Controversial comments about women, abuse and divorce made by a highly respected leader in the Southern Baptist Convention have put many of its leaders in a deeply uncomfortable position as some scramble to respond under pressure from Southern Baptists and other evangelicals. An audio recording recently surfaced on which Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson says that abused women should focus on praying and “be submissive in every way that you can” and not seek divorce. Those comments, which were made 18 years ago, have set off a wave of criticism within Southern Baptist circles over the message it could send to women. Since his comments came out, several Southern Baptist leaders tweeted that they opposed Patterson’s beliefs, but few mentioned his name. Popular Bible teacher Beth Moore, who attends a Southern Baptist church, on Twitter denounced the ideas behind Patterson’s comments:“I’ve dealt with sexism in my church culture for 60 years.

Source: National Post May 02, 2018 18:00 UTC