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lees1975

(3,845 posts) Wed Jun 15, 2022, 07:27 PM Jun 2022

The Southern Baptist Convention turns back far right MAGA faction's takeover effort

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2022/06/southern-baptists-make-progress-on.html

A far right conservative faction in the Southern Baptist Convention, known as the "Conservative Baptist Network, CBN" has failed in its attempt to gain control of the denomination's officer positions and its executive committee leadership, and in its attempt to defund and dissolve its Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

All of the officer candidates endorsed by the far right CBN faction were defeated. The Sexual Abuse Task Force recommendations, which many CBN members opposed, were adopted by the convention overwhelmingly. All three officers nominated by CBN for the Executive Committee were defeated by non-aligned candidates, the attempt to dissolve the ERLC was defeated "overwhelmingly" according to the Nashville daily, The Tennessean, and a very harsh resolution they wanted to bring to the floor on abortion was voted down. The CBN candidate for president of the Pastor's Conference was also defeated.

This is not an indication that the Southern Baptist Convention is moving in a more progressive, moderate direction, either in its theology, or in its position on social issues. But what this may indicate is that the influence of Trumpism within the convention's churches may be waning. And, as the Salon piece indicates, may be an indication of the same thing occurring within constituencies of the GOP across the country. The SBC itself has succeeded in keeping the influences of Trumpism away from its entities and its operations, though many of its churches and members have been supportive of the far right agenda