According to an article in the Associated Baptist Press, two resignations have emerged in the wake of a letter threatening to defund the N.C. Baptist State Convention’s newspaper, the Biblical Reporter. The threatening letter — which was written by Sandy Beck, the director of missions in the Hendersonville-based Carolina Baptist Association — took the newspaper’s editor to task for not knowing “the mindset of this predominantly biblically conservative state.”
Most recently, a Convention board member, Patricia Faulkner, resigned Nov. 4 in protest, saying she was quitting because apparent pressures had been brought to bear against the newspaper’s editor, Norman Jameson, who resigned in October.
The article quotes Faulkner as saying that “[the editor] was increasingly under pressure both from some Recorder directors and others in the state convention angered by the editor’s refusal to avoid covering subjects in Baptist life that irk conservatives, who have solidified their control over the convention.”
The editor resigned after Sandy Beck, director of missions in the Hendersonville-based Carolina Baptist Association wrote to Convention leaders saying that unless the editor was removed, “a motion would come from the floor of the convention to defund the newspaper in the state convention’s Cooperative Program unified budget,” according to the article.
” … the editor’s refusal to avoid covering subjects in Baptist life that irk conservatives …”
Oh my God conservatives are irked! Someone must be fired! Better resign before you get wrestled to the ground and stomped on. Wonder which “subjects” are being alluded to here, I’m guessing it has to do with the gays.
God works in mysterious ways her wonders to perform.
These are the same people who will be the first to cry freedom and then beat you over the head with it.
Sadly, Twinkie223, this most recent effort by ultraconservatives affects perhaps half of NC humankind who are of the Baptist persuasion.
Among other conservative efforts by the Baptist state organization to stamp out “diversity,” this most recent conflict happened because the editor of the Baptist newspaper committed the following sin: …continuing to cover North Carolina Woman’s Missionary Union, which is no longer recognized by the state convention…
Conservative christian types evidently believe in the unfettered freedom to agree with them in any manner one chooses.
Very scary and ugly people these baptists … glad I am an atheist and don’t believe in their type of diversity.
Associational Missionaries once viewed themselves as servants of God’s churches. Now they’re Enforcers of Doctrinal Purity. Our pastor often explains, “Oh, we’re not *that* kind of Baptist.” Dave in Durham.
I guess this is another example of what is called in these mountains a “Baptist Swarm”.