a LOT (majority? plurality?) of non-white faces. I was there the weekend after Roe v Wade as the comments were entirely appropriate: #1) gratitude, and #2) now the real work of the church begins. We would not disagree with any of that.
In any event, if anyone is in this church and is supportive of the dem agenda, then it’s in spite of the church’s active teaching. Perhaps in time they will grow in knowledge and faith and abandon the Dem agenda. That said....what if a small revolution started within the Dem camp led by a few sociall conservative minorities rising up within their ranks?
I’m not trying to create a dispute here. But I am trying to contend with the data that I have personally observed and I am trying to understand what will happens/is happening in a large, urban fully Biblical largely non-white congregation with many functioning ministries that deliver real value to the city.
“Actually, a lot of southern whites were fervent Democrats back then. The Mississippi and Alabama state houses didn’t become republican until 2010.”
Damn right. 26% of SBs being Democrats in the 1980s would have been an incredibly LOW percentage. The number was surely more like 80%, perhaps higher.
Much ado about nothing.
see my post #14. Also if you have any data on the number of black baptist churches linking with SBC, that would be good context.
to elaborate on my post. I wouldn’t personally view emphasizing one or two weeks a year as “racial reconciliation” as liberal. As long as it is Biblically driven, I think it is good and appropriate. Not every sermon is equally applicable to every Christian. I don’t need a sermon on racial reconciliation. But I can imagine that some do.
Prior to Ronald Reagan the % was much higher and most of them voted Democrat.
You hit the nail on the head. A lot of the SBC church population is black. And for whatever reason, blacks fly to Dims like moths to a flame.
#27 in the 45 Goals of Communism in America. They warned us what their plan was, and we’ve let them implement it.
There are a few in my Baptist Church, very few but it is well below 26% I would think that number is about right for city churches led by some moderate thinking so called preacher
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