Throughout the SBC Annual Meeting many of the speakers and messengers at the microphones commented, “the world is watching what we do here.” Indeed, the world, mainly through the eyes of the media, was watching the actions of the Convention as proceedings took place. Here’s a look at the wrap-up coverage of some major media sources from around the country:
Houston Chronicle: “Southern Baptists likely to face historic audit of sexual abuse, cover-up” by Robert Downen – The Chronicle’s Robert Downen first broke the SBC abuse story in 2019 and was at this year’s Convention. Attending this year’s SBC and being present with abuse survivors in attendance, he wrote the Convention “has been at a crossroads over sexual abuse, racism and misogyny.” As messengers passed a motion to instruct the newly elected SBC President to appoint a task force made up of Southern Baptist church members and “experts in sexual abuse and the handling of sexual abuse-related dynamics” to oversee claims of the SBC Executive Committee’s mishandling of the previous abuse inquiry, he concluded “many of the prayers” at the start of that journey had been answered.
New York Times: “Southern Baptist vote signals further fractures in American evangelicalism” by Ruth Graham – The Times writer explored the possible exodus from the denomination by some it’s most conservative members and churches after the loss of the Conservative Baptist Network’s candidate for SBC President, Mike Stone. The article quoted one pastor as saying, “Everybody I’ve talked to has said we are going to have to have serious, hard conversations within our churches.”
The Tennessean: “Southern Baptists elect new convention president, bucking effort to push conservative denomination to the right” by Holly Meyer – The paper’s coverage focused on the theologically conservative bent of the Convention and the concern by some that it might take a more “leftward drift.” It described one of the more conservative-minded groups within the SBC as “rallying around pirate imagery and ‘take the ship’ slogan” and calling for a “course correction” in line with the Conservative Resurgence of the 1980s.
Wall St. Journal: “Southern Baptist Convention elects Ed Litton president in victory for moderate forces” by Ian Lovett – The Journal saw the election of Ed Litton as the Convention’s stepping away from, what is seen by many, the Republican Party. It called Litton the “favorite candidate of many young and nonwhite Southern Baptists.” One Black pastor who was interviewed by the paper said, “If we are Republican Christians, we’re not Christians. If we’re Democrat Christians, we’re not Christians.”
Washington Post: “Southern Baptists elect Ed Litton as their president, a defeat for the hard right” by Sarah Pulliam Bailey – According to the article “the election result is unlikely to end the divisiveness within the convention.” Among the issues it cites as being unresolved are the ideology of critical race theory (CRT) compared to biblical statements, racial reconciliation, issues of reporting sexual abuse within the denomination and caring for its victims.