TEXAS
Denton Record-Chronicle
May 10, 2918
By Christy Thomas
Does God mind it when women get hurt by the men in their lives? It seems like a silly question, but recent events make it a realistic one. Yes, even as I write this, I can hardly believe we are still at this point.
As anyone who knows anything about religious news knows, Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has made it clear: He has nothing to apologize for by telling women to stay in abusive marriages and submit better to their spouses. A woman follows his advice and gets two black eyes? Patterson rejoices — the husband is finally coming to church, putting his butt in the pew for Patterson to count for “success” in ministry.
Jonathan Merritt, a longtime religion observer and writer, contends that the impact of the recent #MeToo movement will cause the Southern Baptist Convention to split if Patterson does not willingly step down as the keynote speaker at the next meeting. Too many women are finally speaking out in large numbers about the pervasive atmosphere of sexual harassment and intimidation they have long faced. To see abuse justified by a well-known religious leader appears to have crossed a line.
I think Merritt is wrong. The current outcry against Patterson’s words is only so much politically correct talk to polish the Baptist image in the eyes of those who are not part of that theological world. The truth: Patterson’s words are totally consistent with the core theology underlying the entire strain of Baptist/Calvinistic thinking.
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