They Pledged to Stop Sex Abuse. Instead, They Targeted Women.

NEW ORLEANS (LA)
Slate [New York NY]

June 20, 2023

One year after a massive sex abuse scandal, America’s largest Protestant denomination has a different concern: women in church leadership.

Episode Notes

Last week, the Southern Baptist Convention held its annual meeting in New Orleans – and its main order of business was to tighten the reins on what women can, and can’t, do in the church. It’s the result of a years-long push from the SBC’s ultraconservative wing to reverse what it calls a “liberal drift.” As the nation’s largest Protestant denomination prepares to crack down on gender roles, what does that mean for American evangelicals – and for the rest of us?

Guest: Beth Allison Barr is a history professor at Baylor University. She’s also the author of “The Making of Biblical Womanhood.”

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

https://slate.com/podcasts/what-next/2023/06/southern-baptist-conservatives-target-women-pastors