Scenes from the SBC Annual Meeting
A photo essay by Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor about what happened during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting this week in Nashville, Tennessee, both inside and outside the convention hall.
The Revolution at the SBC Annual Meeting
After Ed Litton emerged victorious in the Southern Baptist Convention’s presidential election on Tuesday, reports and analysis quickly portrayed the news as a defeat for the denomination’s fundamentalist wing. But rather than fundamentalism being dismissed, anti-elitism was embraced.
How Critical Race Theory Overran the Southern Baptist Convention
As they headed toward Nashville for the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting, the cars with black pirate flags strapped to their windows — complete with smirking skulls and crossbones — were a good indicator that some of the passengers were spoiling for a fight. Read full piece
Southern Baptist Convention Can Dodge a Schism, But Not its Own History
Diana Butler Bass: The Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville this week narrowly elected a less hard-line leader in Ed Litton, but don't be fooled: this meeting largely confirmed that the victory of what the SBC calls the "conservative resurgence" of the 1980s endures. Read full piece
Southern Baptist Convention Resolutions Reflect Passion on Issues of Race, Abortion
One of the hot-button items expected to be on the agenda when Southern Baptists met for their annual meeting this week was critical race theory. But, in the end, the resolution the committee chose to bring to the floor for a vote did not mention CRT.
Southern Baptists Vote to Probe Leaders’ Sex Abuse Response
Delegates at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to create a task force to oversee an independent investigation into the denomination’s handling of sexual abuse.
Laura Levens on Issues Roiling Southern Baptists
In episode 4 of Dangerous Dogma, Laura Levens, assistant professor of Christian mission at the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky, discusses women in ministry, critical race theory, and other topics sparking debate in the Southern Baptist Convention.
SBC Meeting Opens with Patriotism, Drops Attempt to Decry Jan. 6
During the 2021 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, speakers wrestle with issues of patriotism and the Gospel. But a planned resolution to denounce the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol was pulled.
Ed Litton, a Pastor Known for Racial Reconciliation, is Surprise Winner for SBC President
Ed Litton, the relatively unknown senior pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama, defeated two preeminent rivals to be elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention during a session of the SBC’s annual meeting Tuesday.
Former Southern Baptist Convention President Paige Patterson has Controversial Past Church Must Reckon With
Tennessean op-ed by Word&Way Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor: Patterson needs to be recognized as the bad fruit produced by a sick tree, as Jesus warned — Matthew 7:15-20. Read full piece