The Southern Baptist Convention is electing a new president Tuesday amid a push to wrest control of the denomination by ultraconservatives who say some current leaders are too liberal on issues that include race and the role of women in ministry
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — .
Stone has been campaigning hard, speaking in churches around the country, and the network has been encouraging supporters to attend the annual meeting as voting delegates. As of Monday, more than 17,000 voting delegates were pre-registered, positioning the meeting to be the denomination's largest in 25 years.
A third candidate, Alabama pastor Ed Litton, was among an ethnically and racially diverse group of Southern Baptists who signed a statement asserting that systemic injustice is real. He is supported by Fred Luter, the only Black pastor ever to be denomination president. The Southern Baptist Convention is structured as a loose network of independent churches that pools money for tasks like missions and evangelism.
The role of women in ministry could also pop up after bestselling Christian author Beth Moore left the denomination earlier this year. Beyond the issue of women pastors, some members believe that women should never preach to men or even teach them in Sunday school. Conservative Baptist Network members have accused Litton of being too egalitarian. And the Southern Baptist church founded by Rick Warren, author of “The Purpose Driven Life,” recently ordained three female ministers.
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