# The Southern Baptist Convention **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 15, 2021, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-southern-baptist-convention/944309 "2021-06-15T06:18:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-southern-baptist-convention/944309/21 "2024-06-16T22:41:05Z")
They failed to get a 2/3rds majority on the vote, but 61% of the voters did oppose having female pastors. That’s still considered a landslide. I hope hearts and minds change there to one day favor equality, but I have my doubts it’ll happen soon. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2024, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-southern-baptist-convention/944309/22 "2024-06-16T22:43:32Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > They failed to get a 2/3rds majority on the vote, but 61% of the voters did oppose having female pastors. That’s still considered a landslide. Frankly, considering just how conservative most SBC churches are, I’m kind of surprised that it was only 61%. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-southern-baptist-convention/944309/23 "2024-06-17T05:18:23Z")
Their membership has been declining for years. Perhaps this will make it decline faster. Not have a baby you want using IVF, or leave the church for another. Doesn’t sound like a hard choice. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-southern-baptist-convention/944309/24 "2024-06-17T19:57:26Z")
On the subject of the SBC, a former leader just died: > **[Paul Pressler, Disgraced Christian Conservative Leader, Dies at 94](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/16/obituaries/paul-pressler-dead.html)** > > A former judge, he helped steer the Southern Baptist Convention to the right. But at least seven men accused him of sexual abuse. > But at least seven men accused him of sexual abuse. OK, where is that shocked emoji? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-southern-baptist-convention/944309/25 "2024-09-24T23:42:53Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > It is a fight between theological conservatives vs. ultraconservatives for control for control of the Southern Baptist Convention, I haven’t followed the Southern Baptists since I left 30 years ago, so my first reaction is, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” I watched my childhood church struggle with identity between the moderates and conservatives. I know there were moderates then because of my parents. They had a special class where they chose their own reading material to discuss. I participated a few times before I quit. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > There are internal fights concerning systemic racism, sex abuse, and a growing exodus of African-American pastors, and the article I linked to indicates that no one is sure how this will all play out, only that it probably end up with more support for the Republican Party, no matter which faction comes out on top. Wait, there are African-American pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention? I thought one of the historical severences was those Black churches from our White ones. I remember attending a national church camp back then, a couple hundred teenagers, and you could count the Black ones by counting the number of i-phones (i.e. none). I guess the world keeps turning. But wait, there have been a series of sex abuse charges, including the former head? That’s not gotten nearly the publicity of Catholic Church woes. I’m surprised they are kicking out churches with women deacons only because I didn’t expect women deacons to begin with. But maybe from the variety of SB church my parents joined instead of the one they left (same place 20 years later). > [@Czarcasm](#): > > What do you think will come of this, and will it give Republicans enough power to overcome the current problems they have? Fracture serves them well. I’m not sure this means anything for the Republican Party. Shifting demographics to be more white isn’t growing the church, and fracturing won’t give them more clout in the GOP. > [@Chronos](#): > > Yes, exactly, many denominations based on many issues. And the specific issue the Southern Baptist denomination is based on is slavery. You would think that, with so many Baptist denominations to choose from, a Baptist wouldn’t have any trouble finding one that suited their views, without the slavery part. From my time in one of those churches, that topic never came up. I only learned that detail after quitting religion. The tenets and beliefs of the church were never about slavery or racism that I saw, although there didn’t seem to be much draw for Black people. Ok, I do recall discussing slavery - slavery by the Romans and of the Jews by the Pharoah. They were more focused on how persecuted Christians are (because the Romans persecuted them, and places like Islamic countries). To me, it felt like they had a persecution complex, which informs my opinion about white Christian attitudes to the social progress of the last few decades. Yeah the SBC trying to deal with issues like systemic racism, sexism, and sexual abuse. Feels like America. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-southern-baptist-convention/944309.md?page=1)