The SBC & This Week's Election Results
"If you spell democrats with an n instead of a c you get..."
For the last year, I’ve been working on a project with
focusing on the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), America’s largest Protestant denomination. The SBC’s power to shape American culture, Christianity, and politics can’t be understated. I think this week’s election result exists, in part, because of their profound influence. I’ve spent countless hours digging through their archives, both digital and in person, watching videos of old conventions, reading the minutes from backdoor meetings, going through budgets, and collecting back-and-forth correspondence, particularly as it relates to something called “The Conservative Resurgence” or “Fundamentalist Takeover” which started forming in the late ‘60s.Last week, I was watching part of the SBC’s 1998 Annual Convention where they elected a man named Paige Patterson to be their president. Patterson was instrumental in The Conservative Resurgence. This convention took place at the height of the media frenzy surrounding Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. As a result, the SBC put forth a resolution called “Resolution On Moral Character Of Public Officials.” If you’re not familiar, resolutions are presented at the SBC’s annual conventions, and then they are voted on by “messengers” or representatives from their affiliate churches. This resolution passed with flying colors.
Can I share it with you? I think it’s important to read it all.
WHEREAS, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34 NAS); and
WHEREAS, Serious allegations continue to be made about moral and legal misconduct by certain public officials; and
WHEREAS, The Bible calls upon all citizens to submit themselves to their governing authorities as ministers of the Lord (Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:13); and
WHEREAS, Scripture further teaches, “Whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves” (Romans 13:2); and
WHEREAS, Governing authorities are not themselves exempt from the rule of law and must submit to the nation’s statutes, rather than mocking them (Romans 13:1; 1 Peter 2:14; Proverbs 19:28-29; 2 Samuel 12:7; Mark 6:17-18); and
WHEREAS, Some journalists report that many Americans are willing to excuse or overlook immoral or illegal conduct by unrepentant public officials so long as economic prosperity prevails; and
WHEREAS, Tolerance of serious wrong by leaders sears the conscience of the culture, spawns unrestrained immorality and lawlessness in the society, and surely results in God’s judgment (1 Kings 16:30; Isaiah 5:18-25); and
WHEREAS, Many public officials and candidates deserve our gratitude and support for their consistent moral character and their uncompromising commitment to biblical principles of right and wrong, resulting in blessing upon their people.
Therefore, be it RESOLVED, That we, the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting June 9-11, 1998, in Salt Lake City, Utah, affirm that moral character matters to God and should matter to all citizens, especially God’s people, when choosing public leaders; and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we implore our government leaders to live by the highest standards of morality both in their private actions and in their public duties, and thereby serve as models of moral excellence and character; and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we urge all citizens, including those who serve in public office, to submit themselves respectfully to governing authorities and to the rule of law; and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we urge Southern Baptists and other Christians to fulfill their spiritual duty to pray regularly for the leaders of our nation (1 Timothy 2:1-4); and
Be it finally RESOLVED, That we urge all Americans to embrace and act on the conviction that character does count in public office, and to elect those officials and candidates who, although imperfect, demonstrate consistent honesty, moral purity and the highest character.
Fascinating, right?
A study from PEW before the election showed that ~82% of White Evangelical Protestants would vote for Trump on election day. Exit polling validates this. Trump has been convicted of rape and was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records. There are two criminal indictments filed against him for election interference and at least 26 women have accused Trump of sexual assault. During his 4-year presidency, he told over 30,000 verifiable lies or misleading claims.
I wonder if the 1998 resolution is true. If “Tolerance of serious wrong by leaders sears the conscience of the culture, spawns unrestrained immorality and lawlessness in the society, and surely results in God’s judgment (1 Kings 16:30; Isaiah 5:18-25)”?
I also wonder how the same people who drafted and passed a 1998 resolution to condemn Bill Clinton (rightly so, by the way) could turn around and endorse Donald Trump in the name of Jesus 26 years later.
Well, I’ve got a big guess after spending this year in the SBC’s archives.
The 1998 resolution was never really about integrity… at least not for those on top. It was never about calling members of the SBC to hold their public officials- or even themselves- to a high moral standard. This resolution was about power. As Beth wrote in The Making of Biblical Womanhood, “Complementarianism is patriarchy and patriarchy is about power. Neither have ever been about Jesus.” I know this because so many key players in the SBC over the past sixty years have been ridden with their own sexual scandals, cover-ups, financial crimes, lies, and misogyny, yet are ironically responsible for co-creating “The Moral Majority.” Paige Patterson- the man who was elected president in that 1998 convention- was accused of covering up a rape case at Southwestern Seminary where he was President. After he was fired for said accusation, Southwestern alleged that he also misappropriated “confidential donor information” and took seminary property. And this is a lightweight example of the corruption. While these powerful men stood on stage, condemned a godless culture, and asserted themselves as the only true and Biblical Christians, many of them walked off stage and acted in direct contradiction to their public personas. They aligned with power and domination over humility and self-sacrifice. They polished their talking points to get votes, but did not live in a way that aligned with their own words.
You will know them by their fruit. Not their words, doctrine, degrees, or conservatism. By their fruit.
Today I think about how, growing up, Bill Clinton was (again, rightly) condemned by Christians as immoral and unfit for leadership. And now, almost three decades later, I grieve for the Church we have become. I grieve for the abuses against women, vile speech against minorities, and lies we have grown tolerant of in order to support Trump/MAGA. I grieve that Trump mimed oral sex on a microphone at a rally and we collectively shrugged it off because it is, like, last on the list of his unfit-for-leadership behaviors. I grieve that “Your body, my choice.” is going viral right now. I grieve that we have become so desensitized that we are justifying evil in the name of good. I grieve that we have traded Christ for Christendom. I grieve that we have crucified self-sacrifice in the name of dominance. I grieve that we scoff at humility and gentleness.
shared that the top 2 reasons folks reported voting for Trump were economic. That makes sense to me. When you can’t pay for groceries and someone speaks to that pain point and promises a solution, I understand the draw.What I cannot and will not normalize, however, is a twisting of reality which seeks to justify Trump’s behavior in the name of God. He does not model Christlike behavior (Phil 2) or bear good fruit (Gal 5)… just the rot of power hunger. I grieve that any part of the Church has hitched its wagon to his.
This grief is craving the hope of action, so like I texted Beth yesterday morning, I’m resolved more than ever to channel this energy towards creating something good. Starting with our project that releases in February. More on that to come. For now, I am rolling up my sleeves…
Sending my love, particularly to those who are feeling afraid,
Savannah