Carter, Clinton forging new Baptist coalition to counter conservative Southern Baptist Convention

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: Carter, Clinton Seek To Bring Together Moderate Baptists
Exiles From Conservative Group Targeted
By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 21, 2007; Page A03

Former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton are leading an effort to forge dozens of small and medium-size, black and white Baptist organizations into a robust coalition that would serve as a counterweight to the conservative Southern Baptist Convention.

The giant SBC, with more than 16 million members, has long dominated the political, theological and social landscape among Baptists, often spawning resentment among smaller Baptist groups. It has also been closely aligned with the Republican Party.

The new coalition, which is Carter's brainchild, would give moderate Baptists a stronger collective voice and could provide Democrats with greater entree into the Baptist community. But Carter and other organizers are trying to walk a fine line, insisting that the alliance is not directly political while touting its potential to recast the role of religion in the public square....

***

Carter and Clinton were raised as Southern Baptists but have expressed dismay over the SBC's increasingly conservative bent since traditionalists defeated modernists in a struggle for control of the denomination in the 1970s and '80s.

The leadership battle, which raged over issues such as biblical inerrancy, temperance, homosexuality, abortion and women's role in the church, culminated in 2000 with revisions to the "Baptist Faith and Message" that barred women from serving as pastors and called for wives to "submit graciously" to the leadership of their husbands....On Jan. 9 at the Carter Center in Atlanta, the two ex-presidents brought together the heads of 40 Baptist denominations and organizations to launch a year-long organizing effort that they hope will climax with the celebration of a "New Baptist Covenant" in early 2008....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/20/AR2007012001295.html

[GeneCosta]

1. It's interesting

The secular and religious Left are arguably more divided on political issues than the Right, but at least we stand together.

The Religious Right aren't so tolerant of their godless allies... until election night.

[monarch]

2. President Carter once again does something wonderful and

Land provides irrefutable evidence of why this project is essential. Talk about mean spirited nastiness and hijacking religion for political purposes!!

How about posting this in GD where it might get some attention? This issue goes to the heart of what we, as Democrats, are up against.

On edit: I see that somebody has posted it in GD and it's not getting any attention over there either. I don't understand it. I truly see this as a very big thing.

[Solo_in_MD]

3. More bad fiction from the WaPo

Clinton has no Baptist chops to speak of and Carter is losing much of his influence with his latest book, which many evangelicals (including Baptists) consider an anti Israel hit piece.

[mzteris]

4. que?

"no Baptist chops" - what, exactly, do you mean by that?

And the only people Carter is "losing much of his influence with" are those radical fundies who don't embrace a kinder gentler more liberal version of "Baptist-ness" anyway.

[Solo_in_MD]

5. Slang

In this context, standing or repect. Clinton has little positive standing and mostly negative standing with the rank and file Batists.

As for Carter, the turn around in how he was perceived has been scary. Many Baptists I know respected him for the HFH and other work he had done since he was President, but they seem to have soured on him over his book. Baptists are evangelicals and most are strong Christian Zionists.

[mzteris]

6. rank and file

the "rank and file" you KNOW about are the fundies. But there are PLENTY of Baptists who DON'T subscribe to the neanderthal version of "religion" that the current crop in charge of the SBC advocate.

ditto on Carter.

The "Baptists" that don't like them, aren't the "Baptists" Clinton and Carter are reaching out to.

[Solo_in_MD]

8. Ahhh, Baptist == Fundies...if they aren't fundies, they really aren't Baptists

[mzteris]

9. noooooooooooo.........

I know plenty of Baptists who AREn'T fundies - that's the whole point of what Carter and Clinton are trying to do, I think.

I grew up Southern Baptist. The old kind. Not the fundamentalist kind. I saw first hand what Patterson did to the SBC.

I also just recently lived in the SBC seminary town from whence the fundamentalist take-over of the SBC came. So I know plenty of that type, too.

[MasonJar]

7. The fundies have ruined the S. Baptist Seminary in Louisville,

choosing a real pig as pres and then firing sensible profs.