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A28 u.s. news
Diahuebs 16 Juni 2022

New SBC President commits to move sex abuse reforms forward

(AP) — The new president “Every way I’ve served SBC are being influenced by liber-
of the Southern Baptist has left scars,” he said. “But al trends and “wokeness.”
Convention said Wednes- this family of churches is
day he will accelerate sex worth it.” Candidates aligned with
abuse reforms in the na- these groups were defeated
tion’s largest Protestant However, the SBC, despite for SBC president, chair of
denomination. its size and political influ- its Executive Committee and
ence, has yet to figure out a president of the influential
Texas pastor Bart Barber’s way to stem long-term de- Pastors Conference, held
first priority: to assemble a clines in membership or in each year just before the an-
panel of people -- Southern baptisms – their key metric nual meeting. But at least one
Baptist leaders and experts -- for religious vitality – that be- of their preferred candidates
to shepherd this work for the gan long before the pandemic prevailed in a narrow vote --
whole convention as man- disruptions. Victor Chayasirisobhon, pas-
dated by thousands of rep- tor of First Southern Baptist
resentatives from local SBC Annual baptisms stood at Church of Anaheim, for first
churches. came after a blistering 288- 154,701 in 2021, down 63% vice president.
page report from outside Barber repeatedly called for from their 1999 peak. Mem-
The day after his victory in consultant, Guidepost So- Southern Baptists to find bership stood at 13.7 million, But throughout the meet-
a run-off race against Tom lutions. The firm’s seven- common ground despite down 16% from its 2006 ing, hardline Southern Bap-
Ascol, a Florida pastor who month independent inves- their differences over issues peak, according to statis- tists voiced a slate of criti-
vowed to take the conserva- tigation found disturbing such as race and gender roles. tics from the SBC’s affiliate, cisms from the convention
tive denomination further details about how denomina- Lifeway Christian Resources. hall floor. They derided the
right, Barber reiterated his tional leaders mishandled sex “I do believe we have seen hiring of Guidepost for the
desire to lead by being a uni- abuse claims and mistreated some unhealthy ways recent- Barber said tracking mem- investigation following a re-
fier and peacebuilder. The victims. ly that secular politics have bership is complicated and cent pro-Pride tweet, pushed
SBC has seen deep divisions dominated the conversation results can be skewed, but back against allowing Saddle-
and a steady drop in member- On the final day of the two- here in the Southern Baptist noted the SBC president has back Church to remain in the
ship for more than a decade. day annual meeting, Barber Convention,” Barber said. little influence over it. “It’s convention despite ordaining
said sexual predators have “As Christians, we need to be the local churches that are women pastors and more.
During a news conference used the convention’s decen- engaged in politics. We just going to carry the gospel for-
Wednesday, Barber voiced tralized polity to turn con- need to make sure that in the ward and help us grow,” he A report by the Creden-
his commitment to forming gregations “into a hunting dance between theology and said. tials Committee, which re-
a new action group to help ground.” But with systemic politics, theology leads.” views if churches are in good
carry out the recommenda- changes and reforms, Barber By any measure of the na- standing, said it wasn’t clear
tions of the Sexual Abuse hoped sexual predators will Barber said “the coarseness tion’s political and reli- whether the denomination’s
Task Force, which delegates be put on notice. and crass discourse out there gious spectrum, the SBC is official opposition to women
overwhelmingly approved has crept into” the SBC and staunchly conservative. But pastors applied only to lead
Tuesday. Delegates at the “The hunters are now the into people’s social media groups such as the Conser- pastors or also to other min-
SBC’s national meeting also hunted,” he said. feeds. Expressing anger on vative Baptist Network and istry roles.
agreed to create a way to track Twitter and “trying to own” Founders Ministries, which
church workers credibly ac- While he was reluctant to people instead of solving Ascol has long led, have mo- Rod Martin, a co-founder
cused of sex abuse. provide a timeline for action, problems has only deepened bilized to pull the SBC fur- of the Conservative Baptist
he promised to appoint the divisions among Southern ther to the right, claiming Network, vowed to continue
Those recommendations new task force swiftly. Baptists, he said. that its leaders and seminaries its efforts in the coming year.

After Yellowstone, floodwaters near Montana’s largest city

(AP) — Floodwaters that rushed away by torrents of water to be rebuilt “It’s a Yellowstone town, and it lives Yellowstone’s gateway communities
through Yellowstone National in new places. and dies by tourism, and this is go- in southern Montana. National Park
Park and surrounding commu- ing to be a pretty big hit,” he said. Service photos of northern Yellow-
nities earlier this week moved “The landscape literally and figura- “They’re looking to try to figure out stone showed a mudslide, washed
through Montana’s largest city on tively has changed dramatically in the how to hold things together.” out bridges and roads undercut by
Wednesday, flooding farms and last 36 hours,” said Bill Berg, a com- churning floodwaters of the Gardner
ranches and forcing the shutdown missioner in nearby Park County. “A Some of the worst damage happened and Lamar rivers.
of its water treatment plant. little bit ironic that this spectacular in the northern part of the park and
landscape was created by violent geo-
The water in the Yellowstone River logic and hydrologic events, and it’s
hit its highest level in nearly a centu- just not very handy when it happens
ry as it traveled east to Billings, Mon- while we’re all here settled on it.”
tana, home to nearly 110,000 people.
It hit 16 feet (4.9 meters), a foot (30 The unprecedented flooding drove
centimeters) higher than the water more than 10,000 visitors out of park
plant needs to work effectively. and damaged hundreds of homes in
nearby communities, though remark-
The historic floodwaters raged ably no was reported hurt or killed.
through the nation’s oldest national The only visitors left in the massive
park earlier this week and may have park straddling three states were a
forever altered the human footprint dozen campers still making their way
on Yellowstone’s terrain and the com- out of the backcountry.
munities that have grown around it.
Businesses in hard-hit Gardiner had
The floodwaters tore out bridges and just started really recovering from
poured into nearby homes. They the tourism contraction brought by
pushed a popular fishing river off the coronavirus pandemic, and were
course — possibly permanently — hoping for a good year, Berg said.
and may force roadways nearly torn