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Southern Baptists promise "special attention" for minorities, not affirmative action

Questioninggeller

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Southern Baptists promise "special attention" for minorities, not affirmative action

Southern Baptists Approve Steps Aimed at Diversity
New York Times
By ERIK ECKHOLM
Published: June 15, 2011


With the election of a black pastor to a senior position this week and a new action plan to increase ethnic diversity in its leadership, the Southern Baptist Convention has taken its most concrete steps yet to overcome a history of racial exclusion and to broaden its appeal in a changing American population.
...
With 16 million members, the Convention is the country’s largest Protestant denomination, but the numbers are dwindling. Its traditional constituency is aging, and recruitment has not kept pace with the country’s demography. Church leaders say that as the population becomes more diverse, they must act more aggressively to draw in minority churches and followers.
...
The Southern Baptist Convention was established in 1845 after a break with Northern churches over their opposition to slavery. Until the late 20th century it was a defiantly white institution, often promoting segregation.

“About 30 years ago we were virtually all white — by intention, sadly, but true,” said Richard Land, head of the Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission in Washington, in a phone interview from Phoenix. In a landmark resolution in 1995, the Convention issued a public apology for its past racism and opposition to civil rights laws.
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In reports prepared for the Phoenix assembly, Convention leaders acknowledged that minorities in leadership had lagged well behind even the growth of minority members. The meeting adopted sweeping corrective measures, including requiring its various bodies to report annually on the role of ethnic churches and leaders and calling on the Convention president to “give special attention to appointing individuals who represent the diversity within the convention, and particularly ethnic diversity” in committee appointments.

Church leaders insisted that the plan was not the same as governmental affirmative action policies, which many of them have opposed. The Convention plan does not involve quotas, and no one will be put in a leadership position who is not fully qualified, officials said.
...
Gay and lesbian advocates on Wednesday called on the Southern Baptists to apologize for antihomosexual policies and for what they called destructive efforts to “cure” people of homosexuality.

Mr. Mohler said that in contrast to racial issues, the church view that homosexual behavior is a sin is dictated by the Bible. “We cannot compromise without disobeying the Scriptures,” he said, adding that it is also an article of faith that the Holy Spirit can transform people.
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Article: New York Times
 
Many denominations are hopelessly segregated, but as someone who grew up in the south, I can say Baptists may be the worst. It's not uncommon at all to see two Baptist churches directly across the street from one another: one white and the other black. I don't have to tell you which is more fun.

I remember the first time I went to a Catholic church in the south, I was amazed that there were black and white people sharing pews.
 
Questioninggeller said:
Mr. Mohler said that in contrast to racial issues, the church view that homosexual behavior is a sin is dictated by the Bible.
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no it isn't

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination.(Leviticus 18:22 KJV)
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Impossible to do as men don't have vaginas

If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.(Leviticus 20:13 KJV)
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Impossible to do as men don't have vaginas
if you think i'm taking these verses too literally all I can say is, I didn't start it
:p
 
Marduk said:
Impossible to do as men don't have vaginas
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It doesn´t mention vagina, does it? It could literally mean that you enter the backdoor of men just as you enter the backdoor of women. Don´t try to water down the Word.
 
They never explain why the bible is now wrong about slavery, partially wrong about women...but truthful about homosexuals!
 
If I was black in the south, I'm not sure I would want 'special attention'. I think I'd settle for being treated as regular folk. Special attention sounds like burning crosses.
 
JJM 777 said:
It doesn´t mention vagina, does it? It could literally mean that you enter the backdoor of men just as you enter the backdoor of women. Don´t try to water down the Word.
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If you take it that way, they might as well only be speaking of simply be laying together side by side without contact , and that is an abomination too.

Anyway Leviticus is old testament. Unless those guy are speaking to renew their old covonant with Yahweh and Israel, those do not apply anymore to Christian.

Anyway it is all ********, and one can use all sort of BS reason to justify why they chose to keep some of the old testament , but not the mixed cloth or shell animal part, but keep that part. Watch a lot of skirming around. And also why they chose to keep the part about being with homo is a sin which should make you killed, but being bad with your parents is not one which should not make you killed anymore, or even picking sticks on a Saturday.

Garbage in, Garbage Out.
 
Rincewind said:
When I read "Special Attention", my first thought was "the Nuremburg Laws".

Maybe a slight over-reaction...
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White robes, a burning cross and a body hanging from a tree came to my mind.
 
I wonder if the 'special attention' in the OP extends to Heaven, kind of like how in Mormon theology non-whites get to 'sit in the back of the bus' in Heaven?
 
What I find amusing about this, is that this move is triggered by declining numbers. Being racists was just fine and dandy and Christlike when there were enough racists to fill the pews.

But now as our society has pretty much rejected racism (no, not completely) suddenly, they decide that being racist is no longer part of Christ's teachings.

I honestly think that this change of heart is just too little too late for the Southern Baptists and they are going to wither and die as their current membership ages and dies.
 
cwalner said:
What I find amusing about this, is that this move is triggered by declining numbers. Being racists was just fine and dandy and Christlike when there were enough racists to fill the pews.

But now as our society has pretty much rejected racism (no, not completely) suddenly, they decide that being racist is no longer part of Christ's teachings.

I honestly think that this change of heart is just too little too late for the Southern Baptists and they are going to wither and die as their current membership ages and dies.
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Where is the evidence that Southern Baptist membership is in decline? I'd like very much to see a reference on this - thanks in advance!
 
MattusMaximus said:
Where is the evidence that Southern Baptist membership is in decline? I'd like very much to see a reference on this - thanks in advance!
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from the quote from the NY Times in in the OP

With 16 million members, the Convention is the country’s largest Protestant denomination, but the numbers are dwindling. Its traditional constituency is aging, and recruitment has not kept pace with the country’s demography. Church leaders say that as the population becomes more diverse, they must act more aggressively to draw in minority churches and followers.
...
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Very interesting. Makes one wonder what the numbers will be for various religious groups in the United States in another 10 or 20 years.
 
MattusMaximus said:
Very interesting. Makes one wonder what the numbers will be for various religious groups in the United States in another 10 or 20 years.
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I can save you the wait. They'll be a steadily shrinking minority. But this is also the time frame in which I believe they'll be not unlike a mortally wounded animal and be prone to strike out violently.

Coincidentally this is a trend we can expect to see more and more world wide the next 60 years or so, and you'll be telling your grand kids how people used to be part of something called religion.
 
MattusMaximus said:
Very interesting. Makes one wonder what the numbers will be for various religious groups in the United States in another 10 or 20 years.
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Yeah, it said they are shrinking, but did not specify in relation to other religions. I wonder if this truly is a trend for all religions and if so, whether they are experiencing it more or less acutely than others.

It is obvious from the quotes in the OP, that the leadership of the Southern Baptists perceive that they are losing ground more acutely than other faiths, but nothing to support the accuracy of those perceptions.
 
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