In the Introduction to Spelunking Scripture: The Letters of Paul, I note how the Bible has been misused to justify slavery, to subjugate women, and to condemn persons of a different sexual orientation. The Southern Baptist Convention is a case in point.

The Southern Baptist Convention was formed in 1845, in part to defend the institution of slavery. Many Baptists in the north were opposed to slaveowners being appointed as Baptist missionaries. Many Baptists in the south did not see any contradiction between owning slaves and being church leaders. So, the Southern Baptist Convention was formed, in part, to justify slavery.

As a two-time graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, I was dismayed to learn that two of the founding faculty members of the seminary, John A. Broadus and James P. Boyce were slaveowners. Broadus was an outstanding preacher and New Testament scholar. His book on homiletics, On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, is still in print. The renowned British Baptist pastor, Charles Spurgeon, called Broadus “the greatest living preacher.”

James Boyce was a systematic theologian who served as the first president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Boyce and Broadus were among the most acclaimed Baptist leaders of their era. Two of the most important buildings on the Southern Seminary campus are named after them—the Broadus Chapel and the Boyce Library.

And yet, both Boyce and Broadus owned slaves. In fact, Boyce, owner of 23 slaves at the beginning of the Civil War, described himself as “ultra pro-slavery.” Both Boyce and Broadus served as chaplains in the Confederate army.

How could Broadus and Boyce have defended slavery? Like many preachers of their time, they found justification for slavery in selected passages of scripture. Slavery was common in the Old and New Testaments. In several of his letters, Paul told slaves to obey their masters.

So, using selected scripture passages many southern preachers—including some esteemed Baptist seminary professors—defended the institution of slavery as ordained by God. They failed to distinguish cultural conditions from God’s eternal purposes. Sadly, the legacy of slavery is still with us, namely in racism, upon which slavery in the American experience was based.

Similarly, the Bible has been misused to subjugate women. In many cultures in the ancient world, and in many cultures even in today’s time, women are treated as inferior to men. And the Bible has often been misused to justify that. Again, some selected verses from the letters of Paul have been cited to make women seem inferior, and subject to men.

In the latest annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, held last month, women were once again declared to be unfit to be pastors. But taking a stand for Jesus recognizes the equality of women and men, not the superiority of men and the inferiority of women.

Also, the Bible has long been misused to condemn LGBTQ+ persons. The latest annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention voted to overturn the legality of same-sex marriage, basically condemning persons of different sexual orientations. But Jesus never condemned them. Jesus had a heart for persons that the society of his day condemned. Taking a stand for Jesus recognizes the value of all persons, whether straight or lesbian or gay or bisexual or transgender.

Lisa Dunson, president of the Alliance of Baptists Executive Committee wrote:

"The Southern Baptist Convention drapes itself in scripture, only to distort it into a tool of exclusion. This is not an act of faithfulness but a bid for control, a campaign to marginalize LGBTQ+ people, silence women, and uphold a rigid, fear-based theology that denies the wide, liberating love of God. These actions are not rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ but in a desperate grasp for power masquerading as doctrinal fidelity."

In my recent sermon, “TAKING A STAND FOR JESUS,” I note how sometimes our Christian values conflict with the culture around us. Sometimes when we take a stand for Jesus, we risk the judgment of those who don’t agree with us. But Jesus took a stand for us. Jesus died for us, that we might know how much God loves us. May we remember what Jesus has done for us, and may we express our gratitude by the way we live.