Thank you for your many gracious responses to the 1st issue of the “new” Weekly Baptist Roundup. I appreciate knowing that you missed it during its 10-month “hiatus.”
ALL articles in the Roundup are, I believe, worthy of your attention, but I want to begin using this space to review the main happenings of the week & to highlight 2 or 3 articles for special mention.
(CONTINUED FROM WEEKLY BAPTIST ROUNDUP)
Baptist news continues to be dominated by the ongoing Paige Patterson story. This week, the Southwestern Seminary trustees rescinded the generous treatment they had given him the previous week. In this issue of the Roundup, you’ll find articles linked from several sources, reporting on the trustees’ action.
The question now is whether Patterson will still attempt to give the convention sermon at the annual SBC meeting in Dallas and – if he does – whether a resolution to deny him that opportunity (which some have already promised to introduce) will succeed.
You’ll also find several op-eds addressing the Patterson situation. Perhaps the most poignant of these is An open letter to Paige Patterson, by NANCY CAROL HASTINGS SEHESTED, who courageously persevered in following God’s call to her to pastor after her church in Memphis was ousted in 1987, first from its local association and, ultimately, from the Southern Baptist Convention, because it dared call a woman as pastor. Nancy’s letter to Paige is both gracious and hopeful.
Nancy co-pastors Circle of Mercy in Asheville, NC, with her husband, KEN SEHESTED. Ken has written an insightful and challenging article this week, al-Nakba: Meditation on Israel, Palestine, and the calculus of power. For decades, Ken has been at the forefront of those working actively for peace in venues at home and around the world. This article is a serious look at the disparity in power between Israelis and Palestinians, and the challenges to true peace in that region.
For the past 7 years, I’ve been indebted to the many excellent journalists, op-ed writers, news services, and so forth that do the real work of reporting and analyzing Baptist news every week. One of these, ROBERT DILDAY, is leaving BAPTIST NEWS GLOBAL this week to pursue his new calling as an Episcopal priest. Thank you, Robert, for all you have done to keep Baptists informed over the years, first at The Religious Herald, and lately at ABP/BNG. May God richly bless you and your new colleagues and parishioners in your new ministry.