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USA Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Southern Baptists again reject strict prohibition on women pastors
Southern Baptists again reject strict prohibition on women pastors Show Caption Hide Caption The Southern Baptist Convention in 2025: The key issues The Southern Baptist Convention is the nation's largest Protestant denomination denomination. It is headquartered in Nashville. The Southern Baptist Convention is the nation's largest Protestant denomination. The convention has 12.7 million members in the United States. Southern Baptists have long held to a view called complementarianism, which prescribes different roles for men and women. In recent years, the Southern Baptist Convention has taken a stricter stance on churches with female pastors and some members sought to enshrine a ban into the SBC's constitution. For the second year in a row, a vote on the ban has failed to garner the needed two-thirds majority to pass. DALLAS — The Southern Baptist Convention on Wednesday again spurned a constitutional ban on female pastors as the prohibition's proponents failed to move the needle on a contentious issue that has prompted several years of debate and the exit of multiple congregations from the nation's largest Protestant denomination. For the second year in a row, 61% of SBC messengers, or delegates, voted for the measure, just short of the required two-thirds majority. The matter has tested the Nashville-based denomination's commitment to church autonomy as some churches choose to embrace more egalitarian views about women in ministry rather than complementarianism, which prescribes different roles for men and women. The SBC has disfellowshipped several prominent churches because of female pastors within the last several years, including Saddleback Church, a megachurch in Southern California; Fern Creek Baptist of Louisville, Kentucky; and First Baptist Church Alexandria in Virginia. Others, like NewSpring Church in South Carolina, have left voluntarily. James Goforth, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Ferguson, Missouri, spoke against the measure, calling it an unnecessary distraction from more important issues. Southern Baptist meeting: Southern Baptists vote to seek repeal of historic same-sex marriage ruling But Alexander Odum, pastor at Northside Baptist Church in Fort Myers, Florida, expressed frustration with such characterizations, noting that the SBC's credentials committee had initially failed to recommend Saddleback's ouster in 2022 despite the church employing a female senior pastor. The SBC eventually expelled Saddleback in 2023. "That yearlong delay was the direct result of the committee not having clarity," Odum said. "There is no reason to run away from our biblical beliefs about the office of pastor." The motion limiting pastor and church elder roles to men only was introduced by Juan Sanchez, senior pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, who said the measure simply echoed Baptist principles but was needed to provide clarity for the nation's largest group of evangelical Christians. Related: Southern Baptists repeat feuds over SBC public policy arm, women pastors at Dallas event He noted that some have worried about the legal ramifications of passing the measure but said it was important to adhere to biblical principles. "There will always be legal concerns," Sanchez said. "We are not a people governed by attorneys. We are a people governed by a book." Approval of the ban could have risked the departure of additional churches from the denomination, which is struggling to maintain its membership of just under 13 million. But the measure's backers have said adherence to doctrine should trump membership concerns, despite opponents' concerns that it would be too repressive.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Social media pounces on Rick Warren tweet about Jesus: 'You'll find him in the middle'
Rick Warren faced a raft of backlash on X in response to a post in which he referred to the two thieves who were crucified on either side of Jesus, and declared, "If you're looking for the #realJesus, not a caricature disfigured by partisan motivations, you'll find him in the middle, not on either side." Warren, the author of the popular book "The Purpose Driven Life," founded Saddleback Church with his wife Kay in 1980, according to His Feb. 11 post has earned thousands of replies and more than 3 million views. Trump Announces Executive Order Creating Task Force To 'Eradicate Anti-christian Bias' Seth Dillon, the CEO of the satire site the Babylon Bee, sarcastically quipped, "Yeah, because if there's one thing Jesus was known for, it was his desire to meet in the middle and compromise on the issues that matter most." "This is possibly the worst Biblical interpretation I've ever seen, and that's really saying something," conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey declared. "Jesus is not 'in the middle' on the murder of children, gender deception, the definition of marriage, or anything else, for that matter. In fact, I seem to remember Him having a particular disdain for the lukewarm." Read On The Fox News App Candace Cameron Bure Feels People Are 'Less Afraid Of Being Canceled' In Hollywood For Their Faith "What happens when the authorial intent of a biblical text is discarded? The text becomes a wax nose, bent according to our own intent. Case in point," Brad Klassen, a professor at The Master's Seminary, wrote regarding Warren's post. David Limbaugh, the brother of the late conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh, tweeted, "Meaningless mush," adding, "with all due respect." Southern Baptists Reject Rick Warren-founded Church's Appeal Of Ouster Over Female Pastors In his most recent tweet prior to the one that came under so much scrutiny, Warren had written, "Jesus: "Whoever #serves me must #FOLLOW me." Jn 12:26," adding, "Seems obvious, right? But while serving Jesus in ministry, we can stop #following Him! Instead, we start following politicians, podcasters, or peers-and our vision, values & priorities come from social media, not Jesus. #bad"Original article source: Social media pounces on Rick Warren tweet about Jesus: 'You'll find him in the middle'
Fox News
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Social media pounces on Rick Warren tweet about Jesus: 'You'll find him in the middle'
Rick Warren faced a raft of backlash on X in response to a post in which he referred to the two thieves who were crucified on either side of Jesus, and declared, "If you're looking for the #realJesus, not a caricature disfigured by partisan motivations, you'll find him in the middle, not on either side." Warren, the author of the popular book "The Purpose Driven Life," founded Saddleback Church with his wife Kay in 1980, according to His Feb. 11 post has earned thousands of replies and more than 3 million views. Seth Dillon, the CEO of the satire site the Babylon Bee, sarcastically quipped, "Yeah, because if there's one thing Jesus was known for, it was his desire to meet in the middle and compromise on the issues that matter most." "This is possibly the worst Biblical interpretation I've ever seen, and that's really saying something," conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey declared. "Jesus is not 'in the middle' on the murder of children, gender deception, the definition of marriage, or anything else, for that matter. In fact, I seem to remember Him having a particular disdain for the lukewarm." "What happens when the authorial intent of a biblical text is discarded? The text becomes a wax nose, bent according to our own intent. Case in point," Brad Klassen, a professor at The Master's Seminary, wrote regarding Warren's post. David Limbaugh, the brother of the late conservative radio icon Rush Limbaugh, tweeted, "Meaningless mush," adding, "with all due respect." In his most recent tweet prior to the one that came under so much scrutiny, Warren had written, "Jesus: "Whoever #serves me must #FOLLOW me." Jn 12:26," adding, "Seems obvious, right? But while serving Jesus in ministry, we can stop #following Him! Instead, we start following politicians, podcasters, or peers-and our vision, values & priorities come from social media, not Jesus. #bad"
