Southern Baptist Convention

America's Top Evangelical Group Is Deciding If They're Further Right Than Trump

6:29pm June 15, 2021

The Southern Baptist Convention meets this week in Nashville, bringing to the fore a host of controversial issues that threaten to cause a rift among the faithful.

Hartsville, Tenn., resident Rick Bradley, 62, received his first COVID-19 vaccine dose in late March at a local Walgreens, saying, "This is not a summer cold or a conspiracy." He says some neighbors have become so used to COVID-19 that getting vaccinated

Health & Safety

'It's Not A Never Thing' — White, Rural Southerners Hesitant To Get COVID Vaccine

6:31pm April 15, 2021

by Blake Farmer

A majority of white, rural conservatives in Tennessee are open to getting the vaccine at some point, but at least 45% won't consider it. Rates in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi are also lagging.

"I am still a Baptist, but I can no longer identify with Southern Baptists," said Beth Moore, a prominent evangelical teacher and author, last week. Moore is seen here in 2018.

Prominent Evangelical Beth Moore Announces Split From Southern Baptists

6:39pm March 11, 2021

by Laurel Wamsley

"I am still a Baptist, but I can no longer identify with Southern Baptists," said Moore, a popular author and Bible teacher who has expressed frustration with the church's attitudes toward women.

Janene Cates Putman of Athens, Tenn., demonstrates outside the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting on Tuesday, during a rally in Birmingham, Ala.

Religion

Southern Baptists Vote To Hold Churches More Accountable For Mishandling Abuse Claims

6:22am June 12, 2019

by Scott Neuman

At their annual meeting held in Birmingham, Ala., the Southern Baptist Convention approved changes making it clear that individual churches can be expelled for covering up abuse cases.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, photographed at a news conference in 2015, said the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant children from their families "goes against the values of our nation."

Faith Leaders Oppose Trump's Immigration Policy Of Separating Children From Parents

3:20pm June 16, 2018

by Sasha Ingber

They condemn a border practice of tearing children away from their parents. It is an attempt to "weaponize children," Archbishop of Miami Thomas Wenski tells NPR's Weekend Edition.

Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Southern Baptist Convention meeting on Wednesday in Dallas.

Pence Speech Riles Some As Southern Baptists' Moderates Gain Strength

1:19pm June 14, 2018

The largest Protestant denomination in the country closed its annual meeting Wednesday with a partisan speech from the vice president. The group's new leader quickly sought to distance it from Pence.

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Paige Patterson makes his opening speech to the Southern Baptist Convention in June 1999 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Seminary Votes To Fire Paige Patterson After Ousting Him As President

9:14am May 31, 2018

by Scott Neuman

The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, which made Patterson "president emeritus" last week, said it had received new information about his handling of a sexual abuse claim against a student.

Paige Patterson, president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, speaks at a meeting in Indianapolis in 2004.

Southern Baptist Leader Removed Over Remarks On Rape, Abuse Of Women

5:41pm May 23, 2018

by Scott Neuman

Paige Patterson has been under fire for past counsel to women of abuse to simply pray for their husbands. On Tuesday, a new allegation surfaced that he had advised a student not to report a rape.

Russell Moore (left), president of the Southern Baptists' Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, is under attack from some of the religious right figures he criticized during the U.S. presidential campaign.

Evangelical Leader Under Attack For Criticizing Trump Supporters

3:33pm December 20, 2016

by Tom Gjelten

Russell Moore, who presides over the political arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, called out religious right figures who supported Trump notwithstanding his "serious moral problems."

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The UN-run Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan.

Politics & Government

Religious Leaders Chide Lawmakers Over Syrian Refugees

4:44pm December 02, 2015

by Sarah McCammon

They say Congress should exercise "moral leadership" on the refugee issue.