By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM)—The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention formed a task force, Feb. 18, and charged it to investigate “past and present activities” of the Ethics & Religious Liberties Commission relating to “whether the actions of the Commission and its leadership are affecting Cooperative Program giving or the further advancement of the Cooperative Program.” It is the second time the ERLC, under the leadership of its president, Russ Moore, has come under fire in the last four years. In February 2017, the Executive Committee set up two investigative panels to study the ERLC after dozens of congregations either withheld funds to the SBC or left the SBC altogether after Moore made harsh comments about President Trump and his supporters. Among the prominent congregations that escrowed money was the historic Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, which withheld about $1 million in cooperative ministry funds. Meanwhile, only months earlier, during its 2016 annual meeting, the Louisiana Baptist Convention voted to set up study of its own regarding the ERLC “with regard to issues of concern to Louisiana Baptists.” Moore apologized in March 2017; … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM)—The Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference has declined a request from the SBC Executive Committee to change its lineup of speakers and entertainers. The SBC EC passed a resolution offering the pastors group use of the 2020 SBC Annual Meeting spaces in Orlando if it made changes to its proposed program, which was described as “sufficiently beyond the parameters of the faith and practice of Southern Baptists,” and made a payment of $100,000 (only a partial reimbursement of the actual cost of the facilities). Instead, the Pastors’ Conference, which has always been treated as a friend of the SBC although it has not official status with the denomination, said the First Baptist Church in Orlando, would pay the full cost for use of the spaces but not make any lineup changes. The amount of the full cost for use of the facilities has not been publicly released. David Uth, chairman of the Pastors’ Conference, also is pastor of First Orlando. It is not clear if the SBC EC will agree to this counter offer. At dispute are a number of platform personalities including David Hughes, pastor of Church by the Glades in Coral Springs, Florida. His Southern … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor BOSSIER CITY, La. (LBM)—Brad Jurkovich, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Bossier City, announced on Valentine’s Day the launching of the Conservative Baptist Network, a grassroots movement of Southern Baptists “concerned about the current direction and perceived future of the Convention.” In just three days, more than 3,200 churches and individuals had signed onto the initiative to restore conservative Southern Baptist views of Scripture, Jurkovich told the Baptist Message. CONSERVATIVES Jurkovich is joined in leadership of the movement by a number of pastors and laymen, but two of the most prominent supporters are: Rod Martin, described as a “tech guru” by Fox Business News and noted especially for his work as a member of the startup team that developed and launched PayPal, and who serves as a member of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee; and, Chuck Kelley, a longtime Southern Baptist leader who recently retired after serving 24 years as president of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. BATTLING RADICAL IDEAS During a radio broadcast about the announcement Jurkovich told Todd Starnes, a conservative Southern Baptist, formerly with Fox News, … [Read more...]