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GoMustardPresbyterian•

The clearest example of Steeplejacking I've ever seen is the Southern Baptist Convention

From the mid-1980's until the early 90s, there was a concerted effort by the fundamentalist element of the Southern Baptist Church to drive out any moderate to liberal (or dare I say modern) scholarship from SBC seminaries. It got real ugly. They essentially were able to take over the denomination by winning elections of key positions in the denomination, and appointing people they saw fit to the boards of every major SBC organization (mission boards and seminaries). The result is the SBC you see today.

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reoddOP•

I believe the book called Steeplejacking chronicles this. I have also heard that this is what is happening to the Episcopalian church of late.

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[deleted]•

This goes back to the birth of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Does anyone want to guess why there's a "Southern" Baptist Convention?

*Hint -- they split from the "Northern" baptists in the mid-Nineteenth Century.

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[deleted]•

I've never seen it firsthand, but my pastor was brought up on charges for marrying a gay couple by some douche not related to the church in any way. She actually DID perform the wedding, but that's not the point. :-D

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reoddOP•

I noticed at my wife's church that they have started to allow one particular woman to do Inspired Speeches at the beginning of services. She always is espousing far right wing policies in a traditionally liberal church.

Thanks for your insight!

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n0t_5hureAtheist•

interesting article. i suspect that it goes on a lot. churches have a lot of power which makes them attractive to use for political control.

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