I want to start this out by saying I have been largely impressed with Bart Barber’s leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention. He was an unlikely pick for an enviable job, grabbing the wheel in the midst of the biggest storm this collective will ever (knock on wood) face. After a series of devastating investigations into the SBC’s lengthy and nauseating history of dismissing, trivializing, ignoring and demeaning sexual abuse survivors in their midst, a group of powerful clowns organized a well-funded attempt to keep any reckoning at bay. This cadre of ghouls wanted a leader who would keep the SBC running as it was. They got Barber instead, a humble and funny small town preacher who seemed to take the monumental rot exposed within the SBC seriously.
Against the advice and urgings of some of the most well-known Southern Baptists in the country, Barber has — as far as I can tell — been transparent about the investigation and what steps are being taken to address the situation. He has also, and this is refreshing, been furious. Nobody should take that for granted.
That’s why I was so discouraged to see his words about Amy Grant.
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