The history of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) includes many accomplishments for the Kingdom of God. But it also contains several things which stand in stark contrast to those accomplishments. Chief among those stains on the SBC is the issue of racism. Founded in a split over the question of slavery in the mid 1800’s, the SBC has time and again wrestled with the issue of race. The SBC has officially apologized for its history with slavery and racism, yet forms of racism continue to rise up within the convention.
The SBC in general is anxious to shake off any hint of racism. This is why, I believe, Resolution 9 was adopted at the annual meeting in 2019. Resolution 9 was entitled “On Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality,” concepts that most of the people in attendance had very likely never heard of. But they saw that this resolution seemed to have to do with fighting against racism, so it would be wrong to vote against it. In the time since then, CRT has exploded, not just in Southern Baptist discussions, but in various avenues of public policy. And many see the concepts of CRT to be anti-Biblical, and the wrong way to address racism.
However, there are those that see pushing back against CRT as a form of racism, an attempt to shut down what might be a useful tool in the fight against racism.
Dealing with Resolution 9 and with CRT in general will be delicate matters. One wrong move can be all the impetus some need to leave the SBC, as intentions will be assumed instead of understood.
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