By Don Hinkle, The Pathway editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Up to $2 million of Cooperative Program funds will be paid by the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Executive Committee (EC) to cover legal fees of its newly-retained law firm that supports the Nashville Pride festival, the LGBTQ Bar, and is praised by the Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ organizations. Bradley Legal was highlighted in Human Rights Campaign’s material, and the firm has touted the link in several releases. “Bradley is pleased to announce that the firm scored a 90 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality,” the law firm reported on its web site. “I am pleased to see the firm’s hard work recognized once again in the Corporate Equality Index,” said Bradley Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Jonathan M. Skeeters. Bradley apparently meets all the criteria for HRC’s “Corporate Social Responsibility,” which would require written guidelines that prohibit the firm’s “philanthropic support” of non-religious organizations that draw distinctions based … [Read more...]

By Staff NASHVILLE, Tenn. (SBCEC)—The President Search Team charged with finding the next leader of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee is asking for Southern Baptists’ prayers, and has provided a 21-day prayer guide with specific points of focus and focal Scripture references. SBC Bylaws assign the Executive Committee to serve as the fiduciary, the fiscal, and the executive entity of the Convention (in all matters not assigned to other SBC entities). BACKGROUND The position became vacant after Ronnie Floyd, the former Executive Committee president and CEO, resigned, nine days following a 44-31 vote, Oct. 5, 2021, by members (trustees) to waive attorney-client privilege in an investigation of the Executive Committee about mishandling sexual abuse allegations in the SBC and the mistreatment of sexual abuse survivors. There are no allegations of sexual abuse against Executive Committee staff or trustees. The Executive Committee vote was the result of a motion adopted by messengers to the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting which asked the Executive Committee to waive attorney-client privilege to facilitate an investigation into whether the Executive Committee properly addressed such matters. The motion … [Read more...]