Southern Baptist Convention
40 years in the making: A timeline of the Southern Baptists’ sexual abuse crisis
By Adelle M. Banks — May 23, 2022
(RNS) — Controversy over the Southern Baptist Convention’s handling of sexual abuse began long before 2000, when a new, scathing report takes up the story.
Alleged assault by former SBC president may be most damaging part of explosive report
By Yonat Shimron — May 23, 2022
(RNS) — Johnny Hunt, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and longtime Georgia megachurch pastor, has denied the allegations he sexually assaulted another pastor's wife.
Southern Baptists’ abuse report is no call for reform. It’s a repudiation of the past 40 years.
By Jonathan Merritt — May 23, 2022
(RNS) — Scapegoating a handful of leaders won’t bring the transformation the SBC needs.
As Roe’s potential fall nears, abortion abolitionists turn on ‘pro-life elites’
By Bob Smietana — May 19, 2022
(RNS) — Abortion abolitionists, including a leading candidate for SBC president, want an end to abortion, with no exceptions, and say women who have illegal abortions should face murder charges.
Montana pastor J.D. Hall, Pulpit&Pen founder, charged with DUI, carrying weapon
By Bob Smietana — May 16, 2022
(RNS) — Hall, a firebrand polemicist known for his take-no-prisoners approach in attacking liberals, offered to resign as pastor of his church. The church claims he suffers from a vitamin deficiency.
Measuring COVID-19’s effect: Southern Baptists report 19% attendance drop
By Adelle M. Banks — May 12, 2022
(RNS) — Beyond a rise in baptisms, the only other growth Southern Baptists saw in 2021 was in financial giving.
Southern Baptists may cheer DeSantis’ war on Disney but don’t expect a boycott
By Yonat Shimron — April 27, 2022
(RNS) — Younger Southern Baptist pastors, while holding the same traditional positions on gender roles, are not as eager to jump headlong into the culture wars.
Bart Barber enters Southern Baptist presidential race after another pastor withdraws
By Adelle M. Banks — April 8, 2022
(RNS) — Bart Barber said he determined that perhaps he could do more than be ‘a pastor with a Twitter account.’
Southern Baptist leaders stress unity, trust during drama-free meeting
By Bob Smietana — February 22, 2022
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — During Monday's meeting, Baptist leaders tried to put the divisive tone of past meetings behind them.
What to expect at this week’s Southern Baptist Executive Committee meeting
By Bob Smietana — February 21, 2022
NASHVILLE (RNS) — A group of Southern Baptist leaders meets this week in Nashville, months after a series of contentious meetings over an abuse investigation.
Willie McLaurin, interim Executive Committee leader, is SBC’s first Black entity head
By Adelle M. Banks — February 1, 2022
(RNS) — ‘My prayer is that this season will bring healing and unity to our Convention,’ said the new interim president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
How 2021 collapsed the divide between religion and politics
By Jacob Lupfer — December 29, 2021
(RNS) — As religion recedes as a force in American public life, politics has co-opted faith for its own purposes.
A pro-democracy faith movement is forming. Will it be enough?
By Jacob Lupfer — December 17, 2021
(RNS) — The Scriptures say little about voting rights, leaving faith groups struggling to inspire activism.
Preemptive Love charity accused of abusive leadership, misleading donors
By Kathryn Post — December 17, 2021
(RNS) — 'I cannot sit by and watch you preach peace while you bully, gaslight, and abuse the peacemakers on your team until they give up and quit,' one former employee wrote.
Here’s how Southern Baptist women found ways to lead outside the denomination
By Susan M. Shaw — December 14, 2021
(The Conversation) — Many Southern Baptist women who left the denomination took leadership roles in other churches, educational institutions and organizations.
