Baptists have always had a history of being argumentative, if not fractious. In 1845 the group of Baptists known as Southern Baptists broke off from the northern churches over the issue of slavery. Although the denomination renounced its racist roots in 1995, it was not until almost a year after the Charleston church shootings that the denomination called on churches to stop flying the Confederate flag.
This year the Convention (SBC) in Nashville faces deep divisions that threaten to tear it apart. Black churches make up 20 percent of SBC churches, but white supremacy is still an issue. How is it possible to square racism with the Gospel?
Several prominent Southern Baptists have recently left the fold over issues of racism as well as the SBC’s refusal to address issues of sexual abuse and the acceptance of women as equals and their refusal to accept minorities as full members of society. These are issues that still affect many churches today. We should hope and pray that all churches recognize the expansiveness of the Gospel rather than burying their heads in the sand.
Prayer for the Day
Horizon of hope, whose boundaries are never fixed,
Reveal your Spirit to us, let her enter our souls;
Infinite Creator, break into our lives when we least expect it,
And remove our reticence to be bold and daring.
Impart to us the possibilities of new life in community
By bringing us into a circle of love and care.
We ask this in the name of him who shows us what is possible,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.
William Faulkner, American novelist (1897-1962)
The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.
Flannery O’Connor, American novelist (1925-1964)
Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might.
Hear my prayer, O God, give ear to the words of my mouth.
Psalm 54: 1