Southern Baptists
The Southern Baptist Church was formed to support slavery disguised as religion. So, I cannot imagine why people are surprised when …
A week before the convention a very popular black Southern Baptist minister from Texas, Dwight McKissic, wrote an essay condemning the white nationalism of the religious right. This shook the leadership of the SBC to the core. And when he showed up at the convention with a resolution condemning the behavior of the right, they tried to destroy it in committee.
He kept fighting to bring it up on the floor. He was joined by other black ministers who decided to stand with Jesus on this matter.
“The amount of work left to do in ‘evangelical’ (who knows that means any more?) church is staggering,” tweeted Thabiti Anyabwile, a black Southern Baptist pastor who was not at the meeting. “Here’s the largest failing publicly.” He went on:
We must be clear: We live in a time when equivocating on these matters furthers the sin of racism even to violence and death. …
Any “church” that cannot denounce white supremacy without hesitancy and equivocation is a dead, Jesus denying assembly. No 2 ways about it. …
I’m done. With this Twitter spiel. With “evangelicalism.” With all the racist and indifferent nonsense that passes as “Christian.”
This is a church that waited until 2016 to ask their members to stop flying the confederate battle flag.
In the end, the resolution, with minor adjustments, passed, but only because Richard Spenser and the white nationalists praised the Southern Baptist for their first reaction to stomp it down which caused several ministers to threaten to withdraw from the SBC.
I am reminded that truth to power is a fierce warrior.
OT, but interesting because I think there was a recent thread on Rep. Chip Roy [Rwhackjob TX-21] up here:
Good news, maybe, TX Democrat Wendy Davis [y’all remember her] has announced her candidacy to replace freshman US Rep Chip Roy in the TX-21 district.
Davis just might have enough heft to swing this district. Roy only won by ~3%, iirc, in what used to be an ~8% R+ district; it is pretty heavily gerrymandered though.
We shall see.
https://therivardreport.com/wendy-davis-announces-she-will-seek-cd21-seat-held-by-gop-rep-chip-roy/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas%27s_21st_congressional_district
1Monday morning Bible class for any Evangelicals looking in. How might Jesus compare their actions (or inaction) on racism, children in cages, etc?
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
2…
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
RE: TX-21 and Wendy Davis,
3This is Lamar Smith’s old district. It covers a lot of west Austin down to north San Antonio, then a big chunk of the Hill Country [like several thousand square miles].
Roy’s 2018 opponent was Joseph Kopser [a political newcomer, fmr Army officer].
Tough, but doable.
My parents valiantly tried to make me accept the SBC. I was eight and saw what a bunch of hypocrites they were. NOPE!
4Amazing grace. It’s what I see among black preachers. Never have I seen unicorns, jousting with windmills, Reagan’s imaginary “welfare queen,” and especially not the mythical “angry black men” or women of right wing meme. Astounding patience waiting for MLK’s Dream in the face of systemic racism, church bombings, open fire from angry young white men, and even the police sworn to serve and protect. That’s what I see.
What I hear is our last real President singing, Amazing Grace. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=obama+sings+amazing+grace+live&view=detail&mid=63937712C0494769399363937712C04947693993&FORM=VIRE
It’s no secret that I prefer teachers to preachers. Some are both, something too many in the SBC fail to learn about and from. Not a surprise as they failed to learn from the black man they pretend to worship, Jesus.
5I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church, and my great-grandfather led the music in my hometown church for decades. My roots in the SBC go pretty deep.
I can remember when it actually stood for the things that defined the Baptist church. Among those things was separation of church and state. The current iteration of the SBC couldn’t care less, due to the conservative takeover engineered by Paul Pressler and Paige Patterson, among others. I suppose it shouldn’t surprise any of us that both men have been accused of sexual abuse, and Pressler has even paid restitution. (See the Wikipedia article on him.)
I am no longer religious, but if I were, there’s no way I would belong to a Southern Baptist church.
6Folks should read Dr. King’s ‘Letter From a Birmingham Jail.’ After all this time… you would think.
7Alas, people don’t read and/or don’t reach for the understanding of which knowledge affords.
“Any “church” that cannot denounce white supremacy without hesitancy and equivocation is a dead, Jesus denying assembly. No 2 ways about it. …”
That’s Love, in your face! Not love to put you in your place…
8They’re dragging their feet on this just like they are doing on sexual predators in the SBC.
I wonder where Louie Gohmert stands on the White Supremacy resolution (Rhetorical question, we all know he is Texas’ version of Steve King).
9This is an example of why I do not accept the elevation of delusions to a religion.
10Once someone accepts the “magical” thinking required to surrender free will to a “magic” man in the sky it makes it easier for other delusions based upon “magical” thinking to take root in, an obviously flawed, intellectual/mental process.
If one can believe in a “magic” man then one can believe in trickle down economics, same type of baseless belief in a fantasy.
If one can believe in a “magic” man then one can believe elevating ones own group over others based upon beliefs or other differences. No accident that christianity support slavery and the divine rights of kings. Once delusional always delusional.
Like a Conrad line from “Victory” “I opened my soul and the seed of corruption entered” so it is with cultism ( only difference between cult and religion is how long they survived, how many rubes did they sucker, how much money did they scam and how much earthly power did they gather do it long enough profitably enough and ta da your a religion)
Open your mind to fanciful delusions hatched millennia ago in the middle east based upon fear and ignorance and then you can believe anything, even that demented donnie is blessed by that mythical creature in the sky.
People have the right to believe anything they want ( like my impression of being irresistible, no matter the evidence otherwise) but please keep your fantasies out of the public sphere.
Otherwise the disaster we are suffering from becomes inevitable since people vote their delusions not their reason.
Jimmy Carter left the Souther Baptist’s today after 60 years!
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/losing-my-religion-for-equality-20090714-dk0v.html
11Opps my bad that was from 10 years ago this week.
12Jimmy is still a Baptist, just not a member of SBC.
13Poor SBC, first a bunch of people including uppity females pound you about enabling sexual abuse and then a bunch of people including black pastors ask you to renounce white nationalism (s/). Why would any follower of Jesus have trouble with either of these?
… some of them are “fine” people … But not, I think, at the leadership level.
14Jimmy was going to leave his Church because of their treatment of women. They changed, so he stayed. The Southern Baptist Convention has always been a cat and dog fight.
Last year they dumped the old Leader. He was accused of molesting Children. The Two factions are constantly fighting.
After trying to stay because of my many good friends I had to leave. Listening to the right wing hate was too much. Lost those friends, made new ones in a Church that teaches following the words of Christ. Love Thy Neighbor.
I may be wrong, but am not hurting anyone! 🙂
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