Indianapolis
The Southern Baptist Convention this week voted to quit a worldwide alliance of Baptist churches, saying the global association had become too liberal and “anti-American.” Church leaders said that the Baptist Worldwide Alliance, a federation of 211 denominations, had turned its back on Southern Baptists by criticizing their leadership, promoting women preachers, welcoming “gay-friendly” congregations, and questioning literal interpretation of the Bible. Southern Baptists, the largest American Protestant denomination, with 16 million members, had been supplying around $300,000 of the alliance’s $1.7 million annual operating budget. “Our concern is not financial,” said the Rev. Denton Lotz, general secretary of the alliance. “Our concern is schism and division. Christians need to be a united voice.”
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