During the Tuesday afternoon session of #SBC19, my wife, Rhonda, shared with me a story of an incident which happened during the voting for Registration Secretary in the BJCC Arena—that section of the Convention Labyrinth in which the meeting is held. There were two candidates, Don Currence (the current RS) and Kathy Litton (to borrow from my friend, Brent Hobbs’ bio on her: “She currently works with NAMB as director of church planter spouse development. Litton is known across the convention for her leadership and teaching among SBC women.” She is also the wife of Pastor Ed Litton).
During the voting, Rhonda was up on the concourse level…charging my phone which was just about dead. She stepped back into the arena as the nomination speeches were finished to hear the instructions about marking her ballot for this vote, and…well, let me have her share this:
Well, we have come a long way in the life of the SBC…but, apparently, we still have a ways to go. What do I mean when I say that?
As a messenger for our church, today I was listening to the nomination speeches for the two people desiring to serve as SBC Registration Secretary. For the first time ever a woman’s name was on the ballot. After listening to the instructions about how to mark our ballot, I made my vote. I am a messenger. This is my responsibility and right. An older gentleman was standing next to me and said, “I am so tired of women wanting to further themselves. They need to sit down.” I was shocked…and appalled. I turned to him and said, “Excuse me?” He went on to tell me that I needed to just go sit down. Women are not qualified and have no place serving in leadership positions in the convention. To call this conversation a blessing…well, that’s not what I was thinking. The word ‘outrage’ is a bit more like it.
Then it hit me—he must know how I voted, so I asked him how he knew who I voted for. He told me he looked. Yep, he was apparently needing to share his valuable and unquestionable opinion with me! SO, I explained that I voted as I saw fit for the person I believe will best serve our convention in the role of registration secretary. He proceeded to continue explaining that Kathy Litton simply isn’t qualified. Things just needed to be left as they were. I replied that there were many men desiring to serve or serving in positions of leadership that I didn’t think were qualified to be serving either. This gentlemen then bid me good day and told me, once again in a very snarky manner, that I was wrong and shouldn’t be able to speak. One of the things I thought as he walked away was, “Yikes!”
Needless to say, I have never encountered anything like this at any of the annual meetings we’ve been to. I was shocked…dumbfounded…frustrated…and outraged. Earlier this day, we had been at the Baptist21 lunch. JD Greear said that for so long the SBC, namely in relation to leadership, has been a big, “good ol’ boys” club and asked, “Where can women serve?” Many positions have been defaulted to men over the years…but why? Nothing in our governing documents or Scripture eliminates women from serving in positions of leadership in the convention. Also at the B21 panel discussion, Dr. Danny Akin said, “Women can hold a lot of positions and should…within the SBC and within our churches.”
SO, Wow! That encounter was…was…unique, and one I hope is soon to fade away from every corner of our convention.
The best I can do right now is to shake my head in absolute shock…and then laugh. The absurdity of this encounter is as real as the offense of it. To hear that we have people in our 
beloved SBC who have unbiblical views of women, minorities, justice, or abuse is one thing. To see it firsthand just proves that the work to be done is needed…and worth it.
I think we are fooling ourselves if we think this isn’t a widespread view. Obviously, thank God, not the majority view, at least among the messengers voting. I don’t even like the idea that men are the arbiters of what women are allowed to do.
This statement should send a chill through even the most hardcore complementarian. That this man represents a church is discouraging.
That guy was being a jerk.
Sure he is entitled to his opinion but we all are to express our opinions in love.
But as to be to be chilling for hard complementarians, is like saying a biblical inerrantist should have a chill because a KJVonlyist condemned an ESV user.
Every hardC I know of or have read believes that there are a lot of roles women can do in our churches and in the Convention. >not like that guy <
I think many of them draw the line at top leadership roles like the SBC prez though.
If attitudes of guys like that end up pushing us to a place where some think is unbiblical its not because people followed the Scriptures but because they overreacted to an extreme.
Let us make decisions based on our understanding of the Bible and learn to disagree in love.
Honestly, that messenger should be glad Rhonda was too stunned to get his name.
We would post it.
No, but we would pray for him——and his poor wife.
The guy was obviously a jerk who has no clue on how women can and should be a part of our churches and convention. With that being said, Don Currence was way more qualified to fill the position. Kathy Litton is a great person and doing good work, but her qualifications for the position were nowhere close to Currence’s. Did we vote in a woman just because she’s a woman? If so, that doesn’t do our convention, or women any good.
What kind of “qualification” does it take to be registration secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention? The ability to recruit and manage a team of volunteers and train them how to read cards and enter information into a computer. A little bit of discernment and decision making ability when you see something that doesn’t look right. Counting. Adding and subtracting or at least, using a calculator. I don’t think you need an MDiv or a PhD to serve in this position.
I think being assistant to the registration secretary for 12 years is a pretty decent qualification. To simply say Kathy Litton is qualified because she can count is degrading to her and to the position she has been elected to. A man who has 12 years of proven ability was overlooked simply because he was a man.
Here is some information about women in the SBC
Mrs. R.L. Mathis, a former WMU president and was second vice- president of the SBC in 1963 was nominated for SBC president in 1972, she coined the phrase Bold Mission and was the first woman invited to address commencement at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary the first woman to do the honors for theology students at any Southern Baptist seminary E.Y. Mullins Award for denomination service she was great friend with her pastor George W. Truett pastor First Baptist Church Dallas Texas.
Mrs. Carl Bates was elected second vice president in 1976.
In 1978 A woman was featured speaker at the Pastors Conference.
Also in 1983 Christine Gregory was elected without opposition as president of the Baptist General Association of Virginia
It is easier to listen to David Platt preach about meekness than practice it. While Paul instructed Titus to teach older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. He also wrote to Timothy do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father.
There is a generation of SBC’ers who fought the battles and built the convention and now maybe they see changes coming too fast for them to process quickly. Changes that another generation sees as necessary. The younger generation needs to show some gentleness and maybe some meekness as they trust in God to work these things out instead of assuming the worst about the older generation,
He told her she shouldn’t be able to speak….
Why? You should explain.
I’m torn about removing the post on here that was ugly. On the one hand, the post was deserving of being removed. On the other hand, we should take a good long look at what is under the surface in the SBC. Is what Ms. Rhonda experienced really a rare exception or is there more of this attitude than we realize?
I think (and hope)?it is very rare.
I hope it is too, but here’s my thinking.
Back a decade ago, I thought the country was much farther ahead esp regarding race relations and civility. And then with the Obama and Trump presidencies I saw divisions and nastiness that I would have sworn was a minority view of extremes become a typical occurrence.
I can’t imagine it all came about lately but that it was lying under the surface all along, and yet I was blissfully ignorant of it.
Then as someone else mentioned, change comes and it comes quickly and the next thing you know this stuff starts boiling up to the surface.
That’s why I hope it is rare, but am not really sure.
Welcome to Wade’s World
Wade, You’ve been told that as a woman you should shut up?
Strange.
Bro. Wade, I saw you Monday night at the Westin @ debate between Dwight and Tom, how do you feel Dwight exegetically gave his arguments?…
After reading this, my first thought was, “there is not way this is real…too sensational.” I hope I am right.
Nothing a woman loves more after sharing a horrible experience than how she’s not believed…
I hope you are meaning it is so awful you have a hard time wrapping your head around how this could happen.
Are you saying (or hoping) that Pastor Gordon, and/or his wife, is making this all up?
The male messenger who said all that certainly has some huge issues. First is with his spirit second his thought pattern about women third he needs to be reminded many women have a husband that might look him up to have a chat…
As a comp pastor for 22 years I can tell you it is rare but not alone. I have heard some like that down through the years. They do not hold a biblical view though and are getting more rare.
I think so too.
So sorry Rhonda had this experience. Sad thing is that this man probably calls himself a complementarian when his views are FAR outside of that spectrum. It’s hard to say how rare or widespread this view is. Although, I do think it is most likely rare. However, the frequency of this kind of thing does not diminish the fact that one of our sisters was told by a fellow messenger of the SBC that she should not be permitted to speak and, I assume, vote. I put myself in her shoes and I can’t imagine how I would have reacted in this situation.
Unfortunately, this is a good example of what happens on a somewhat obvious level. In many ways, we go through the motions and pay lip service to a resolution or idea while it totally contradicts our struggle for equal rights.
It’s not, however, always so bold and forthcoming. The various subtle ways we practice this same bias is not only alarming but also unrecognized (we think the phrase “being barefoot and pregnant” was only a joke). I agree, Rhonda, we have come a long way in our convention, but let us not forget the subtle not so obvious ways we practice this same principle. In fact, I think Rhonda should have written the entire “I didn’t expect this” commentary on her own (she surely didn’t need an introduction). 🙂
It’s “role.” Not “roll.”
Noted and corrected. Thanks.