A publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention offered a scholarship restricted to females and racial minorities, an apparent breach of principles in the denomination’s core documents.
B&H Academic Books, an imprint of the Southern Baptist Convention media publishing and distribution division Lifeway Christian Resources, advertised a scholarship opportunity with two slots, one reserved for “female students” and the other reserved for “ethnic minority students.” Recipients of the scholarship, which is targeted toward doctoral students, will receive $1,000 in airfare and lodging to attend the Evangelical Theological Society annual meeting in the fall.
“These scholarships grow out of a desire to cultivate the next generation of evangelical scholars and to invest in the inclusion of all voices in the academy,” the application page said. “We are offering one scholarship for female students and one scholarship for ethnic minority students.”
The application form requires students to apply for the “Ethnic Minority Scholarship,” the “Women’s Scholarship,” or both. Recipients of the scholarships will have the opportunity to attend a “Women’s Networking Event” and a “Minority Luncheon” during the conference.
Pastors and other members of the denomination responded to the social media advertisement by noting that the Southern Baptist Convention Constitution expressly forbids churches which “act to affirm, approve, or endorse discriminatory behavior on the basis of ethnicity” from working in “friendly cooperation” with the denomination. Attendees of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting likewise passed a resolution four years ago stating that the denomination “is committed to racial reconciliation built upon biblical presuppositions.”
The Sentinel contacted Lifeway Christian Resources and the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee for comment. This article will be updated with any response.
Brian Gunter, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Livingston, Louisiana, said in comments to The Sentinel that the scholarship contradicts the reality that Christians are united across ethnic lines as described in the book of Galatians. “Rather than holding fast to biblical truth, this scholarship shows partiality to favored groups while discriminating against culturally despised groups on the basis of skin color or body parts,” the minister remarked.
Other entities in the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest association of Protestant churches, have issued similarly discriminatory initiatives. Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, one of the denomination’s flagship schools, offers a “Kingdom Diversity Scholarship” for students from “an underrepresented culture” or women in doctoral programs.
“Southeastern is committed to equipping groups who have been historically underrepresented on our campus to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission,” the scholarship description reads. “Our financial aid resources represent part of a holistic effort to support current and future students in an attempt to make our campus look more like the kingdom.”
Controversy over the scholarship advertised by B&H Academic Books comes two weeks after a Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting marked by debate over the allowance of female pastors in the denomination’s churches. Messengers overwhelmingly voted in favor of decisions to disfellowship Saddleback Church, the congregation founded by Rick Warren which recently installed a number of female pastors, as well as Fern Creek Baptist Church, which has employed a female pastor for more than three decades.
