{"id":2284158,"date":"2024-06-26T17:09:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T21:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sbc-leader-talks-drama-and-decision-at-annual-meeting\/"},"modified":"2024-06-26T17:14:58","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T21:14:58","slug":"sbc-leader-talks-drama-and-decision-at-annual-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sbc-leader-talks-drama-and-decision-at-annual-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"SBC Leader Talks &#8216;Drama And Decision&#8217; At Annual Meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsbc-leader-talks-drama-and-decision-at-annual-meeting%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2284158&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Albert Mohler, president of the Southern \u200cBaptist Theological Seminary, had just returned from \u2064an intense Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) \u200dannual meeting \u2062in Indianapolis \u200cwhen he discussed \u2063the significant \u201cdrama and decision\u201d \u200dthat defined this year\u2019s gathering. Key\u2062 issues debated\u2064 included the role of female\u200c pastors, sexual abuse policies, and in-vitro fertilization \u200d(IVF), which\u2064 Mohler sharply criticized for ethical concerns. He presented a resolution condemning IVF, grounding his opposition in the potential for discarded embryos \u2064and what he sees as the commodification of human life, a measure \u2062that passed after considerable debate.<\/p>\n<p>Amid these\u200b discussions, a critical moment occurred with the removal of \u200cFirst Baptist Church (FBC) of Alexandria, Virginia from the SBC. This act was due to its advocacy for female pastors, spotlighting Mohler&#8217;s firm stand\u200c on complementarianism, which asserts pastoral roles should be male as \u2064per scripture. Another contentious topic, the &#8220;law amendment&#8221; aimed to enforce this stance across SBC governing documents but failed to pass, widening a rift among convention leaders including a public, albeit respectful,\u200d disagreement between Mohler and former SBC president J.D. Greear.<\/p>\n<p>the convention was a battleground for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-abraham-lincolns-speeches-preserved-american-self-government\/\" title=\"How Abraham Lincoln\u2019s Speeches Preserved American Self-Government\">deep theological<\/a>\u200c and\u200b ethical disputes,\u200d reflecting ongoing tensions as the denomination grapples \u2064with contemporary issues through a traditional doctrinal lens.\u200b Mohler \u2064remains a pivotal figure in these debates, drawing\u2062 on decades \u200cof experience and advocacy for conservative\u200b values within the church.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>When Albert Mohler called at 9:30 p.m., he had just arrived home from four 20-hour days at the Southern Baptist Convention\u2019s (SBC) <a href=\"https:\/\/sbcannualmeeting.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">annual meeting<\/a> in Indianapolis, Indiana.<\/p>\n<p>Mohler, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbts.edu\/faculty\/r-albert-mohler-jr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">president<\/a> of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a towering figure in American evangelicalism for decades, has witnessed dozens of annual meetings. According to him, \u201cdrama and decision\u201d defined this year\u2019s gathering.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur grandchildren were with us at the convention this year,\u201d Mohler said in an interview with The Federalist. \u201cI said to a [very large group of pastors] last night, I said, \u2018Don\u2019t mess up. Don\u2019t mess this up. I\u2019ve got grandchildren. They need faithful pastors and faithful churches and it\u2019s our job to make sure that happens.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/11\/southern-baptists-clash-as-vote-looms-over-amendment-to-ban-female-pastors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Female pastors<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baptistpress.com\/resource-library\/news\/messengers-vote-to-refer-sexual-abuse-reform-priorities-to-sbc-executive-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sexual abuse policy<\/a>, and, by Mohler\u2019s initiative, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/13\/southern-baptist-convention-passes-anti-ivf-resolution-after-emotional-debate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in-vitro fertilization (IVF)<\/a> were all on the ballot this year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis meeting was so filled with moments of drama and decision,\u201d he noted. \u201cWe had, you know, elections go into a third ballot. I mean, that\u2019s a very unusual thing. But you know, the spirit of the convention was still very good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mohler drafted a <a href=\"https:\/\/sbcannualmeeting.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/SBC-Daily-Bulletin-Wednesday-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">resolution condemning IVF<\/a> and put it to a vote at the annual meeting. He had a classroom-worthy lecture prepared on the subject, fitting for a seminary president.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think there is no way that IVF can be performed without huge moral error,\u201d Mohler said. \u201cQuite frankly, even on the floor of the Southern Baptist Convention today, there was evidence of the fact that there are people who [are] untroubled by the creation of so many \u2014 and I use this term only because it\u2019s used in the [media] \u2014 excess embryos. Imagine saying excess <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-conservatism-must-conserve\/\" title=\"What Conservatism Must Conserve\">human beings<\/a> \u2026 it just shows you the depersonalization of the embryo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mohler covered a range of ethical issues with IVF, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/20\/to-be-pro-life-politicians-must-stand-for-all-babies-from-conception-even-when-it-happens-in-a-lab\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">millions of embryos discarded<\/a> and abandoned in freezers, the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/26\/ivf-modernizes-ancient-eugenic-practices-of-selective-breeding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">eugenics<\/a> of embryonic screening, and what he calls \u201cthe <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/08\/14\/its-time-to-stop-treating-assisted-reproductive-technology-as-a-quick-fix-for-infertility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">commodification<\/a> of human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He was, at one moment, self-conscious of his enthusiasm \u2014 \u201cI\u2019m using too many words here\u201d \u2014 but the next moment returned to his point.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFar too many Christians \u2026 are basically disengaged from the issue and I think, quite frankly, just haven\u2019t been thoughtful in any Christian sense about the reality of IVF,\u201d Mohler said. \u201cYou have the pro-abortion position coming on with even more extreme arguments \u2026 just as another means of pushing their extremely radical agenda, which is at almost every level subversive of human dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mohler\u2019s<strong> <\/strong>resolution affirming the sanctity of life and precluding IVF <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/13\/southern-baptist-convention-passes-anti-ivf-resolution-after-emotional-debate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">passed<\/a>, but not without a fight. <\/p>\n<p>Detractors pleaded with the convention, <a href=\"https:\/\/live.sbcannualmeeting.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">some through tears<\/a>, citing their own children as examples of IVF\u2019s positive impact. Far from unsympathetic, Mohler says their pain was once his own. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI, we, know the pain and frustration of being unable to have a child and wondering if you\u2019re ever going to have a child,\u201d he said. Mohler and his wife, Mary, struggled with infertility for years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt seemed everybody around us was having babies,\u201d Mary Mohler <a href=\"https:\/\/equip.sbts.edu\/publications\/magazine\/magazine-issue\/fall-2018-vol-86-no-2\/unseen-ministry-mary-mohler\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">previously told<\/a> Southern Equip. \u201cI would host baby showers for people, and then everybody would go home, and we\u2019d be surrounded with the stuffed animal decorations. It was just painful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mohler, still, is uncompromising. Asked if IVF is more accessible now than it was then, he rejected the premise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccessible? I\u2019m not correcting you, but it\u2019s not just accessible. It\u2019s a consumer market. There are vast billions of dollars to be made in an industry of IVF,\u201d Mohler said. \u201cIt\u2019s being presented not only now as something that could help married couples in their 20s and 30s, struggling to have kids. It\u2019s being marketed now as a consumer product, frankly, independent of marriage. Of course, this also fuels the LGBTQ redefinition of the family because you have a man and a man or a woman and a woman using the language that they are having a baby. And that again, I think, shows the grave danger from the Christian perspective of alienating or separating human reproduction from the conjugal relationship with marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Decades of <a href=\"https:\/\/albertmohler.com\/2004\/02\/05\/the-brave-new-world-of-sex-selection-technologies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">advocacy<\/a> by Mohler led up to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/planned-parenthood-drops-lawsuit-against-lubbock-texas-over-abortion-ban-ordinance\/\" title=\"Planned Parenthood Drops Lawsuit Against Lubbock, Texas, over Abortion Ban Ordinance\">pro-life victory<\/a>. He did not, however, consider it the meeting\u2019s most important moment.<\/p>\n<p>Mohler awarded that distinction to the <a href=\"https:\/\/fbcalexandria.org\/blog\/2024\/06\/18\/sbc-q-a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">removal<\/a> of the First Baptist Church (FBC) of Alexandria, Virginia from the SBC over its advocacy for female pastors. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe that the Southern Baptist Convention can only maintain doctrinal integrity and, frankly, a consistent ecclesiology if we hold to a complementarian position as taught in Scripture, and as our confession of faith says,\u201d Mohler said. \u201cThat means affirming that the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture \u2026 the overwhelming vote on First Baptist Church of Arlington, I think, shows that the conviction of the denomination is very strong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The vote came as the convention also considered the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/sbcamendment.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">law amendment<\/a>,\u201d which would have amended the SBC\u2019s governing documents to ban churches who employ women \u201cas any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The amendment failed to pass, but not before it created a spectacle in the media and a very public disagreement between Mohler and former SBC president J.D. Greear, an <a href=\"https:\/\/jdgreear.com\/the-southern-baptist-conventions-defining-moment-the-law-amendment-and-the-great-commission-resurgence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">outspoken opponent<\/a> of the measure.<\/p>\n<p>Greear agreed with Mohler\u2019s theological defense of complementarianism and opposes female pastors, but disagreed with the <a href=\"https:\/\/jdgreear.com\/a-time-to-come-together-the-unintended-effects-of-the-law-amendment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mechanism and principle<\/a> of the amendment given the convention\u2019s \u201chistoric principles of cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe and I came down on different sides,\u201d Greear told The Federalist. \u201cWe had a pretty, I don\u2019t want to say testy \u2026 let\u2019s just say it was a fairly substantive exchange right before the vote happened on this panel we were on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe last words after we stood up on the panel, I said, \u2018Man, I love you. You\u2019re a mentor.\u2019 And he goes, \u2018I love you, too. J.D.\u2019\u201d Greear said. \u201cWe have been in some long, heated conversations. I want to make that very clear. But I feel as close of a friendship to him and as much of an affection for him on this side of those discussions as I did before\u2026 the very minor places we disagree, it doesn\u2019t change how he feels about the respect he has for me or the respect I have for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The two even joked about the amendment\u2019s failure: \u201cI ran up to him and screamed \u2018in your face\u2019 \u2014 just kidding \u2026 you know I\u2019m not serious, right?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another critic, FBC Alexandria\u2019s senior pastor Robert Stephens, <a href=\"https:\/\/fbcalexandria.org\/blog\/2024\/06\/18\/sbc-q-a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-governor-ducey-defends-signing-off-on-fraudulent-election-dirtbag-ignored-massive-evidence-of-fraud-whys-that\/\" title=\"Arizona Governor Ducey Defends Signing Off on Fraudulent Election -- Dirtbag Ignored Massive Evidence of Fraud... Why's That?\">previously called<\/a><\/a> the proposed restriction \u201cnot intended by God.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Mohler maintains that the New Testament term <em>presbyteros<\/em>, translated as \u201celder\u201d or \u201cpastor,\u201d designates a church office restricted to men based on the scriptural teachings found in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=1+Timothy+1-6&#038;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1 Timothy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Titus+1-3&#038;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Titus<\/a>. FBC Alexandria did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Mohler is also no stranger to doctrinal drama. <\/p>\n<p>He was a key player in the prodigal SBC\u2019s return from <a href=\"http:\/\/baptisthistoryhomepage.com\/sbc.conser.resurg.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">theological liberalism<\/a>. In 1979, desperate to counter the leftward drift that included <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20180319015142\/http:\/\/www.sbc.net\/resolutions\/13\/resolution-on-abortion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">affirmation of abortion<\/a>, rejection of Biblical <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbts.edu\/news\/conservative-resurgence-was-about-theology-not-politics-sbts-panel-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">inerrancy<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/media.sbhla.org.s3.amazonaws.com\/5270,02-Jun-1981.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">doubt<\/a> about Christ\u2019s divinity, a group of pastors <a href=\"https:\/\/albertmohler.com\/2006\/06\/14\/the-southern-baptist-reformation-a-first-hand-account\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">met in an Atlanta<\/a> hotel room. They planned to systematically elect theological conservatives to leadership offices, calling it the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/albertmohler.com\/2006\/06\/14\/the-southern-baptist-reformation-a-first-hand-account\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Conservative Resurgence<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was a young minister during that earlier period,\u201d Mohler said of the infamous power struggle. He\u2019s underselling it. Resurgence leaders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbts.edu\/faculty\/r-albert-mohler-jr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">installed him as president<\/a> of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1993. He <a href=\"https:\/\/archives.sbts.edu\/the-history-of-the-sbts\/our-story\/resurgence-1993-present\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">required<\/a> all faculty to sign a theologically conservative <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbts.edu\/abstract-of-principles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">confession<\/a>, prompting mass resignations and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QQTQOnv21Z8&#038;t=1728s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">student protests<\/a>. By the late \u201990s, the SBC <a href=\"https:\/\/albertmohler.com\/2006\/06\/14\/the-southern-baptist-reformation-a-first-hand-account\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">had achieved<\/a> what Mohler has <a href=\"https:\/\/albertmohler.com\/2006\/06\/14\/the-southern-baptist-reformation-a-first-hand-account\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> a reformation \u201cachieved at an incredibly high cost.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A survivor of complete doctrinal upheaval, Mohler knows the threat of theological liberalism still looms. A quick review of the <a href=\"https:\/\/afajournal.org\/past-issues\/2019\/march\/liberal-beliefs-pulling-mainlines-further-down\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trajectory of mainline Protestant<\/a> denominations confirms this is not paranoia. Some historians say the conservative resurgence <a href=\"https:\/\/ac21doj.org\/contents\/anatomy_of_a_reformation.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ended<\/a> at the turn of the century, but Mohler looks to his grandchildren and knows the work is never over.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m [a] grandfather, and that really shakes my thinking,\u201d Mohler said. \u201cI want to do everything I can to make certain that my grandchildren and other children and other people\u2019s children and grandchildren are taught the Word of God faithfully, introduced to Christ, and presented with the gospel.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Monroe Harless is a summer intern at The Federalist. She is a recent graduate of the University of Georgia with degrees in journalism and political science.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At 9:30 p.m., after four grueling 20-hour days at the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, Albert Mohler, a key figure in American evangelicalism and president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, reflected on the event. Having attended numerous annual meetings, he noted, &#8220;drama and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3175,"featured_media":2284159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/almohler1.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32917,4552,9792,3939,26565],"class_list":["post-2284158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-annual-meeting","tag-decision","tag-drama","tag-leader","tag-sbc"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/almohler1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2284158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2284158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2284158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2284159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2284158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2284158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2284158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}