Trump will speak to a Christian group that calls for abortion to be 'eradicated entirely'
Donald Trump is scheduled to address a Christian group that calls for abortion to be โeradicated entirely,โ as the Republican frontrunner has repeatedly taken credit for the overturning of national abortion rights but said he wants to leave the issue to the states.
Southern Baptist agency says U.S. investigation into sexual abuse has ended with 'no further actionโ
A leader in the Southern Baptist Convention says the U.S. Department of Justice has ended its investigation of a top denominational agency's handling of sexual abuse and doesnโt anticipate further action.
Southern Baptist Convention sex abuse report: 44 women made allegations against Jacksonville pastor
Top administrative leaders for the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in America, said Tuesday that they will release a secret list of hundreds of pastors and other church-affiliated personnel accused of sexual abuse.
Southern Baptists pick president who worked for racial unity
The Southern Baptist Convention has tamped down a push from the right at its largest meeting in decades, electing a new president who has worked to bridge racial divides in the church and defeating an effort to make an issue of critical race theory.
Secret recordings show Southern Baptist dispute on sex abuse
Releases of leaked letters and secret recordings from within the Southern Baptist Convention are intensifying as critics seek to show top leaders were slow to address sexual abuse and worried more about its reputation and donations than about victims.
Growing number of Southern Baptist women question roles
FILE - In this Tuesday, June 11, 2019 file photo, Janene Cates Putman of Athens, Tenn., holds a sign during a demonstration outside the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett)Emily Snook is the daughter of a Southern Baptist pastor. For many SBC women, even those committed to staying, the topic of gender became more volatile this month when popular Bible teacher Beth Moore said she no longer considered herself Southern Baptist. Yet she is among a number of SBC women publicly sharing their dismay about sex abuse and the vitriol directed at Moore. But she says many Southern Baptist women, including students of hers, were unsettled by the criticism of Moore.
Beth Moore, famed Bible teacher quits Southern Baptists
(Adelle M. Banks/Religion News Service via AP)NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) โ For nearly three decades, Beth Moore has been the very model of a modern Southern Baptist. Her work as a Bible teacher has permeated down to small church Bible study groups and sold-out stadiums with her Living Proof Live events. It described what she and other concerned Southern Baptists were seeing as being wrong in their denomination. Barr, the author of โThe Making of Biblical Womanhood,โ a forthcoming book on gender roles among evangelicals, grew up a Southern Baptist. She still loves the things Southern Baptists believe, she said, and is determined to stay connected with a local church.
Southern Baptists oust 2 churches over LGBTQ inclusion
In its 2021 meeting, the Southern Baptist Conventions executive committee voted to oust the church for allowing LGBTQ people to become members of its congregation. (AP Photo/Angie Wang)The Southern Baptist Conventionโs executive committee voted Tuesday to oust four of its churches, two over policies deemed to be too inclusive of LGBTQ people and two more for employing pastors convicted of sex offenses. The two churches expelled for LGBTQ inclusion were St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and Towne View Baptist Church, in Kennesaw, Georgia. But the executive committee took no action on the report, declining to embrace some recommendations aimed at reining in Moore's outspokenness. Floyd said SBC churches are baptizing 38% fewer teenagers than in 2000.
Southern Baptists divided over politics, race, LGBTQ policy
In this June 7, 2020 file photo, Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church, and his wife, Vera McKissic, pray during services in Arlington, Texas. Divisions over race, politics, gender and LGBTQ issues are roiling Americaโs largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, ahead of a meeting of its executive committee this week. Activists say inquiries related to sex abuse should be handled by independent experts, not by the SBCโs credentials committee. AdโThe alternative would have been to say, โWeโre probably not ready for this,โ but I couldnโt do that,โ said Conrad, pastor there since 1994. She now says the SBCโs credentials committee has failed in its response to allegations of abuse by pastors and staff.
Some Black Southern Baptists feel shut out by white leaders
Now hes pondering whether he and his congregation should break away -- following the steps of several other Black pastors who exited in dismay over race-related actions of some white SBC leaders. Albert Mohler, a high-profile conservative who heads the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is elected SBC president. Mohler suggested his critics do not reflect the opinions of most Southern Baptists, white or Black. โThe hard reality of the seminary presidentsโ statement is that Black people will never gain full equality in the Southern Baptist Convention.โOther Black pastors who have cut ties include the Rev. โWhite evangelicals have gotten in bed with the Republican Party.โSome white SBC pastors are also troubled, such as the Rev.
Southern Baptists see 13th year of membership decline
The Southern Baptist Convention released its 2019 membership numbers on Thursday, showing a membership decline of more than 287,000. Southern Baptist Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd said in a statement that it is clear that change is imperative. Southern Baptists do not endorse female pastors. More than a decade ago, when he first started warning that the denominations membership was going to decline year after year, many Southern Baptists dismissed his numbers. Now, he said, I do think Southern Baptists are becoming used to decline.
Southern Baptists ready to put spotlight on sex-abuse crisis
Entangled in a multifaceted sex-abuse crisis, the Southern Baptist Convention is preparing to host a high-profile conference on the topic that has kindled skepticism even among some of the scheduled speakers. Its goal, Moore said, is to provide churches with expert advice on how to prevent abuse and support abuse survivors. Tchividjian has close ties with many abuse survivors and says he understands many of their concerns about the SBC's resolve in combating this problem. Psychologist Diane Langberg, who runs a clinic near Philadelphia, will address the conference on how to help support abuse survivors. The Southern Baptist Convention encompasses more than 47,000 individual churches.