A motion to abolish the ERLC at the 2024 Southern Baptist Convention has failed.
During the convention, Tom Ascol, President of Founders Ministries and senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, FL, brought forth the motion arguing that the truly awful, useless and reprehensible ERLC, formerly led by Russel Moore and now by the excretable Brent Leatherwood, should be defunded and written off, noting that “The last eight years, the ERLC has become increasingly distant from the values and concerns of the churches that finance it.”
Highlighting their financial mismanagement, wokeness, and opposition to true abortion abolition bills, such as when Leatherwood and the ERLC had a direct hand in killing the abortion ban in Louisiana, Ascol stated, “Many of us have plead with the ERLC to work for legislation that grants pre-born children equal protection under the law, but they refused to do so” and that “it’s time for us to call the ERLC to become accountable to the churches that pay for it.”
Excellent speech from @tomascol calling for a first vote to disband the ERLC.
Messengers should vote for this motion—the ERLC is deeply out of step with the SBC. They are a rogue entity. They work against our interests.
(Pulpit & Pen) Yesterday, Mark Wingfield at Baptist News Global published an article entitled “Sills lawsuit misrepresents a piece of evidence, and that error got highlighted by Ascol and Basham”. The article is part of on-going coverage in the religious press of an allegedly sexually abusive relationship between Jenifer Lyell and former Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor David Sills. The handling of the Lyell-Sills affair by Southern Baptist leadership has been, to say the least, controversial and Wingfield’s article will no doubt add more fuel to the fire. One false detail of Wingfield’s reporting, however, must not go unnoticed. In his article Wingfield claims that Tom Ascol, Tom Buck, and Megan Basham share a common adherence to “an extreme version of Reformed theology, known as Hyper-Calvinism, that has been on the resurgence in the SBC over the past 30 years.”. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Hyper-Calvinism is not now, nor has it ever been, a popular position in the Southern Baptist Convention. Tom Ascol certainly does not hold to Hyper-Calvinism. To qualify as a “Hyper Calvinist” one must reject the great-commision duty to evangelize the lost. Josh Buice, writing at the G3 blog, has explained Hyper-Calvinism quite well:
When understood properly, hyper-Calvinism is a technical term for an extreme and unbiblical view that rejects any need for Christians to engage in missions and evangelism. Simply put, hyper-Calvinists forbid the preaching of the gospel and the offer of salvation to the non-elect. Such people believe that God has chosen people in Christ in eternity past and will bring about His results without the help of His people. Hyper-Calvinism is heresy and must be rejected.
Hours after learning that over 70 ‘pro-life groups’ like National Right to Life and their state subsidiaries, along with the ERLC, released an open letter opposing the bill to abolish abortion in the state, disparaging Louisiana abolitionists for going too far in their efforts to abolish abortion and give pre-born babies equal rights protection under the law, SBC presidential candidate Tom Ascol condemned the ERLC’s betrayal, while his challenger Bart Barber condemned those upset at getting betrayed.
and further proof that It is time to change the direction of the SBC!
The bill, HB813 amended the Louisiana homicide codesto define “unborn child” as “an individual human being from fertilization until birth,” and “person” as “a human being from the moment of fertilization.” These redefinitions would classify abortion as homicide by including preborn children among those protected by the laws against murder, and therefore women who kill their babies in the womb would be subject to the same fines and punishments as those who kill their babies out of the womb.
The ERLC fought tooth and nail against it, saying that abortion is a tragedy not only for the child, but for the aborting mother, who is also a ‘victim’. The letter they sent said:
“let us be clear: we state unequivocally that any measure seeking to criminalize or punish women is not pro-life and we stand firmly opposed to such efforts…We will continue to oppose legislative and policy initiatives that criminalize women who seek abortions…”
However, by signing his name to this, Brent Leatherwood, the acting head of the ERLC, is expressly going against the will of Southern Baptist messengers, who passed a resolution at SBC21 which explicitly states: “we affirm that the murder of preborn children is a crime against humanity that must be punished equally under the law.”
Whereas Ascol thoroughly condemned the move, Bart Barber did not, releasing instead a video where he didn’t address it directly, but rather nagged and chastised all the people who are getting on the ERLC’s case and not playing nice.
Why would any Southern Baptist find it disagreeable for us all just to celebrate together the impending end of Roe v Wade? Unless they’re just stuck in the accusative case and the kickative mood. pic.twitter.com/xenBGGqFJU
There’s no right to abortion in the Constitution and it’s a… good idea in terms of morality to set Roe v. Wade aside because it was atrocious ethics and morals to declare that people are not people. That’s always been a bad idea, and it has been in terms of abortion, it’s high time.
I’ve got to say that my experience since this announcement has been made is that every single person who is on Southern Baptist Twitter, who’s in my timeline, is elated and celebrating at the news that Roe v Wade is perhaps about to be overturned. Something that we’ve longed for for so long, prayed for spoken about for so long.
It’s sad and counterproductive to me that anybody would take this moment of pretty much universal celebration in the Southern Baptist Convention, and turn it into a moment of accusation and attempted division of people in the convention.
Can we not take a moment with one thing and just all celebrate together something good that God has done? Anyway, I hope that we can, and I’m ready to rejoice with anybody in the Southern Baptist Convention who will rejoice with me about the end of Roe v Wade, and yet another step toward the end of abortion in the United States.
It’s unsurprising that Barber, who was instrumental in trying to see the resolution to abolish abortion crushed at the general conference, would not like how much flack the ERLC is getting over. But by having his attention focused on the wrong thing, Barber has once again shown he is unqualified to lead the convention.
According to an exclusive report by Megan Basham of the DailyWire, a group of conservative southern baptists has nominated Pastor Tom Ascol of Founders Ministries for SBC President, and Voddie Bauchaum, dean of theology at Zambia’s African Christian University for president of the pastor’s conference- posts to which they both have accepted.
According to the Daily Wire:
Baucham…agreed to be nominated for president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference because he feels sound preaching has fallen out of favor in his denomination. He believes the Pastors’ Conference leader sets the spiritual tone for the annual meeting and offers a chance to highlight great preachers and make a statement about what preaching ought to be.
“I would love to see a revival of great biblical preaching in the SBC,” Baucham said. “The Pastors’ Conference has the potential to play a significant part in that, especially if it is part of a larger movement that brings a man like Tom Ascol into the SBC presidency.”
There were those who wanted to nominate Baucham for President of the SBC but he believed himself ineligible, on account of being a member of a church in his country not affiliated with the SBC. Pastor JD Hall, publisher of Protestia, publicly told Pastor Tom Buck that he should run, promising to send 1000 delegates to the convention if he made the move. This is perhaps the next best thing.
Baucham had a major health scare last year and was within hours of dying after making an emergency trip from Zambia to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, and then raised over 1.2 million dollars in Gofundme support for his surgeries and post-op medical care. He wrote the best-selling book “Fault lines” and has been openly critical of Critical Race Theory and liberalism creeping into a church.
For Ascol, he is the second person to commit to running for the presidency, after Willy Rice announced he was running to replace Ed Litton, the serial plagiarize who is not seeking a second term. Unlike Rice, who is deeply theologically comprised in terms of his views on critical race theory and biblical manhood, Ascol is by far the far more conservative choice. He notes that he believes Rice is going “to go along with the direction we’ve had the last four or five years. And I don’t think that’s a healthy thing.”
Former presidential candidate Mike Stone, who lost to Litton last year after being broadsided and sabotaged by Russell Moore and is not running again this year, announced his support for Ascol on Twitter.
Conversely, this move is likely to send the liberal wokefolk within the denomination ‘REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE’-ing with angst and physical pain, as they contemplate two open antagonists of critical race theory and progressive values at the helm of the ship they wish to steer into the ground.
Joel McDurmon, who had the theonomy knocked out of him by Jordan Hall after they debated the issue a few years ago, recently accused Voddie Baucham of plagiarism and falsely attributing quotes in his Fault Lines book. Much of the consternation revolves around Baucham’s use of quotations, paraphrases, and summaries of beliefs and ideologies from Critical Race Theory founder Richard Delgado. In particular is the included section, with McDurmon claiming that the Baucham misquoted Delgado in all the red sections, declaring that those red portions are not Delgado quotes, but rather are completely made up whole-cloth.
Speaking on the August 5, 2021 edition of Founders’ Sword and Trowel podcast (below) Tom Ascol and Jared Longshore listen and chime in as Voddie explains that the blockquote was not intended or designed to be direct quotations that might be falsely attributed, saying: “It’s not a direct quote, even from the first words, you know, I’m giving an outline, I’m using Delgado’s outline as an outline that I’m giving to the reader,” and “It was not meant to be presented that way, (as a direct quote) to be understood that way, or to be read that way.” He notes:
That’s part of the front matter of the book. The idea was (when) when people get into the book, we immediately start off with some assumptions. So the editor said, ‘What if we put something before that, or what if we extended the introduction?’
And I had the bright idea of doing this thought line, you know, getting fancy with the spices. And so what I’m trying to do is I’m trying to give people a view from 35,000 feet…of what I’m going to be talking about, a view of the arguments that I’m going to be making, and a view of the ideologies that I’m going to be dealing with.
That section of it, it is indented, it is blocked off, but it’s not a blockquote. That’s obvious from the first words that it’s not a blockquote because I’m giving a heading. That’s not Delgado’s. I’m using Delgado’s order and organization and structure, but I’m not directly quoting Delgado.
Another thing that sort of indicates that it’s not a blockquote is that in the middle of–I think that second paragraph–there’s a footnote in the middle of the second paragraph, which is something that you wouldn’t do, you know? In a block quote, right? So on the one hand, there are some structural and formatting issues there, that are unfortunate. And, and that are unclear.
Voddie explains that if given the chance, he would have formatted it a different way, but that to McDurmon’s primary charge, it was never meant to be taken as a direct quotation, despite McDurmon’s insistence to the contrary.
The other accusation from McDurmon is that Baucham is misrepresenting Delgado on whether or not it’s fair to ascribe the view to Delgado that “racism is normal” when Delgado only said that “racism is ordinary.” Like the previous response, Baucham insists that he wasn’t giving a direct quote or trying to pass it off as a quote, but rather the notion that “Racism is ordinary” is a summary of the framework of Delgado’s belief, i.e., Delgado doesn’t have to specifically say the words in order to surmise that is what he believes based on everything else he has written, including saying “racism is normal” in other writings. [Editor: ::sigh:: Voddie is right, you know…]
They discuss the charge that Voddie plagiarized some words from James Lindsay. McDurmon insists that it happened, where Baucham retorts:
I quote Lindsey several times, not only in the book but also in this sort of thought line. Why am I going to cite Lindsey, and then not cite Lindsey in other places? I have no qualms about the fact that I’ve worked with Lindsey. I have no qualms about the fact that, you know, James and I became friends. James, and I had many discussions about these issues. What am I hiding from? I’m waiting, why am I hiding?
Critically, McDurmon likewise takes Voddie to task for a message he delivered back in January 2021, where Baucham claimed that Delgado said that white folk “are incapable of righteous actions” when in fact Delgado never said that. Voddie said the following, in context:
This means whites are incapable of righteous actions on race and only undo racism when it benefits them, when their interests converge with the interests of people of color—and yes, he (Delgado) used the word ‘righteous.’ White people are incapable of righteous actions on race. Everything is racist…Again, not me — this is critical race theory.
Voddie’s response is simple: Yep! He made a mistake and got it wrong. He says he’s been talking about CRT and Delgado so much, that he must have merged both the quote from Delgado, and his commentary on Delgado, and then presented it all as one piece in his public message. This is not malicious, but rather a simple error, one that Baucham freely and humbly admits to.
And the second issue is the attribution of that statement to Delgado. Let me just say that is not Delgado’s statement…
I’ve been talking about this a ton, right? I’ve been talking about this all over the place. And unfortunately, what I have done is I have read that statement the way it is, in the book, without making a clear distinction between where that footnote is and where I’m making a clarification.
And I’ve done that. I don’t know how many times I’ve done that, but I’ve done that. And, man, I regret doing that. Because, one, as you see in the book, I put the footnote there, and then I give an explanation. Right?
And I mean, it’s clearly that’s what I’m doing. Let’s set aside the fact that it’s in the block, we’ve already dealt with that. It would have been much clearer if it wasn’t in the block. And not only does that lack of clarity show up in terms of what people are reading, but it’s also showed up in terms of me reading that same thing. I’ve read that. I’ve read that. That’s my comment on interest convergence….
[Tom Ascol]: ‘That’s a mistake. And when you read it as if that was, that’s just a mistake.’
[Voddie]: ‘Yes.’
Makes sense to us, and shows why by and large McDurmon’s nitpicky criticism ought to be taken with a Lot’s wife full of salt.
Voddie Baucham appeared on The Sword and Trowel (linked below) with Jared Longshore and Tom Ascol to talk about his new book Fault Lines, as well as Resolution 9, and the SBC and anti-racism. He also discussed how he was doing health-wise, letting the podcasters know that he was doing ok.
I haven’t been doing much or really having to do anything yeah the last couple of months. (Ascol: Just trying to recover, I mean that’s a lot.) Well first just try not to die, and then just you know, trying to get through all this, trying to recover. You know, I’m happy to say I’m doing much better. The road to recovery from this is a long one. Today I’m actually five weeks post-op from open-heart surgery, which is a pretty brutal thing to experience, to go through. God’s been gracious and God’s been kind and I’m, you know, on the road to recovery and looking forward to being restored to complete health and getting back at it.
Ascol finished up the health questions asking him about his book launch and the impact it had on his schedule and sales.
You know it’s been interesting because we were supposed to leave Jacksonville – again all of this stuff was in the works long before we knew what was going on with my heart – and then I had the first procedure in February, and my goal after that was ‘I got to be ready April 5th to start this tour,’ and there were a couple of things that they wanted to do. A couple of things that they wanted to look at, just to make sure.
And they did one of those the day before we were supposed to get out of here, and that’s when the wheels fell off, and that’s when they immediately decided, ‘oh we’re admitting you, we’re doing open-heart surgery.’ So instead of turning around and leave and go do all the tour and everything, I ended up having open-heart surgery during the time that I was supposed to be out promoting the book.
But you know, in God’s providence, like you said, the book just exploded even without promotion. First of all, because of an incredible group of people who signed up to be part of the launch team. So a lot happened before the book launched, and then just because of word of mouth and everything else that has been happening. And so we ended up debuting it at number #7 on USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestsellers list, and it’s been incredible.
Open heart surgery generally takes 6 to 8 weeks to recover, with 80% of healing happening in that time. After this, a cardiac rehabilitation program is paramount, which works on strengthening the heart and building endurance, progressively getting more and more active. Around 10 weeks, regular exercise can resume, and most people are fully recovered within 3-6 months.
A prominent Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Pastor has come to the defense of Vice President Kamala Harris, rebuffing suggestions that she is an unsaved pagan that needs Jesus and strongly rebuking anyone claiming that the rabidly pro-abortion, pro-LGBTQ politician isn’t a Christian.
This brouhaha started yesterday when Pastor and Founders Ministries President Tom Ascol released a video where he said at some point, “Kamala Harris is going to hell without Christ.”
Not content to let theologically sound and biblical faith just sit there unpoked and unprodded, Pastor Dwight McKissic, who has been going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it [see Job 1], retorted that the suggestion that Kamala Harris is lost and needs Christ is “sad” and that he “strongly rebukes Ascol” and anyone who agrees with him.
As proof of her salvation and Christian virtue, he points to the fact that she attends Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, a gay-affirming church that teaches Liberation Theology. He also notes that her church is part of the pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ, progressive National Baptist Convention, insisting that their doctrinal statement is “almost identical to the Baptist Faith and Message (BFM)” as evidence for her faith.
I guess that’s all it takes, huh?
There’s a polemical term that Seth Dunn coined, called “Website Orthodoxy.” It is when a nefarious Bible-twister or false teacher has an orthodox statement of faith on their website but ignores it entirely in their body of work, sermons, books, or teachings.
A good example of this was seen in 2016 when Andy Stanley preached a series of messages that attacked (explicitly) the sufficiency of Scripture and (implicitly) the inerrancy of Scripture. This followed up on a series of anti-Bible interviews, lectures, and comments. When challenged widely throughout evangelicalism, Stanley and the staff at NorthPoint church repeatedly pointed people back to the NorthPoint Church website, which purports a high view of Scripture.
The fact that Harris is bearing orchards of bad, putrifying, green-fuzz-growing, rotten fruit is irrelevant in light of her church membership, according to McKissic.
We would suggest that not only is Kamala Harris the Jezebeliest Jezebel that ever Jezebel Ed (particularly after she officiated that lesbian wedding, or after advancing a particularly nauseating abortion bill that turned ground-up babies bodies into beef tartare), but she is a pagan who does not know the Lord, who should have been excommunicated decades ago from her church, and whose “church” is thoroughly apostate itself. At this point there is no evidence that she is saved – certainly there is no fruit to behold, and unless she repents she will die in her sins.
Of course, because McKissic tends to serpentinely move to and fro by squirming around on his belly, he also tweeted mere hours before this, regarding a lesbian Bishop that he previously compared to Jezebel.
Faison claims the lesbian Bishop is saved because “She got the Ghost” [Editor’s note: The reference is to the Holy Ghost ostensibly, but if the sin of homosexuality is present and approvingly practiced, it isn’t the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead.], but Mckissic rightly points out that she’s an unrepentant homosexual and that 1 Corinthians 6:9 says they will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.
If Faison really wanted to convince McKissic, he should have simply pointed out that “Bishop Yvette Flunder is a member of City of Refuge United Church of Christ in Oakland, a UCM church that ascribes to the Apostles Creed, the same doctrinal Statement as the SBC.” That probably would have done it.
In McKissic’s world, however, being an unrepentant lesbian is still a mark of an unbeliever, yet being an avid proponent, supporter, and marrier of unrepentant lesbians like Kamala Harris is not.
I suppose it’s the same way that being a proud member of the Ku Klux Klan is still a mark of an unbeliever, but being a financial supporter of them, passing bills in support of lynching up black folk, and fundraising on behalf of them is also…not?
Any time you want to answer that one, Dwight, is fine by us.
(Christian Intellectual) Tom Ascol has once again helped ministry leaders who push ideas inspired by Critical Race Theory to save face through a proclamation about a private phone call.
Before, it was Matt Hall (Provost of Southern Seminary). Now, it is Paul Chitwood (President of the Internation Mission Board).
In both cases, after concerns about the men’s ministries went viral on social media, Tom Ascol came to their rescue by announcing that he had had a private phone conversation with them, and that there was nothing to be concerned about.
In this most recent case, with Chitwood, Conservative Resurgence Voices recently released an article containing the text of an email which Chitwood had sent out on behalf of the IMB. (Published in full below) The email included a number of alarming indicators that the IMB has been cultivating the Woke ideology of the world within the organization (see below for details).
Of course, this raised quite a few alarms among conservative Southern Baptists––including Tom Ascol. But then Ascol was graced with a private phone call from Chitwood, and afterward announced that there was nothing to be concerned about.
Specifically, Ascol’s tweet focused on the language of the email, saying “The IMB no longer uses the language in the email, recognizing it as problematic in our environment.”
Okay… But what about the ideas communicated through the language? The concerns being raised were not about semantics. They were about the radical ideas and assumptions laced throughout the entire email.
Here are just a few:
The email talks about the “current events in June” (i.e. rioting after the killing of George Floyd) as if the killing was racially motivated (racial injustice is the context of the email). But only those who have bought into the Woke narrative — that American police are systemically targeting black people, and that racism is the motive behind any instance of a black man dying at the hand of police officers — would think that.
It recommends this deplorable article on what it means to “belong.” Here’s an excerpt:
It promotes the idea, throughout, of actively “diversifying” the IMB at all levels of leadership. This means utilizing functional racial quotas which artificially give preference to people based on their race.
It promotes the idea that white people need to “listen” and “learn” — as if most white Christians are ignorant about racism (which is only true if it’s the Woke / Critical Theory type of “racism”).
It talks about new training programs on “Cultural Sensitivity” and “Unconscious Bias Sensitivity.” Chitwood may be telling the truth when he says they don’t use that language anymore, but are they still the same programs? What is being taught by the IMB to their leaders and their missionaries? Are we just supposed to take Tom Ascol’s word that Paul Chitwood has given him his word that there’s nothing to be concerned about?
There’s a new “TEAMS channel” devoted exclusively to people of certain races (racial segregation). Is this still going?
This all came about through certain “conversations” conducted over the course of months. If it really is “problematic,” what about the damage already done? Chitwood says the language is “problematic in our environment.” Why? And if the language is problematic, aren’t all these other things much more problematic? Tom Ascol needs to stop helping these guys hide behind private phone calls.
Based merely on the email alone, there appears to be a MASSIVE influence of CRT-style thinking invading all levels of leadership at the IMB. Until and unless, Chitwood does the following to fix it, the IMB should be defunded and condemned:
Explicitly retract all language of “unconscious bias” and the promotion of the other problematic things listed above.
Explicitly denounce the idea that America is presently systemically racist & the idea that George Floyd’s death was an instance of systemic racism.
Explicitly denounce the idea of racial partiality which favors “people of color” as an inherently racist and evil idea.
Explicitly define racism exclusively as race-based partiality, and denounce every contemporary attempt to redefine it as something less.
These are bare minimum steps the IMB needs to take in order to demonstrate that it is not, and will not be, influenced by the evil ideology of Critical Race Theory. The only reason a Christian organization would not do the above is if it was attempting to tickle the ears of both sides.
Until Chitwood does the above, he is just being a politician.
And Tom Ascol is helping him to save face.
Email in Full
From: Chitwood, Paul <redacted> Sent: Tuesday, September 8, 2020 1:01 PM To: Chitwood, Paul Subject: Belonging
Hello Brothers and Sisters,
In Philippians 2:3, the Apostle Paul instructs us: “In humility, count others more significant than yourselves.” In Galatians 6:2, we read, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
As a father of an Asian daughter and a foster parent to a biracial son, I’ve seen up close the pain that racism and racially insensitive comments and behaviors bring. I don’t want to contribute to that pain, nor do I want our organization to do so. Knowing your love and passion for the beautiful mosaic of those from every nation, tribe, people, and language who will stand before the throne of God and before the Lamb, I know you agree.
Racism a direct consequence of the Fall and has infected every culture but the history of the US and, frankly, the SBC, is a tragic example of how God’s image bearers whose skin is black have endured unspeakable injustice, exploitation, and pain. In June, our company hosted a call for our employees who identify as Black, African American or Biracial to discuss current events, provide support for one another, and to introduce themselves to one another for the sake of creating new relationships. It was a beautiful time of fellowship and some have expressed a strong sense of belonging. What does “belonging” mean in this context? Here is a link to AN ARTICLE that explains the importance.
From this call, new friendships were formed, mentors were identified, and I am prayerful that some healing began. I want to share with everyone in our company family some insights from the participants so that all of us may better understand the feelings that were expressed and what we can do in response.
We asked the participants in August, “How are you feeling now?” and heard:
• I am encouraged, but I’m still waiting to see viable action to diversify our organization both on the field, staff, and leadership. • I am encouraged that many in our organization, including our leadership, are willing to listen and look at what changes need to be made. • I’m feeling focused. The lament was necessary, and the time together was healing. Now my attention has turned towards how we can move forward together. • While there are more public conversations going on about the issue of racism, I can’t see in my personal world that there has been much change in terms of dialogue and personal conversations with others. The “silence” is still there, which makes me sad. • Time has helped me process many things about what I was feeling and really come to terms with the sins that pervade life. Listening to others, reading articles, talking with others, and most importantly seeking what the Lord says in Scripture has helped tremendously. • I think it would be great for our organization to continue the dialogue of how we can do better and be better leaders in this area. • I’m excited to get on board with the ways that the IMB plans to move forward. Whatever that plan is, I plan to get behind and see how I can help to achieve the vision and goals.
We also asked, “How can your coworkers who are not Black, African American, or Biracial best support you now and in the future?” Some participants said:
• Several ways: Listen well. Educate themselves on how to understand and promote diversity. Learn to empathize with people as they walk through a crisis. There are Scriptural reminders, love others, treat people like you want to be treated, and bear each other’s burdens. Advocate for people when you recognize they are being treated unjustly. • I have found “silence” to be a bit hurtful in the past. While I understand that race is an uncomfortable topic for many, it doesn’t feel like an “optional” topic of conversation for me, especially when tragedies occur. • As intentional as each Affinity is in preparing their missionaries to engage their host cultures, I would like to see the same amount of intentionality in each cluster to receive cultural sensitivity training. It would be beneficial to have more intentional conversations and training on racial issues. • Our coworkers can assist with this by seeking to learn from the People of Color around them and not just when something happens. It’s important to seek the perspectives of People of Color on your team to know what changes need to be made for a more effective and fruitful future. • I want to be able to commend this company to People of Color knowing that the company at every level is committed to growing and welcoming and better supporting People of Color. • Don’t assume that everyone with the company has the same perspective on the issue of racism. Let’s seek what the Lord want us to do to move forward. As a faithful organization of like-minded followers of Christ, we must continue to improve in our efforts, and I am personally committed to do so.
We are already taking some actions based on what we have learned:
• Our mobilization team is focused on improving our engagement and relationships with churches throughout the nation that are predominately attended by People of Color. We hope this will also yield more People of Color as missionaries in the future. • We are in the beginning stages of rolling out two new training programs within GE and MOBI and plan to begin expanding to all in the near future: ◦ Cultural Sensitivity ◦ Unconscious Bias and Sensitivity • We created a TEAMS channel for our employees who identify as Black, African American or Biracial to have personal conversations and support each other in the future. New employees are also given the opportunity to join this as they are hired. • We are working to develop an Hispanic Employee Network • We will continue our efforts to become more diverse in our representation of our denominational family, in our thinking and across our teams. • In the spirit of celebrating diversity, we will begin to formally recognize two days on the calendar in 2021: Juneteenth and Hispanic Day.We will celebrate these days both internally and externally with communications via all online channels. ◦ Juneteenth, observed on June 19, is also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day, and celebrates the emancipation millions of people who were enslaved in the United States. ◦ October 12 is Hispanic Day. For almost 75 years, the descendants of nations emerging from the Spanish empire have embraced the word “Hispanic” to give a name to the family of nations, comprised of almost 400 million people who are united by the common bonds of culture, history, and language. Many of our home office staff, and a growing number of our overseas personnel and the fellowships we serve in the US are Hispanic.
Pray. Pray with me that hatred or injustice towards anyone because of racial differences will cease. Pray that the horrific acts of violence unfolding daily across the US will end. And pray that we will see healing and reconciliation across our land and around the world. No one is better positioned to model what that can look like than us. Our mission to serve the most diverse religious body in the US as approximately 20% of SB fellowships are African American or ethnic. Moreover, our vision and work included every nation, people, language and tribe! I want to express my sincere thanks to the Human Resources team for moving us forward and I am excited to see what God has planned for us in the future.
Blessings, Paul
Editor’s Note. This article was written by Jacob Brunton and published at the Christian Intellectual. Republished in full with permission.
