The most uniform message of the Southern Baptist Convention was that those who see problems are themselves the problems. This was evident with Bart Barber’s address/sermon, Willie McLaurin’s report/sermon, and Todd Unzicker’s convention pep talk. But hits regime mentality was present among those who held the platform.
The LifeWay report was perhaps one of the most disappointing events of the 2023 Annual Southern Baptist Convention, given my rather lofty expectations from the 2022 report which was very well done. Ben Mandrell focused his report in 2023 on VBS, investing in kids. It was safe but not impressive. Afterwards he was asked about material published and sold by LifeWay. The first question focused on “fluff.” The final question directly asked about why LifeWay sold Beth Moore despite her misalignment with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
It’s worth noting that Beth Moore being egalitarian, functionally pro-sodomy, and promoting anti-white Critical Race Theory would be outside of the BFM2000.
Ben Mandrell’s response was to guilt trip the questioner, first asking if he had read her memoir. The messenger answered “no.” Mandrell asserts that if we knew Beth Moore’s story we would not object to LifeWay selling it.
Postmodernism prioritizes experience over empirical evidence, much less theology. Therefore, the woke tend to focus on hearing people’s stories rather than looking at data. It’s a classic tactic that has warped societies perception. Mandrall attempted to shotgun a struggle session during the Q&A following his report, and that should be called out for what it was.
