Southern Baptist have made preparations for SBC2020, the annual gathering that helps set the course for the future of the denomination. This year looks to be more contentious because of the dishonest means Resolution 9 was brought forth by the Resolutions Committee last year. Resolution 9 allows for Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality to be used as analytical tools. These Marxist ideologies rallied theologically orthodox Southern Baptist, along with allies outside the convention, to oppose the theological liberalism within the high ranks of the SBC. SBC2020 was made even more heated with the announcement of the speakers at the Pastors Conference. The Pastors Conference is a $100000 event that brings in speakers, and the speakers invited by the conference president, David Uth signaled further doubt in the commitment to orthodoxy at the higher levels of the SBC.
Among those invited were a female pastor Hosanna Wong and a Foursquare preacher Wayne Cordeiro. These two are egalitarians. And while the Uth has made it clear that she is not invited to preach to pastors, she will be doing spoken word, the style of much of her sermons. There invitation is to much capacity an endorsement of their beliefs. Another questionable invite are David Hughes, who is SBC. Read more about this story here.
The reaction on social media to the lineup was so great, that the higher ups in the SBC actually issued a response. David Uth, President of the Pastors Conference went to Baptist Press, the SBC media arm to respond to concerns by not responding to the actual concerns. It’s worth noting at this point that the Baptist Press is the CNN for the denomination, seeing that they denied the that the Evangelical Immigration Table was Soros backed despite this link being proven years ago.
Uth said in his response:
All preachers and presenters were chosen after prayer with God’s guidance, with the intention of edifying and encouraging pastors, Uth said. None of the speakers or performers are intended to cause confusion or create dissension, he said.
He goes on to suggest that the opposing voices may endanger Wong, as though we are violent.
Uth’s staff is monitoring social media to determine whether sentiments are voiced that would endanger Wong for participating, he told BP.
“If we sense that it is going to be an environment that’s not going to be helpful to her,” Uth said, “or it’s going to be in some way hurtful, I would not risk that for anything. She is a precious lady. She and her husband do a great work in San Francisco.”
In his response he ignored the real concerns of theologically conservative Baptists. It’s not the “outsiders” that are the issue, it’s those that are egalitarian or otherwise questionable in their theology. He then suggests that the backlash the Pastors Conference received on social media could amount to violent threats, specifically against Hosanna Wong. His concern was that some anonymous account on Twitter would threaten her or something. But this ultimately is to suggest that those who adhere to theological orthodoxy are prone to violence. To apply more context, the Lifeway Queen, Beth Moore has long suggested white supremacy and racism are prevalent in the church, without providing evidence. The media in America assumes people on the right are more violent than Antifa. And Hosanna Wong is presumably Asian or has an ethnic last name. Just like top Southern Baptist called the congregants of FBC Naples racist for rejecting a pastor who so happened to be black. But for now it seems like a rehashing of the John MacArthur Beth Moore battle. Therefore Hosanna Wong’s presence is a proxy for egalitarianism, overshadowing the other concerns. Beth Moore would call the orthodox Baptist sinners for opposing the speakers, also implying a inclination towards violence.
The concerns raised on social media by Tom Ascol, Michelle Leslie, and many others are about how this is a statement meant to signal the denomination’s slide back into the days prior to its own reformation. The road to apostasy has long been paved with egalitarianism. Furthermore, the response issued by Uth via Baptist Press overlooked and trivialized these concerns of the other speakers as merely not being SBC.
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