In victory for moderates, Southern Baptists reaffirm faith statement
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Southern Baptists concerned about a rightward shift in the denomination claimed a significant victory Wednesday with the passage of a motion centered on Baptist identity. Some conservatives downplayed the vote's importance and called the measure confusing.
In results announced Wednesday morning, "messengers," or delegates, to the denomination's annual meeting voted 58% to 42% to support a statement calling the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 the sufficient standard for establishing what makes a good Southern Baptist.
Backers of the statement said some conservatives have been setting additional litmus tests, in effect narrowing who is considered a Baptist in good standing. At stake is the direction of the Southern Baptist Convention nearly three decades after its "conservative resurgence" purged liberals over the issue of biblical infallibility....
