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Why so much focus on the Southern Baptist Convention

I’m not a Southern Baptist anymore. I grew up Southern Baptist and left for reasons other than the doctrinal downgrade that is most obvious today. I have since not rejoined, yet have made a habit out of covering this denomination more than others. A reader outside the SBC may find this brand of church politics uninteresting and inapplicable to their lives. However, the relevance of the Sothern Baptist Convention is not dependent on your affiliation with it. I realize this, and that’s why it must be covered.

With the fall of almost every major protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention via the Conservative Resurgence and the 1980s moral majority solidified its place in quintessential Evangelicalism. The theological tent is wide enough to include many secondary issues, thus making it a better representative of Evangelicalism in the United States. The Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) is not close and many nondenominational churches take at least some influence from this convention.

With that said, the theological battles within the Southern Baptist Convention are not limited to the denomination itself. Critical Race Theory, egalitarianism, and homosexuality are all battles the SBC is facing in varying degrees. Thus, the SBC is a grand stage for the conflict over Critical Race Theory to be fought and for heretics to be exposed. Al Mohler and Kevin Ezell represent the most powerful Baptist figures in the world today. The amount of future pastors and church plants these two influence is unparalleled.

The Bible makes it clear that the most dangerous threats to the church will emerge from within the church. The Southern Baptist Convention represents a unique theater where Critical Race Theory is actually being fought and the church is resisting assimilation with this theological Borg.

Do I believe the SBC can be saved? No. I believe that the corruption within the missions cooperation is too insurmountable and the Great Commission is too important to wait 8 years to maybe establish worthy stewardship of these resources.

Do I believe that Critical Race Theory can be defeated? Yes. I believe the Southern Baptist are capable of wounding Critical Race Theory and can accomplish this at their upcoming convention. I believe such a wound may not save the convention but may give the universal church renewed resolve and awareness of the issue to fight back on a larger and even global scale.

God promises that the church will prevail and rewards to those who persevere. This is a fight I personally cannot back away from simply because my local church will serve the Lord even if the SBC adopts the Social Justice Gospel.

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One Response

  1. I’m not a Baptist but believe we need to fight for all parts of the body. I agree and appreciate your coverage of what’s going on there. We are making headway against CRT in more areas. So much is wrong with it. The worst thing, I think, is it places responsibility for sin in the wrong places and tries to supercede God’s prescriptions for dealing with fallen man and sin.

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