Much has transpired since my visit to the Executive Committee (EC) meeting in Nashville last month. I originally wanted to get this article written and published earlier but it became clear that the Sexual Abuse Task Force's work and the response of the EC was a far more important issue (although I would argue these two items are related). Thus, I decided to hold off publishing this article until things finally came to a head after not a small kerfuffle and a third and final motion from Jared Wellman ultimately passing the EC to waive privilege. Since then things have devolved even further … [Read more...] about On My Motion Regarding Our Lawyers and a Conflict of Interest
Survivors & Abuse Response
The Real Failure at the Executive Committee Meeting
I promise the article on my motion and its response is coming soon. I just wanted to take a moment to offer up a word from myself and a few of my friends regarding our take on last week's Executive Committee meeting. When I say a few of my friends, I am not speaking about my co-writers here at SBC Voices. I am speaking about a couple of friends who took some time with me to express some of our thoughts regarding our current problem and from whence the real failure has come over the last 9 or-so days of life in the Southern Baptist Convention. I have chosen not to name the other co-writers … [Read more...] about The Real Failure at the Executive Committee Meeting
How a Church Might Reallocate Funds Away From the Executive Committee
Last night after watching the debacle that was the Executive Committee (EC) meeting and then seeing so many pastors suggest they might lead their church to leave the convention or escrow their giving, I posted the following to Twitter. “Friends, please don’t leave the SBC. Too many good things happening. If anything, consider temporarily redistributing CP & GCG funds away from the EXComm until we get to Anaheim & we radically redefine the work of the EC & reformat the allocation budget commensurate w/the change.” In short order I was asked how such a redistribution might be … [Read more...] about How a Church Might Reallocate Funds Away From the Executive Committee
Why the Executive Committee Didn’t Do the Right Thing (by Dave Pittman)
Last week, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee met in Nashville to vote. This was supposed to clear the way for an investigation into sexual abuse within the SBC. So, what on earth happened? As Liz Evan, an attorney and SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force member so accurately stated, “They (The SBC Executive Committee) have flagrantly defied the overwhelming will of the Messengers. A few dozen folks in Nashville decided they know better than the 17,000 Messengers appointed by the churches. Waiver of privilege was not something the Messengers delegated to the EC to consider in … [Read more...] about Why the Executive Committee Didn’t Do the Right Thing (by Dave Pittman)
Q&A: Primary Issues Related to Executive Committee’s Handling of Guidepost Contract
At last week's Executive Committee meeting there were a lot of terms and concepts involved that represent unfamiliar territory for most of us as Southern Baptists. This Q&A is designed to address the most pressing questions we face as the EC Officers and SA Task Force work this week for an agreement on how to proceed. 1. Why is it important for the Executive Committee to waive privilege? Attorney-client privilege is a legal rule that allows the clients of attorneys to keep confidential any legal advice that their attorneys provide them. First, it is important because the motion that … [Read more...] about Q&A: Primary Issues Related to Executive Committee’s Handling of Guidepost Contract
3 Commitments for Leading Your Church to Address Sexual Abuse
Last week at #SBC21, messengers sent a clear message that we want our denomination to address the issue of sexual abuse and stand with survivors. As many survivors have pointed out, our decisions made at the annual meeting must be followed up by meaningful action or what we said is just words. Coming home, most messengers have little impact in what will happen at the denominational level with our committees, trustee boards, and entities. But you DO have the opportunity to take meaningful action at YOUR church. This post is meant to give you a starting point for you to address the issue of … [Read more...] about 3 Commitments for Leading Your Church to Address Sexual Abuse
A Call to Unity (by Greg Davidson)
I love Southern Baptists. They are some of the most compassionate, forgiving, and understanding people on the face of the earth. I love the fact that there are so many that hate injustice. I like others have felt the cruel tentacles of injustice. I grew up in the Jim Crow south. My dad was a transplanted Bostonian Jew who would not tell anyone that he was Jewish because he knew he would suffer from discrimination as he lived and worked in the Jim Crow South. My mother was an executive with a master’s degree in a company that paid her inequitably, because she was a woman, at a time when we … [Read more...] about A Call to Unity (by Greg Davidson)
Eight Key Victories in Nashville at #SBC21
#SBC21 is in the books and it's a convention we'll all remember for years to come. I went in unsure of what to expect, and came home encouraged. Here are eight key victories I believe we saw last week in Nashville. 1. Motion for convention-wide voluntary assessment of abuse Leading up to the convention, most attention was on the Gaines/Parrott motion published in the lead up to the Annual Meeting and in the aftermath of the Russell Moore letters. See #2 for more on that motion. But behind the scenes, Todd Benkert had been working for months with counsel from survivor advocates on a plan to … [Read more...] about Eight Key Victories in Nashville at #SBC21
Seven Reflections on #SBC21 (by Jon Glass)
I’ve had the opportunity to attend 11 SBC Annual Meetings. This year was different than all the rest. It was the largest in 25 years with over 15,700 messengers. This was an historic meeting and I’m glad I was in the room. If you weren’t there and you followed along in the media, online, or on social media, it’s easy to find varying opinions and feel confused as to what transpired. At times it’s hard to tell what happened when you have to wade through the bias and perspective of the author. That being said, here is my perspective on what happened this week. 1. On Monday evening we … [Read more...] about Seven Reflections on #SBC21 (by Jon Glass)
A Black Man at the Southern Baptist Convention #SBC21 (by Erik Vance)
This week will be an experience that I will remember all of the days of my life. Being a black man from the South, and attending a historically black seminary, at Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center, learning Baptist Polity was a part of the curriculum. During my studies we learned about the National Baptist, Progressive Baptist, American Baptist and Southern Baptist conventions. When it came up, the SBC was always a frowned upon in the academy – and rightfully so. In the African American community, the SBC is viewed in a way that’s disparaging. … [Read more...] about A Black Man at the Southern Baptist Convention #SBC21 (by Erik Vance)