Sex and the Southern Baptist

The culture war is over, and the gays and the liberals have won. Or at least this is what recent reports of changing attitudes toward gay marriage and sexuality in Southern Baptist communities have implied. Evangelical pastors are accepting their defeat in the public sphere of values and urging an adjustment to the times, NPR, MSNBC and Nashville Public Radio have reported, running headlines like "Southern Baptists Leaders Seek Softer Approach to Homosexuality"; Slate's Will Saletan even wrote a treatise on "The Collapse of Anti-Gay Religion." As evidence, most of these outlets pointed to the comments of one pastor, Jimmy Scroggins of Florida, who spoke at a recent Southern Baptist ethics convention. "Let's stop telling Adam and Steve jokes," he said. "We're all in agreement that the cultural war is over when it comes to homosexuality, especially when it comes to gay marriage."

Although this may be true at a few churches, at the national level, it doesn't seem to be the case. Russell Moore, the president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, says media reports are overemphasizing a minority viewpoint.