Southern Baptist Convention
Baptist and Catholic leaders grapple with similar problems in different ways
By Thomas Reese — June 16, 2021
(RNS) — They could not be more different, but they face similar problems, from sex abuse to Trump.
Southern Baptist pastor: Minister accused of abusing a dozen boys never investigated
By Yonat Shimron — June 15, 2021
(RNS) — Pastor Troy Bush wanted to find out who else a minister at Trinity Baptist Church in Ashburn, Georgia, had sexually abused. The SBC declined to inquire about the church.
Ed Litton, a pastor known for racial reconciliation, is surprise winner for SBC president
By Bob Smietana — June 15, 2021
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — Litton, an Alabama pastor known for his work on racial reconciliation, is a relative unknown despite serving in several prominent SBC posts since the early 2000s.
Debates on sex abuse, critical race theory front and center at first day of SBC meeting
By Adelle M. Banks — June 15, 2021
(RNS) — As Baptists arrived to choose from at least four candidates who might serve as the next SBC president, leaders urged prayer for the conduct of the meeting and for unity.
Who are the Southern Baptists and why is their 2021 annual meeting so divided?
By Ryan Burge — June 15, 2021
(RNS) — Skirmishes over race and gender pit conservatives against ultraconservatives.
A guide to what’s at stake at the Southern Baptist Convention’s historic annual meeting
By Paul O'Donnell — June 15, 2021
(RNS) — A one-stop update on what will be decided in Nashville, and how the Southern Baptists arrived at their crossroads on race, gender and sexual abuse.
Black SBC leader urges African American fellowship to stay the course
By Adelle M. Banks — June 15, 2021
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — ‘I want to encourage you before you do anything, seek the will of God,’ said the Rev. Marshal Ausberry Sr.
Gavel named for slaveholder replaced with one recalling missionary at SBC meeting
By Adelle M. Banks — June 15, 2021
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — SBC President J.D. Greear is showing ‘the need for continuing to move from the past that we had to the present that we’re in,’ says a SBC historian.
In this crucial moment, Southern Baptist chief executive Ronnie Floyd is in over his head
By Benjamin Cole — June 15, 2021
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — The SBC's chief executive is increasingly hearing calls for his resignation.
At Founders event, Southern Baptists urged to choose Bible over ‘paganism,’ CRT
By Bob Smietana — June 15, 2021
(RNS) — Critics of the current leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention say the nation’s largest Protestant denomination has ‘forgotten God.’
SBC Executive Committee rejects request for system-wide abuse inquiry
By Adelle M. Banks — June 14, 2021
(RNS) — Another committee member argued against a fellow member’s request, saying there is no one in the SBC who favors sex abuse.
Why the SBC attacks on critical race theory are a good sign
By Andre Henry — June 14, 2021
(RNS) — It's no time to lament that patrons of racist progress are fighting back.
Sex abuse survivors call for system-wide audit of Southern Baptist Convention
By Yonat Shimron — June 14, 2021
(RNS) — The group of eight survivors wants the convention to go beyond the review of the Executive Committee that was announced last week.
Southern Baptist Convention’s focus on mission recalls history of promoting white dominance
By Janel Kragt Bakker — June 14, 2021
(The Conversation) — The SBC is meeting amid divisions, controversy and dwindling numbers. But in pushing rhetoric over its theological mission, the denomination is tapping into a history of white supremacy.
From abortion and porn to women and race: How Southern Baptist Convention resolutions have evolved
By Ryan Burge — June 12, 2021
(The Conversation) — A religion data analyst scraped the texts of all Southern Baptist resolutions over the last 150 years. Here's what he found.
