đ Jesus Didn't Lie On His Resume, But This Top Southern Baptist Official Did đ
Weekend Plug-in đ
Editorâs note: Every Friday, âWeekend Plug-inâ features analysis, fact checking and top headlines from the world of faith. Subscribe now to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com.
(ANALYSIS) Good afternoon, Weekend Plug-in readers!
Itâs National Shameless Plug Day.
Or maybe itâs really not, but I still want to share an in-depth feature I did on faith nights hosted by Major League Baseball teams. I traveled to San Diego and Los Angeles to report this story for ReligionUnplugged.com.
But thatâs enough shameless plugging for now.
In major news this week, former President Donald Trump and 18 allies were indicted in Georgia, accused of scheming to overturn Trumpâs 2020 election loss in that state.
âWhile most of those indicted are lawyers or people with close connections to Trump, at least one is a faith leader: an Illinois pastor and former police chaplain charged in connection with efforts to intimidate Georgia election workers,â Religion News Serviceâs Jack Jenkins reports.
This is our roundup of the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith. We start with the resignation of a top Southern Baptist Convention official.
What To Know: The Big Story
Out immediately: Willie McLaurin, interim president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Conventionâs Executive Committee, resigned Thursday.
âIn a recent resume that I submitted, it included schools that I did not attend or complete the study,â McLaurin said concerning his decision.
The short version: He lied.
Not the first time: McLaurin is just the latest SBC Executive Committee head to leave amid controversy, as Religion News Serviceâs Bob Smietana points out:
McLaurin became interim president after Ronnie Floyd, the previous president, resigned in October 2021 after months of controversy over the SBCâs sex abuse crisis. Floydâs predecessor, Frank Page, resigned in 2018 due to misconduct.
Regarding McLaurin, the Washington Timesâ Mark A. Kellner notes:
The first Black man to head the group that handles matters for Americaâs largest Protestant denomination outside of an annual business session, the pastor and leadership coach was considered a leading contender for permanent appointment.
The vetting process: The Tennesseanâs Liam Adams details how McLaurinâs falsified credentials were uncovered:
Executive committee chair Philip Robertson confirmed McLaurinâs resignation in a statement Thursday. A presidential search team, in a review of McLaurin's application for the permanent position, "discovered disqualifying information during their process of vetting and due diligence,â Robertson said.
âMcLaurinâs education credentials that he presented in his resume are false," Robertson said.
The New York Timesâ Ruth Graham explains why the resignation matters:
With more than 13 million members, the S.B.C. is the nationâs largest Protestant denomination and serves as a bellwether for priorities among American evangelicals. The S.B.C. has been wracked by fierce divisions in recent years over politics, gender and race. Some conservatives in the denomination fear that it is drifting toward liberalism, while others fear a takeover by a faction that values ideological purity over all.
At the S.B.C.âs annual meeting this summer, delegates hotly debated womenâs roles in church leadership. The denomination voted against readmitting two churches that had appealed their expulsion for having women pastors. Delegates also took steps to amend the denominationâs constitution to strengthen the ban on women as pastors, a move that may open up other hundreds of churches to investigation and expulsions.
The executive committee, which has more than 80 members, conducts business for the denomination between its annual meetings. The chief executive of the committee is considered more powerful in many ways than the denominationâs president, a more high-profile but comparatively symbolic role.
Pointing to McLaurinâs request for forgiveness for âthe harm or hurt that this has caused,â the SBCâs president, Bart Barber, says, âBiblical Christianity offers you one and only one response to that plea, fellow Southern Baptists. Yes, Willie, I forgive you.â
Power Up: The Weekâs Best Reads
1. From Buddhists to Zoroastrians: âThe exhibit hall at the Parliament of the Worldâs Religions brought the diversity of religious practices and spiritual beliefs to life.â
Religion News Serviceâs Bob Smietana reports from Chicago.
See additional coverage from Smietana and The Associated Pressâ David Crary.
2. Bomb threats and âswattingâ campaign: âAt least 26 institutions have experienced incidents since late July as online trolls work together to harass Jews and other religious minorities.â
The Forwardâs Arno Rosenfield and Louis Keene detail the coordinated antisemitic campaign.
3. Faith after Hawaii fires: âIn the aftermath of the worst disaster in memory on their island â the deadliest fire in US history â Mauiâs Christians gathered on Sunday morning to offer prayers, continue to coordinate relief efforts, and mourn the loss around them.â
Thatâs the lede from Christianity Todayâs Morgan Lee.
See additional coverage from The Associated Pressâ Bobby Caina Calvin, Giovanna DellâOrto and Audrey McAvoy and last weekâs Plug-in.
More Top Reads
Russian Orthodox priests face persecution for supporting peace in Ukraine, The Associated Pressâ Kostya Manenkov writes. ⌠The United Methodist Church disaffiliation movement in the U.S. is largely White, Southern and male-led, according to a new report cited by The Tennesseanâs Liam Adams. ⌠Legal experts question a federal judgeâs order telling Southwest Airlines lawyers to get religious-liberty training, APâs David Koenig reports. ⌠Women at the first March on Washington included a secretary, a future bishop and a marshal, Religion News Serviceâs Adelle M. Banks recounts. ⌠A summer camp in California gives Jewish children of color a haven to be different together, as APâs Jacquelyn Martin details in words, pictures and video.
Inside The Godbeat
Covering the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and its aftermath tested a Jewish journalist.
Ron Kampeas explains how in an essay for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Charging Station: ICYMI
Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from ReligionUnplugged.com.
Churches flourish in one of Swedenâs Bible Button cities by caring for neighbors.
Thatâs the trend explored by ReligionUnplugged.comâs Paul Glader.
The Final Plug
OK, can I do one more shameless plug since youâre still reading?
As the two-year anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan approaches, I delved into the relationships forged between refugees and people of faith in the U.S.
Read my stories from Oklahoma City (with exceptional photos by my colleague Audrey Jackson) and San Antonio. And check out my related column on an interesting connection I discovered.
Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.
Bobby Ross Jr. writes the Weekend Plug-in column for ReligionUnplugged.com and serves as editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle. A former religion writer for The Associated Press and The Oklahoman, Ross has reported from all 50 states and 18 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.