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Showing posts with label Southern Baptists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Southern Baptists. Show all posts
Friendly Atheist ★ The man who reshaped white evangelical politics also helped create a culture where victims of abuse never stood a chance.

In 2015, when Sen. Ted Cruz was running for president (and before Donald Trump was seen as a viable candidate), he ran an ad featuring an endorsement from Paul Pressler.

Pressler said he had known Cruz since he was a teenager and “observed personally” Cruz’s integrity and principle. He went on to say:

I’ve dedicated my life to the conservative principles on which our country was founded, and I know Ted Cruz has done the same thing and that he will stand firm.

That’s downright wild to watch in hindsight because, in the decade since, Cruz has proven to be nothing but a MAGA cultist who doesn’t give a damn about the Constitution. He’s a right-wing zealot who’s never seriously been considered a model for integrity. You knew that back in 2015. I knew that back in 2015. Why didn’t this guy know?

In fact, who the hell is he and why was his endorsement such a big deal at the time?

The video listed Pressler as a former Texas state representative, a retired district and appellate court judge, and leader of the “Conservative Baptist Resurgence.” 

The Dark Legacy Of Paul Pressler And The Southern Baptist Convention

Only Sky ➳ If churches and church leaders had an effective answer for the increasing dysfunctionality of American culture, they’d never have entered decline in the first place.

Captain Cassidy
22-August-2023

Last Thursday, the Southern Baptist Convention's top-ranked Executive Committee got a shocking bit of news about their Interim President, followed by his resignation.

The next day, they appointed a new Interim President with a strong link to its last real president, and likely some loyalty to him.Reading Time: 5 MINUTES

The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) just can’t get away from nonstop drama. This time, it involves fabricated credentials, a swift resignation, and an equally swift replacement appointment.

At least it’s not another sex scandal!

The SBC contains a dizzying array of groups and sub-groups. Some are seminaries, others missionary organizations, and still others part of Lifeway, the denomination’s printing-and-research arm. Others still are mostly administrative, like one offering health and life insurance to pastors and their families.

The Executive Committee rules over all of them. It sets their annual budgets and handles the day-to-day decision-making for the SBC as a whole. It is the most powerful group within the SBC, answering only, really, to its president. 

Continue reading @ Only Sky.

More Big Drama For The Southern Baptist Executive Committee

Only Sky ✒ In a surprising development, Jared Wellman did not earn enough Executive Committee votes to become their next president.

Captain Cassidy

Recently, I showed you the drama around the selection of a Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) leadership role: the President and CEO of their top-ranked Executive Committee (EC). Previous Chairman Jared Wellman had thrown his hat into the ring. 

But in a stunning upset, he failed to get enough votes from their larger voting committee to win the position. The beleaguered denomination still has no official president for its EC. Here’s what their vote failure means for the denomination’s near future.

Captain Cassidy’s guide to Southern Baptist faction warfare

More and more, Southern Baptists align themselves into two opposing factions. They haven’t ever formally named either faction, so I’ve helped them out by doing so:

The Old Guard: Staunch traditionalists and deeply-politicized ultraconservative culture warriors who think the SBC’s last schism, the Conservative Resurgence, didn’t go nearly far enough ... 

... Pretend Progressives: They understand that the denomination’s voting members want to see progress made regarding those two crises. They’re still traditionalist warriors who differ barely a degree from their enemies’ viewpoints. In no universe could anyone reasonable even call them moderates.

Continue reading @ Only Sky.

The Drama Continues Over This Southern Baptist Plum Role

Only Sky ✒ The real power behind the Southern Baptist Convention is poised to fall into one faction’s outstretched hands.

Captain Cassidy

For a few years now, two powerful factions have struggled for control of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). And it looks like one faction might finally be taking one of the most powerful strongholds in the war: the denomination’s Executive Committee (EC). The SBC’s internal war might not be over yet, but it’s getting closer all the time.

The EC is the head that controls the Southern Baptist body

Some Southern Baptists say that the denomination itself only exists during its Annual Meeting, which they hold in the summer each year. That’s when Southern Baptists converge on some (usually Southern) city to vote on denominational business, elect major officers, and touch base on future strategies.

But the EC exists all year long.

All year long, the EC handles the denomination’s day-to-day decision-making and check-cutting. With its own staff and paid officers, the EC also takes care of SBC sites and publications like Baptist Press and the Book of Reports that goes into each summer’s Annual Report. In addition, about 80ish other EC members vote on various measures and functions.

Continue reading @ Only Sky.

Are Southern Baptist Traditionalists Losing Their Main Stronghold?

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