By Brandon Porter
Baptist Press

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include a response from Jack Graham’s office.

NASHVILLE — The SBC Sex Abuse Task Force issued the fifth update on its work with Guidepost Solutions in the investigation of the SBC Executive Committee’s (EC) alleged mishandling of sex abuse claims. The group said it would be its last update before Guidepost’s full report is made public in mid-May.

“Pursuant to the Messenger’s Motion, Guidepost must submit its report to the Task Force no later than 30-days prior to the SBC Convention in Anaheim, which begins on June 14, 2022. Thus, the report is due to the Task Force on May 15, 2022,” the update said. It did not provide a date for public release.

Guidepost and the task force say they will release the factual portion of the report to the Committee on Cooperation (CoC) on May 10.

“Guidepost will not provide its observations or conclusions to the CoC, but strictly the factual portion so that any inadvertent errors (e.g., titles, dates) can be corrected,” the task force reported. [Read more…]

By Tom Strode
Baptist Press

WASHINGTON — Pro-life advocates reacted hopefully to the report of a leaked draft opinion within the U.S. Supreme Court that would overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide.

In a stunning development Monday evening (May 2), Politico – a politics- and policy-focused news organization – published a copy of a draft of an opinion by Associate Justice Samuel Alito that would strike down the Roe ruling if it becomes final. A source familiar with the court’s work said four other associate justices – Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett – sided with Alito in a conference vote after oral arguments in December, Politico reported in an article that include a link to the draft. They remain united on the opinion as of its report, Politico said. [Read more…]

Baptist and Reflector

DALLAS — The 2022 SBC Church Compensation Study, a joint effort of GuideStone Financial Resources, Lifeway Christian Resources and Baptist state conventions (including the Tennessee Baptist Convention), is now underway.

Normally conducted every two years, this will be the first compensation study since 2018. The study for 2020 was canceled due to COVID-19.

The information gained through the study assists the sponsoring entities in helping Southern Baptist churches to establish competitive compensation packages for ministers and church staff, said Gary Rickman, minister relations and financial support specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

The data gathered through the compensation study is extremely beneficial for churches, he said.  [Read more…]

By Tom Strode
Baptist Press

WASHINGTON — The Southern Baptist Convention’s religious freedom entity welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling on May 2 that the city of Boston violated the constitutionally protected right to free speech by prohibiting the flying of the Christian flag.

In a 9-0 judgment that united the conservative and liberal wings of the high court, the justices found in Shurtleff v. City of Boston the city’s refusal to permit a Christian civic organization to raise the Christian flag – though it allowed other private groups to fly their flags – transgressed the First Amendment.

The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) had joined the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation and eight other organizations in a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Camp Constitution. The ERLC-endorsed brief contended Boston’s policy violated the First Amendment’s protections of both free speech and free exercise of religion.

The Supreme Court “resoundingly shot down the city of Boston’s incompetent attempt to abridge the free-speech rights of an individual and his organization for communicating a ‘religious viewpoint,’” said Brent Leatherwood, the ERLC’s acting president. “The opinion of the court lines up with many of the themes of the brief joined by the ERLC in this case. We view this decision as a welcome addition to our nation’s First Amendment jurisprudence.

“The reality is, had Boston continued with its established track record of approving every request that came in, this issue never would have been adjudicated,” Leatherwood told Baptist Press in written comments. “Given the united admonition of Boston’s unconstitutional actions, I’m sure the city now wishes it had simply granted Mr. Shurtleff’s request in the first place.” [Read more…]

By Jonathan Howe
Baptist Press

KELLER, Texas — Tom Ascol, Bart Barber, and Robin Hadaway will all participate in a panel discussion at First Baptist Church on Wednesday, May 4. The discussion, which will be live-streamed, is set to be hosted by Joe Wooddell and Tony Richmond—both of FBC Keller.

Pastor Keith Sanders says the church is happy to host the event, knowing that “these godly men will demonstrate how to converse, agree, and disagree in Christian love with civility.” Sanders feels “Southern Baptists should be a light to the world first with the Gospel, but also in how we relate to each other in public discussion.”

Ascol, Barber, and Hadaway are currently the only announced candidates for the position. The election of a new SBC president will take place on June 14 at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. Current SBC president Ed Litton announced earlier this spring that he had chosen not to seek a second term in the position. [Read more…]