BIRMINGHAM, England -- Former President Jimmy Carter said the Southern Baptist Convention is led by men who are "devout and sincere," but want "to keep women in their place." Carter led Sunday's Bible study at the Baptist World Congress in Birmingham, England, which was attended by an estimated 12,000 Baptists from around the world. He lamented the absence of the Southern Baptist Convention, which dropped out of the Baptist World Alliance last year, citing alleged liberal tendencies. But the former president said Southern Baptists and other conservative churches misuse Scripture to deny women an equal opportunity to serve as ministers.
