INSIDER
Southern Baptist trustees back agency president but warn against needless controversy
Read full article: Southern Baptist trustees back agency president but warn against needless controversyTrustees for the Southern Baptists' policy arm affirmed the leadership of their president in the face of criticism from some church members.
Oops. Southern Baptist agency announces firing of its leader, then retracts that announcement
Read full article: Oops. Southern Baptist agency announces firing of its leader, then retracts that announcementThere’s been a head-spinning reversal of messages from the public-policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Mike Pence's foundation launches a $10 million election-year campaign to preserve Trump-era tax cuts
Read full article: Mike Pence's foundation launches a $10 million election-year campaign to preserve Trump-era tax cutsFormer Vice President Mike Pence’s foundation is launching a $10 million campaign to preserve the Trump-era tax cuts.
Longtime Southern Baptist leader Paul Pressler, who was accused of sexual abuse, dies at 94
Read full article: Longtime Southern Baptist leader Paul Pressler, who was accused of sexual abuse, dies at 94Paul Pressler, a leading figure of the Southern Baptist Convention who was accused of sexual abuse and later settled a lawsuit over the allegations, has died.
Senate fights over in vitro fertilization (IVF); Southern Baptists vote against it
Read full article: Senate fights over in vitro fertilization (IVF); Southern Baptists vote against itAt its annual meeting, the nation's largest Protestant denomination also urged members “to advocate for the government to restrain actions inconsistent with the dignity and value of every human being.”
Alarmed by embryo destruction, Southern Baptists urge caution on IVF by couples and government
Read full article: Alarmed by embryo destruction, Southern Baptists urge caution on IVF by couples and governmentSouthern Baptists have expressed alarm over the way in vitro fertilization is routinely being practiced at their annual meeting in Indianapolis.
Southern Baptists narrowly reject formal ban on churches with any women pastors
Read full article: Southern Baptists narrowly reject formal ban on churches with any women pastorsDelegates at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting have narrowly rejected a proposal to enshrine a ban on churches with women pastors in the denomination’s constitution.
Southern Baptists expel Virginia church for believing women can serve as pastors
Read full article: Southern Baptists expel Virginia church for believing women can serve as pastorsDelegates to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting had voted overwhelmingly to boot a Virginia church from its ranks because of its declaration that it believes women can serve in any pastoral ministry.
From women pastors to sexual abuse to Trump, Southern Baptists have a busy few days ahead of them
Read full article: From women pastors to sexual abuse to Trump, Southern Baptists have a busy few days ahead of themThousands will gather in Indianapolis June 11-12 for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Southern Baptists are poised to ban churches with women pastors. Some are urging them to reconsider
Read full article: Southern Baptists are poised to ban churches with women pastors. Some are urging them to reconsiderThe Southern Baptist Convention is preparing to vote on a proposed constitutional ban on churches with women pastors.
Sex abuse survivors dispute Southern Baptist leadership and say federal investigation is ongoing
Read full article: Sex abuse survivors dispute Southern Baptist leadership and say federal investigation is ongoingThe status of a federal investigation into a leading Southern Baptist agency’s handling of sexual abuse is unclear.
Southern Baptist agency says U.S. investigation into sexual abuse has ended with 'no further action’
Read full article: Southern Baptist agency says U.S. investigation into sexual abuse has ended with 'no further action’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 doesn’t anticipate further action.
Southern Baptist Convention settles high-profile lawsuit that accused former leader of sexual abuse
Read full article: Southern Baptist Convention settles high-profile lawsuit that accused former leader of sexual abuseThe suit prompted a major newspaper investigation into Southern Baptist sexual abuse and seven other men to come forward with allegations against Paul Pressler, an influential conservative activist and former Texas judge.
Saddleback's Rick Warren ramps up appeals to Southern Baptists to let church with women pastors stay
Read full article: Saddleback's Rick Warren ramps up appeals to Southern Baptists to let church with women pastors stayRetired pastor Rick Warren, author of “The Purpose Driven Life,” is intensifying a media blitz in what he acknowledges may be a lost cause.
In a last-ditch effort, longtime Southern Baptist churches expelled for women pastors fight to stay
Read full article: In a last-ditch effort, longtime Southern Baptist churches expelled for women pastors fight to stayTwo Southern Baptist churches ousted for having women pastors will be appealing that decision at the Southern Baptist Convention's upcoming annual meeting.
Saddleback Church appealing its ouster from the Southern Baptists on issue of women pastors
Read full article: Saddleback Church appealing its ouster from the Southern Baptists on issue of women pastorsThe Southern Baptist Convention says that Saddleback Church is appealing its ouster from the denomination for having women pastors on staff.
Southern Baptist leader selection process fails amid dispute
Read full article: Southern Baptist leader selection process fails amid disputeA powerful Southern Baptist committee was planning to appoint a new president on Monday who could navigate controversies over its handling of sexual-abuse reforms and the ousting of churches with women pastors.
New Saddleback pastor sees women clergy in church's future
Read full article: New Saddleback pastor sees women clergy in church's futureLast month, Andy Wood took the reins of California-based Saddleback Church from founding pastor Rick Warren, a bestselling author and influential figure in evangelical Christianity.
Amid crises, rural roots anchor Southern Baptists’ president
Read full article: Amid crises, rural roots anchor Southern Baptists’ presidentThe new president of the Southern Baptist Convention is a staunchly conservative small-town preacher who touts biblical inerrancy, opposes women serving as pastors and supports abortion bans.
LGBTQ-friendly church OK with getting Southern Baptist boot
Read full article: LGBTQ-friendly church OK with getting Southern Baptist bootLeaders of College Park Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, thought it was odd when the Southern Baptist Convention recently sent queries about the congregation's LGBTQ-affirming ministry.
Southern Baptists say denomination faces DOJ investigation in wake of sex abuse scandal
Read full article: Southern Baptists say denomination faces DOJ investigation in wake of sex abuse scandalLeaders of the Southern Baptist Convention say that several of their denomination’s major entities are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
New SBC President commits to move sex abuse reforms forward
Read full article: New SBC President commits to move sex abuse reforms forwardBart Barber, the newly elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, is vowing to expedite sex abuse reforms in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.
Southern Baptists face push for public list of sex abusers
Read full article: Southern Baptists face push for public list of sex abusersA blistering report on the Southern Baptist Convention’s mishandling of sex abuse allegations is raising the prospect that the denomination, for the first time, will create a publicly accessible database of pastors known to be abusers.
Report: Top Southern Baptists stonewalled sex abuse victims
Read full article: Report: Top Southern Baptists stonewalled sex abuse victimsTop Southern Baptists stonewalled and denigrated survivors of clergy sex abuse over almost two decades, according to a scathing investigative report issued Sunday.
Southern Baptist panel to open legal records for abuse probe
Read full article: Southern Baptist panel to open legal records for abuse probeA top committee of the Southern Baptist Convention has agreed to open up legally protected records to investigators who will examine how it handled — or mishandled — cases of sexual abuse.
Southern Baptists vote to probe leaders' sex abuse response
Read full article: Southern Baptists vote to probe leaders' sex abuse responseDelegates at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting have voted overwhelmingly to create a task force to oversee an independent investigation into the denomination’s handling of sexual abuse.
Southern Baptists' new leader: long career as bridge builder
Read full article: Southern Baptists' new leader: long career as bridge builderAs ideological divisions wracked the Southern Baptist Convention this year ahead of a pivotal national meeting, one of the leading candidates for its presidency embraced a role as the man best equipped to build bridges.
Southern Baptists pick president who worked for racial unity
Read full article: Southern Baptists pick president who worked for racial unityThe 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.
Southern Baptist board OKs probe into sex abuse controversy
Read full article: Southern Baptist board OKs probe into sex abuse controversyThe president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee says it is hiring an outside firm to investigate its actions amid accusations that top leaders mishandled sex abuses cases.
Secret recordings show Southern Baptist dispute on sex abuse
Read full article: Secret recordings show Southern Baptist dispute on sex abuseReleases 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
Read full article: Growing number of Southern Baptist women question rolesFILE - 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
Read full article: Beth Moore, famed Bible teacher quits Southern Baptists(Adelle M. Banks/Religion News Service via AP)NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — 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 “The Making of Biblical Womanhood,” 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
Read full article: Southern Baptists oust 2 churches over LGBTQ inclusionIn 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 Convention’s 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.
Some Black Southern Baptists feel shut out by white leaders
Read full article: Some Black Southern Baptists feel shut out by white leadersNow 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. “The hard reality of the seminary presidents’ statement is that Black people will never gain full equality in the Southern Baptist Convention.”Other Black pastors who have cut ties include the Rev. “White evangelicals have gotten in bed with the Republican Party.”Some white SBC pastors are also troubled, such as the Rev.