By Staff, Baptist Message
NASHVILLE (BP) – Messengers presented 32 motions during the 2021 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, and moved:
- for an investigation of the ERLC for concealing knowledge about sex abuse for more than a year and only revealing such information through leaked ERLC letters accusing the EC of racism and mishandling sex abuse cases (Jared Longshore, Florida);
- for an outside investigation of the EC regarding the ERLC’s accusations in the leaked letters (Grant Gaines, Tennessee);
- for the Executive Committee to study possible conflicts of interest because the same legal counsel represents the EC and the SBC (Jay Adkins, Louisiana);
- to break fellowship with Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California (Shad Tibbs, Louisiana);
- that specific conditions be met before using Cooperative Program funds to pay for an outside in-vestigation of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission or the EC (Allen Nelson, Arkansas);
- that a Fellowship Meal Sunday be added to the SBC calendar (James Allen Murray, North Carolina);
- to rescind Resolution 9 (that approved of Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality), which was adopted during the 2019 SBC Annual Meeting (Tom Ascol, Florida);
- to end the Committee on Resolutions (Ted Traylor, Florida);
- that the North American Mission Board study the Enneagram, a human psyche theory that includes a personality test (James Walker, Texas);
- that the SBC strike from the 2021 Book of Reports a portion of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary report, which makes negative characterizations about former SWBTS President Paige Patterson (Peter Lumpkins, Georgia);
- that the Committee on Order of Business amend the order of business to lengthen time for new motions (Joseph Horan, Mississippi);
- for adoption of a resolution against Critical Race Theory submitted with the motion (Bob Dutton, Georgia);
- that the ERLC hire an outside firm to perform a three-year audit about sex abuse in the SBC (Todd Benkert, Indiana);
- that the SBC investigate claims in the legal filings of the case McRaney v. North American Mission Board (Brian King, Oregon);
- to rescind an 1861 resolution dealing with proposed name changes related to the formation of “the Southern Confederacy” (Alan Cross, California);
- that the Executive Committee revise SBC documents to create a 30-day prior release of the Com-mittee on Resolutions report (Robert White, South Carolina);
- to amend the bylaws governing the Resolutions Committee (Charles Johnson, Kentucky);
- to inform messengers about the CP giving of nominees for office (Steve Bailey, Arkansas);
- to allow for proxy voting by SBC missionaries (Nate Maglaughlin, Texas);
- to give advanced notice of the Resolutions Committee report (Jason Wing, Ohio);
- to add a corporate day of repentance to the denominational calendar (Roy Youngblood, Texas);
- to resend a list of resolutions by previous Conventions (Jonathan Six, North Carolina);
- to create a task force to pursue the abolition of abortion (Tristan Heart, Michigan)
- to study using Nashville as the permanent site of the annual meeting and creating satellite loca-tions (Gary LeRoy, Tennessee);
- that the SBC give guidance to Southern Baptists about puberty blockers (Walter Boutwell, Alabama);
- that the SBC reject racism, Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality (Todd Stinnett, Tennessee).
- for an SBC name change to the Great Commission Baptist Convention (Philip Nelson, Illinois);
- to study non-disclosure agreements required by SBC entities (Brad Patterson, Texas);
- that no less than 20 percent of time during the annual meeting be allotted for business (Michael Hoffman, North Carolina);
- for a name change to Great Commission Baptists (Christopher Benavidas, Texas);
- to require an audit of each entity with disclosure 30 days prior to the annual meeting (Rick Hillard, Kentucky); and
- that LifeWay Christian Resources produce resources for deaf people (John Blackmon, Georgia).
