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Southern Baptists
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) ranks among the world’s largest Christian denominations and is the largest Protestant body in the United States. Founded in Georgia in the years preceding the Civil War, the denomination remains centralized in the South, but claims member churches throughout the nation. Since its inception, the denomination has faced internal and external tension over a bevy of social issues—notably slavery, racism, missions, homosexuality, and women in ministry—but always central to its theology has been the traditional Baptist doctrine of believer’s baptism. During the first decade of the 21st century, the SBC was recognized as leader in humanitarian aid for its response to a series of regional natural disasters.
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News
ERLC President Steps Down Amid Southern Baptist Discord
After four years under Brent Leatherwood, SBC pastors look for a leader to rebuild trust in its public-policy arm.
Wire Story
Texas Bans Abuse NDAs in Law Named for Kanakuk Victim
The Lone Star State joins Missouri in passing new legislation to protect survivors of child sexual abuse.
News
SBC Proposals to Abolish ERLC, Amend Constitution Don’t Pass
After the Southern Baptist annual meeting, some messengers are still holding out for change.
News
Southern Baptists Vote to Denounce Sports Betting, Endorse Bans on Online Porn
Resolutions call for stronger government regulations on social issues.
Wire Story
SBC Survivor Jennifer Lyell Left Behind Detailed Allegations of Abuse
In a deposition, Lyell alleged that her professor and mentor would coerce her into sexual activity, then tell her to repent and never speak of it.
Review
We Can Debate Women in Ministry. But Not the Historical Facts.
Beth Allison Barr challenges the narrative that women have never exercised church authority.
News
Southern Baptists to Vote on Financial Disclosures, Legal Fees, ERLC
Going into its annual meeting, SBC faces slipping trust and pushes for greater accountability.
Wire Story
Died: Jennifer Lyell, SBC Abuse Survivor and Former Lifeway Executive
Once one of the highest-ranking women at a Southern Baptist entity, she fought public perception and legal fallout after reporting alleged abuse by a seminary professor.
Duane Rollins’s Life Testified to the Cost of Abuse
When will churches step up to help carry the weight too many survivors bear alone?
Wire Story
Can the Southern Baptist ERLC Survive Trump 2.0?
Critics who say the denomination’s public policy agency no longer reflects their convictions could once again put its future up for a vote.