Southern Baptists publicly lamented the harm their “actions and inactions have caused to survivors of sexual abuse” in a resolution adopted by messengers to the 2022 SBC annual meeting. Messengers agreed sexual abuse is an abomination before God, which grieves Christ, abandons the demands of Scripture, violates the image of God and “causes harm to […]
Credentials Committee withdraws Saddleback recommendation
After much discussion, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Credentials Committee chose to withdraw its recommendation related to Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. A decision on whether or not to disfellowship Saddleback for ordaining three female staff members as pastors in May 2021 will be delayed until a later date. The original motion, submitted by Shadd […]
Candidates with South Carolina ties win key SBC posts
Four candidates with South Carolina ties — Alex Sands, Nathan Finn, Daniel Dickard, and David Sons — made history in Anaheim, winning key leadership posts within the Southern Baptist Convention. Sands, senior pastor and planter of Kingdom Life Church in Simpsonville, was elected as the SBC’s second vice president in a runoff against Michigan pastor […]
Marshall Blalock reflects on service with SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force
Marshall Blalock, pastor of First Baptist Church, Charleston, said one of the spiritual lessons he learned through serving on the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force was how to “think and act with more compassion.” Blalock was one of the eight members selected by immediate-past president Ed Litton to serve on the Task Force, and was […]
Longtime pro-life advocates in SBC rejoice at Roe’s demise
Southern Baptists who have advocated for pre-born children and their mothers for decades rejoiced at the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of nearly 50 years of nationwide, legalized abortion while acknowledging much work remains. A day many persistent, pro-life advocates had long sought and prayed for arrived June 24, when the high court overruled its 1973 […]
Supreme Court overturns Roe abortion decision
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a nationwide abortion regime Friday (June 24) that lasted nearly half a century and resulted in the deaths of more than 60 million preborn children. In a 5-4 opinion, the high court overruled the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that struck down all state abortion bans and legalized the procedure […]
ERLC’s Graham: Work will not end if Roe reversed
The reversal of the Roe v. Wade decision will be cause for celebration if it occurs, but it will not change the fact that the church must compassionately reach abortion-minded women, Southern Baptist pro-life specialist Elizabeth Graham said June 15 at the SBC’s annual meeting. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission presented “Standing for Life: […]
Colossians yields guidance as Pastors Conference text
Longtime pastor Al Jackson closed out the 2022 SBC Pastors Conference study of the Book of Colossians by examining the list of faithful servants named at the end of the Apostle Paul’s letter, reminding pastors that even little-known saints are significant saints to God. “These are not insignificant followers of Christ,” Jackson, pastor emeritus of […]
SBC WRAP-UP: Messengers lament, take steps to address sexual abuse
Southern Baptist messengers took a strong stand against sexual abuse in Southern Baptist churches on June 13-14 at the 2022 SBC annual meeting. It was the first time in more than 25 years that California hosted the annual meeting. The recommendations of the Sexual Abuse Task Force were passed by messengers after a drama-filled year […]
Barber elected SBC president after runoff
Texas pastor Bart Barber won a run-off election for president of the Southern Baptist Convention June 14 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. Out of 5,587 votes cast, Barber received 3,401 (60.87 percent) and Florida pastor Tom Ascol received 2,172 votes (38.88 percent). Fourteen ballots were disallowed. In the first election, Barber received 3,258 […]