Vast right wing conspiracy and the SBC Takeover

[Stephen Fox]

Here is the smoking gun.

https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/jane- ... -orthodoxy

But you have to click on and read the transcript carefully knowing how hardwired Pressler and Helms were hardwired to left over Birchers in this whole Paul Weyrich, Heritage Foundation mess.

Even James Dunn was wrong about this, but now we know.

[Sandy]

[Haruo]

The President needs all the prayers he can get. Above all, though, he needs to pardon himself He needs to love himself so he can do a better job of loving the Mexicans and his other neighbors.

[Sandy]

[Haruo]

[JE Pettibone]

[Sandy]

Actually it was an unintentional omission. I was referencing Stephen's original post, hence, I was referring those who took the moderate to liberal side of the controversy in the SBC. Most of those are either still in the SBC because their church is still supporting the CP, or they've affiliated with the Alliance or CBF. They are mostly political conservatives.

Tracking membership among Baptists isn't easy. I don't know if other Baptist denominations show such a variance between attendance and membership as the SBC does, but I'd guess they probably do. The last handbook of Denominations I have shows a 2010 membership figure for the SBC at 16.1 million and a total number of Baptists of all kinds in the US rounded off at 31 million. So that means just a little over half. But the SBC has dropped a million members since then, down to 14.9 million.

The political conservatives among SBC moderates or ex-SBC moderates aren't just from Arizona and Texas. A lot of them are in North Carolina and Georgia, associated with universities like Wake Forest and Mercer. Theologically liberal. Politically right wing.

[Haruo]

[Sandy]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Staton

This is one example of an individual who has been in the inner circle of both the Alliance and CBF, pretty well connected through all of that network and a member of one of the founding churches of the Alliance. Also a staunch Southern Republican.

[JE Pettibone]

[Sandy]

[KeithE]

Mostly for Neil:

Staton was the guy I was trying to remember who was the lead at Smyth and Helwys and was a Republican politician. I think he left that post several years ago (right Neil? and who is the leader now?)

My SS class wanted to shift from Nurturing Faith (NF) material (Tony Cartledge teaching) to Smyth and Helwys’s Formations material (differing teachers for a month at a time) and have done so. They ask me what was the difference and I did not see much difference from a underling theology point of view. Both orgs are moderate Baptists who do not insist on inerrancy. Format is different - NF is more online delivery and has a Cartledge video lesson each week; Formations has a separate Commentary booklet and a good “What About Me” section each week with fairy good discussion questions.

As a teacher I guess I like Formations better (sorry Bruce).

I noted that both organizations are headquartered in Macon with NF starting later. Is there a story why Nurturing Father started such a similar set of SS lessons and in the same town? Any friendly or not so friendly competition or cooperation? I'd suggest they merge and give more options to SS teachers.

[Neil Heath]

[JE Pettibone]

Ed: Kith you need to proofread what you write, spell check some times does not understand what you mean to say.

As IN; " Is there a story why Nurturing Father started such a similar set of SS lessons and in the same town?" Nurturing Faith

And with today's electronic communications what real difference is made by where the home office of a publishing company is located? Bruce has lived in Montana for years, minus the time he moved to Alabama with Flick's help, to work on his Doctorate.

[KeithE]

[Haruo]

With all due respect, Ed, none of us types perfectly, and you need a proofreader more often than Keith, in my experience.

[KeithE]