Southern Baptist leader plans less stress on political involvement, social issues
October 22, 2013
The new leader of the Southern Baptist Convention has indicated that he plans to take a less aggressive approach on social issues and political involvement.
Rev. Russell Moore said that Southern Baptists will continue to oppose abortion and the redefinition of marriage. But he said that the group will avoid becoming the captive of any political party or faction.
The Southern Baptists Convention has been a significant force in American politics in recent years, but like many large Protestant groups it is suffering a loss of membership, particularly among younger people.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: -
Oct. 25, 2013 9:51 AM ET USA
He puts it rather poorly -- you don't become some party's "mascot" because you endorse a particular view they have on an important issue. This is how you influence the party. If he doesn't like controversy, well, as Harry Truman said, to avoid the heat you can get out of the kitchen. And if you want to be the Church of nice, you can endorse education, smaller class sizes, more pay for teachers and more welfare for all. Bland stuff. Impacting politics IS part of the job of the Church.
-
Posted by: unum -
Oct. 23, 2013 9:01 AM ET USA
Memo to USCCB: You can learn a lesson from out Baptist brother. Politics is not the job of the Church!
-
Posted by: jg23753479 -
Oct. 22, 2013 3:00 PM ET USA
This is especially telling since just recently Moore criticized publicly Pope Francis' interview, a very unusual move. Yet here we see what seems to be a move by the Southern Baptists in the direction espoused by Francis, one that is less confrontational and less aggressive. Like the pope, Moore states his opposition to abortion and calling sodomite living arrangements "marriage", but he wants a new political approach. He too sees that tactics employed to date have not worked at all well.
