What happened at the Southern Baptist Convention?
This week, some 12,000 members of the Southern Baptist Convention — the ground troops of conservative fundamentalism in America — gathered in Greensboro, N.C. to pick a new leader, debate theology, and set their direction for the coming years. The event offered a revealing look into the heart of right-wing religious politics, and there were some interesting surprises. First was the unpredicted victory of soft-spoken pastor Frank Page in his bid for President of the SBC. In the first highly contested race since 1994, Page cleared 50% of the vote to beat out better-known leaders of the conservative fundamentalist movement, Ronnie Floyd of Little Rock, Arkansas and Jerry Sutton of Nashville, TN. Rev. Page won on a platform encouraging local churches to put more money into the Cooperative Program, which funds national and global missions. Because he beat out nationally-known conservative leaders, some speculated the vote was for political moderation, although Page insisted that “I’m not
Related Questions
- Why was the Southern Baptist Convention not invited to participate in the New Baptist Covenant? What about the Alliance of Baptists?
- What do other Baptists believe, like the Alliance of Baptists or the Southern Baptist Convention?
- Why was the Southern Baptist Convention not invited to participate in the New Baptist Covenant?
