Southern Baptist Executive Committee Meets, Conflicts Swerl


The Southern Baptist Convention is not a denomination like Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Methodist. I think it could best be described as an association of churches. Important work is done at a convention. The number of churches and members is so large it has become in many ways the face of Protestant Christianity. It is the largest "denomination" in Protestantism. It is losing 10% of its members each year. Its Executive Committee is meeting this week trying to make decision. Corralling the Southern Baptist Convention is like herding a flock of chickens.

Most Southern Baptists want to know how many cases of sexual abuse involving clergy exist. The denomination refuses to divulge. There are financial scandals involving money from those in the pews. They remain unresolved.

In anti-abortion there is a faction that thinks it can be erased from the country and is willing to see every woman who gets an abortion thrown in jail. Another faction wants the issue to be handled by persuasion, not jail. I don't know the statistics, but a lot of churches must still live on rural white areas of the South. Other churches are in prosperous suburbs in the North. They are different to say the least.

The issues of trans and gay are always close to the heart of the SBC. What better way to fire up the troops than demonizing any group that is different from us. The demonizing includes immigration and the U.S. border.

The denomination's relationship with the Republican party is too cozy for some members. It is not cozy enough for others. 

 Everything that is wrong with Christianity can be found in the Southern Baptists.

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