Southern Baptist Church Bylaws

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Southern Baptist Church Bylaws: A Comprehensive Guide



Introduction:

Are you seeking a clear understanding of Southern Baptist Church bylaws? Navigating the legal and organizational structures of a church can be complex, but understanding your church's bylaws is crucial for members, leaders, and anyone seeking transparency and accountability. This comprehensive guide delves into the intricacies of Southern Baptist Church bylaws, exploring their purpose, common elements, variations, and the importance of adherence. We'll demystify the legal framework governing these vital documents, providing you with a clear and concise understanding. This post will equip you with the knowledge to navigate the complexities of Southern Baptist church governance.


What are Southern Baptist Church Bylaws?



Southern Baptist Church bylaws are the foundational legal documents that govern the internal operations and structure of individual churches within the Southern Baptist Convention. Unlike a constitution, which outlines broader theological beliefs and practices, bylaws are specific to a local congregation. They dictate how the church functions, from electing officers and managing finances to addressing conflicts and making major decisions. These bylaws serve as a roadmap, ensuring consistent and transparent governance. They are not standardized across all Southern Baptist churches; each congregation creates its own, reflecting its specific needs and context. However, they typically cover similar core areas.


Key Elements of Typical Southern Baptist Church Bylaws:



Membership:



This section outlines the qualifications for church membership, the membership process (including baptism and profession of faith), and procedures for dismissal or removal. It often details the rights and responsibilities of members.

Church Officers and Their Roles:



Bylaws clearly define the roles and responsibilities of church officers, such as pastors, deacons, and trustees. This includes outlining election procedures, terms of office, and removal processes. Specific duties and authority are usually detailed for each position.

Financial Management:



This crucial section addresses how the church handles its finances. It outlines budgeting procedures, auditing requirements, and the responsibilities of those managing church funds. Transparency and accountability are key elements here.

Amendments and Revisions:



The bylaws will include the process for amending or revising the document itself. This usually requires a supermajority vote from the church membership and may involve specific notification requirements.


Meetings and Decision-Making:



The bylaws dictate how church meetings (business meetings, congregational meetings) are conducted, including quorum requirements, voting procedures, and the handling of motions and resolutions.

Discipline and Conflict Resolution:



This section outlines procedures for addressing conflicts within the church, including member disputes and issues related to church leadership. It describes processes for addressing infractions and maintaining church order.


Variations in Southern Baptist Church Bylaws:



While core elements are common, Southern Baptist Church bylaws vary significantly based on factors like church size, location, and specific denominational affiliations. Larger churches might have more elaborate bylaws than smaller ones. The level of detail and specificity can differ considerably. Some churches might include sections addressing specific ministry areas or unique circumstances not addressed in a more general model.


Importance of Adherence to Bylaws:



Strict adherence to the established bylaws is crucial for several reasons. It ensures fairness and transparency in all church decisions. It protects the church from legal liabilities and internal disputes. Following the bylaws fosters unity and strengthens the church's overall governance. Consistent application of the bylaws promotes a healthy and thriving church community. Deviation from the bylaws can lead to confusion, conflict, and potential legal challenges.


Accessing Your Church's Bylaws:



Most Southern Baptist churches make their bylaws available to their members. You can typically access them through the church office, the church website, or by contacting church leadership directly. If you encounter difficulty accessing them, remember that transparency is a key principle of good governance.


Conclusion:



Understanding Southern Baptist Church bylaws is crucial for effective church governance, member participation, and overall church health. These documents provide a framework for transparent operations, accountability, and conflict resolution. While variations exist, the core elements generally remain consistent, focusing on membership, leadership, finance, and decision-making processes. By familiarizing yourself with your church's specific bylaws, you can actively participate in its governance and contribute to a thriving and unified community.


FAQs:



1. Are Southern Baptist Church bylaws legally binding? While not legally binding in the same way as corporate bylaws, they serve as a legally defensible internal framework for church governance. Adherence to them minimizes potential legal disputes.

2. Can I challenge a decision made by my church that violates the bylaws? Yes, typically a church member can raise concerns about decisions contradicting the established bylaws. The process for addressing this usually involves internal channels of communication and potentially a vote by the congregation.

3. Who is responsible for maintaining and updating the bylaws? This is typically the responsibility of the church's governing body, often the deacons or trustees, in consultation with the pastor and church members.

4. What happens if the bylaws are unclear or contradictory? In cases of ambiguity or contradiction, interpretation often relies on established church traditions, guidance from denominational resources, or legal counsel.

5. Can I obtain a sample Southern Baptist Church bylaws document? While there's no single, universally accepted template, you might find examples online from other churches. However, it's vital to remember that each church's bylaws should be tailored to its unique context and circumstances. Using a sample should be done with extreme caution and under the guidance of legal counsel.


  southern baptist church bylaws: Shepherding a Child’s Heart Tedd Tripp, 2005-07-01 Shepherding a Child’s Heart is about how to speak to the heart of your child. The things your child does and says flow from the heart. Luke 6:45 puts it this way: “…out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Written for parents with children of any age, this insightful book provides perspectives and procedures for shepherding your child’s heart into the paths of life. In this revised edition of Shepherding a Child’s Heart, Dr. Tedd Tripp not only draws on his thirty years experience as a pastor, counselor, school administrator, and father, but he also shares insights gained in many years of teaching this material in conferences worldwide, providing more valuable help for parents.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Christian Law Norman Doe, 2013-09-12 Comparing church laws within ten Christian traditions worldwide, Christianity emerges as a religion of law as well as of faith.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists ed ALLEN, 1958
  southern baptist church bylaws: Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th edition Henry M. Robert III, Daniel H. Honemann, Thomas J. Balch, 2020-08-25 The only current authorized edition of the classic work on parliamentary procedure--now in a new updated edition Robert's Rules of Order is the recognized guide to smooth, orderly, and fairly conducted meetings. This 12th edition is the only current manual to have been maintained and updated since 1876 under the continuing program established by General Henry M. Robert himself. As indispensable now as the original edition was more than a century ago, Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised is the acknowledged gold standard for meeting rules. New and enhanced features of this edition include: Section-based paragraph numbering to facilitate cross-references and e-book compatibility Expanded appendix of charts, tables, and lists Helpful summary explanations about postponing a motion, reconsidering a vote, making and enforcing points of order and appeals, and newly expanded procedures for filling blanks New provisions regarding debate on nominations, reopening nominations, and completing an election after its scheduled time Dozens more clarifications, additions, and refinements to improve the presentation of existing rules, incorporate new interpretations, and address common inquiries Coinciding with publication of the 12th edition, the authors of this manual have once again published an updated (3rd) edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised In Brief, a simple and concise introductory guide cross-referenced to it.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Going for the Jugular Walter B. Shurden, Randy Shepley, 1996 There is, however, no lack of documentation for the ongoing Fundamentalist-Moderate Controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention. In fact, disciplined selection is necessary to keep this collection within manageable limits.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Pastor, Church & Law Richard R. Hammar, 1983
  southern baptist church bylaws: A Parliamentary Guide for Church Leaders C. Barry McCarty, 2012-06-01 Written by the chief parliamentarian of the Southern Baptist Convention, A Parliamentary Guide for Church Leaders has become a standard reference work in the field of church administration for ministers, seminary students, church leaders, convention officers and delegates/messengers. Dr. McCarty draws on over thirty years of experience as a pastor and a professional parliamentarian to make the essential rules of procedure understandable for ordinary people seeking to effectively participate in meetings of their church, denominational convention, or other business gatherings. For the past quarter century, twelve presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention have relied on the author’s expertise to guide them through the annual sessions of the largest deliberative assembly in the world. Now, this silver anniversary edition brings users into the twenty-first century with additional notes on special considerations for multi-site churches and an entire chapter on conflict resolution.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Rise of Baptist Republicanism Oran P. Smith, 2000-05 In its emerging Republicanism, the SBC has taken on characteristics of its more active fellow travelers in the Christian Right, forging alliances with former enemies (African Americans and Roman Catholics), playing presidential politics, establishing a Washington lobbying presence, working the political grassroots, and declaring war on Walt Disney. Each of these missions has been accomplished with calculating political precision.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Encyclopedia of Southern Baptists , 1958
  southern baptist church bylaws: Great Commission Ron Travis Sr., 2010-11-24 Ron and June Travis have been working in the trenches of Baptist life for the past forty-five years: With their own family. Team teaching and conducting seminars for adolescents, newlyweds, budgeting, and finance. Serving as a Deacon. Working on committees for Personnel, Finance, or Long-Range Planning. Serving as a leader and then Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 266 in Gardendale, Alabama. Ron is now writing about their experiences, and his career, which have been based on honor, honesty, and integrity in following the constitution, bylaws, rules, and stated intentions of each organization they have been a part of. This Book is written to share Rons beliefs about the Cooperative Program and each individuals responsibilities as we come together to rule autonomous local Baptist churches and cooperate with other like-minded congregations to accomplish the Great Commission and the mandate found in Acts 1.
  southern baptist church bylaws: SBC FAQs Keith Harper, Amy Whitfield, 2018-03-01 SBC FAQs provides a general overview of the Southern Baptist Convention in the format of frequently asked questions. Covering details of basic history, polity structure, entity functions and more, this ready reference seeks to answer the most common inquiries about how America’s largest Protestant denomination functions. The topics range from the founding of the SBC to how officers and committees work, what individual entities do, movements in modern denominational history, common terminology, and more. It is designed for first-time messengers and longtime messengers to the SBC Annual Meeting, as well as students, church members, and those in full-time ministry. Whether one is new to the denominational family and wants to learn the big picture or a lifelong Southern Baptist who wants to refresh his or her knowledge about a specific detail, SBC FAQs offers clear and concise explanations. Cooperation begins with an informed commitment to participation. This resource will not only help readers find information, but also inspire them to find their place in the process.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Planting New Churches Jack Redford, 1978 Nine well-tested steps for starting new churches.
  southern baptist church bylaws: The New Guidebook for Pastors James W. Bryant, Mac Brunson, 2007-06-01 The New Guidebook for Pastors is written in the tradition of classics like Criswell’s Guidebook for Pastors. But since most pastoral guidebooks available today date back to 1980 or earlier, this new resource by Mac Brunson and James W. Bryant will offer fresh experience-based encouragement to all pastors in their pursuit of excellence and development in their God-called profession. Among the twenty chapters are The Pastor and His Call, The Pastor and His Family, The Pastor and His Staff, The Pastor and Worship, The Pastor and Finances, The Pastor, Wedding, and Funerals, The Pastor, Politics, and Moral Issues, and The Pastor and His Denomination.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Exiled Carl L. Kell, 2006 It has been one of the major news stories in religion and culture of the past twenty-five years. From 1979 to 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) was rocked by assaults on its leadership by fundamentalists, who used questionable tactics to gain top positions and then used their power to purge Baptist seminary presidents and professors, church pastors, lay leaders, and women from positions of responsibility. America's largest Christian, non-Catholic denomination is firmly locked in a holy war to secure its churches and membership for a never-ending struggle against a liberal culture. Exiled: Voices of the Southern Baptist Convention Holy War is a compilation of first-person narratives by conservative and moderate ministers and lay leaders who were stripped of their positions and essentially became pariahs in the churches to which they had devoted their lives. While other books have described the takeover in historical, political, and theological terms, Exiled is different. Individual people tell their personal stories, revealing the struggle and heartache that resulted from being vilified, dispossessed, and exiled. Kell includes a variety of perspectives--from lay preachers and church members to prominent former SBC leaders such as James Dunn and Carolyn Crumpler. The emotion captured on the pages--sadness, shock, disbelief, resignation, and anger--will make Exiled moving even to readers who know little about the Southern Baptist movement. Exiled will also be of particular interest to historians, sociologists, philosophers of religion, and rhetorical historians.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Loyalty and Disloyalty Dag Heward-Mills, 2006 Though a primary requirement of God for leaders, very little has been written on this subject. In this book, Dag Heward-Mills outlines very important principles with the intention of increasing the stability of churches. So relevant and practical is the content of this book that it has become an indispensable tool for many church leaders.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Gospel Coach Scott Thomas, Tom Wood, 2012-05-08 In order to help pastors and other Christian leaders to lovingly lead God’s flock to Jesus Christ and into God’s mission, Scott Thomas and Tom Wood clarify a process of coaching and shepherding that is rooted in the patterns of the Good Shepherd himself, a process in which leaders stir up the gifts, passion, and calling upon others’ lives. This book addresses the needs of the leader, his or her sinful tendencies, and church leadership issues. It directs the leader to the person and work of Jesus. It provides a system to intentionally shepherd leaders to glorify God in their personal, spiritual, and missional lives. Many ministry leaders serving in churches find themselves overwhelmed, disillusioned, and depressed by the enormous and challenging task of leading and ministering in a congregation. As a result, the ministry suffers, the leaders suffer, and the result is often an unhealthy church existent with little or no Gospel influence. These leaders need someone to shepherd their soul so that they can lead others to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. We suggest that coaching for the church leader looks less like corporate consulting or humanistic psychology and more like biblical-shepherding. We suggest that every church leader needs a Gospel Coach to come alongside with words of truth, wisdom and experience to encourage, admonish, comfort and help—words drawn from Scripture and godly wisdom, grounded in the gracious saving work of Jesus Christ, and presented in the context of a trusting relationship. Gospel Coaching is an intentional relationship to skillfully care for others with four ancient shepherding principles: 1) Know the sheep, 2) Feed the sheep, 3) Lead the sheep, and 4) Protect the sheep. A Gospel Coach both inquires about the personal, spiritual, and missional aspects of a ministry leader’s life in a loving yet focused manner, and also probes the church leader for compulsive unbelief or selfish motivation, or disobedience and sin, and leads the ministry leader back to the Gospel, through belief, repentance and obedience. Churches that desire to be rich in a Gospel application toward their city, their relationships with one another, their communication and worship, as well as their service, will benefit to a greater degree by having their leaders being coached by a Gospel-centered leader.
  southern baptist church bylaws: The Struggle for the Soul of the SBC Walter B. Shurden, 1993
  southern baptist church bylaws: Southern Baptist Periodical Index , 1983
  southern baptist church bylaws: God and the Gay Christian Matthew Vines, 2014-04-22 “God and the Gay Christian is a game changer. Winsome, accessible, and carefully researched, every page is brought to life by the author’s clear love for Scripture and deep, persistent faith. With this book, Matthew Vines emerges as one of my generation’s most important Christian leaders, not only on matters of sexuality but also on what it means to follow Jesus with wisdom, humility, and grace. Prepare to be challenged and enlightened, provoked and inspired. Read with an open heart and mind, and you are bound to be changed.” — Rachel Held Evans, author of A Year of Biblical Womanhood and Faith Unraveled As a young Christian man, Matthew Vines harbored the same basic hopes of most young people: to someday share his life with someone, to build a family of his own, to give and receive love. But when he realized he was gay, those hopes were called into question. The Bible, he’d been taught, condemned gay relationships. Feeling the tension between his understanding of the Bible and the reality of his same-sex orientation, Vines devoted years of intensive research into what the Bible says about homosexuality. With care and precision, Vines asked questions such as: • Do biblical teachings on the marriage covenant preclude same-sex marriage or not? • How should we apply the teachings of Jesus to the gay debate? • What does the story of Sodom and Gomorrah really say about human relationships? • Can celibacy be a calling when it is mandated, not chosen? • What did Paul have in mind when he warned against same-sex relations? Unique in its affirmation of both an orthodox faith and sexual diversity, God and the Gay Christian is likely to spark heated debate, sincere soul search­ing, even widespread cultural change. Not only is it a compelling interpretation of key biblical texts about same-sex relations, it is also the story of a young man navigating relationships with his family, his hometown church, and the Christian church at large as he expresses what it means to be a faithful gay Christian.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual. General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, 2005
  southern baptist church bylaws: The Revised Statutes of the State of Missouri Missouri, 1835
  southern baptist church bylaws: Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused Brad Hambrick, 2019-06-04 Is your church prepared to care for individuals who have experienced various forms of abuse? As we continue to learn of more individuals experiencing sexual abuse, domestic violence, and other forms of abuse, it’s clear that resources are needed to help ministries and leaders care for these individuals with love, support, and in cooperation with civil authorities. This handbook seeks to help the church take a significant step forward in its care for those who have been abused. Working in tandem with the Church Cares resources and videos, this handbook brings together leading evangelical trauma counselors, victim advocates, social workers, attorneys, batterer interventionists, and survivors to equip pastors and ministry leaders for the appropriate initial responses to a variety of abuse scenarios in churches, schools, or ministries. Though the most comprehensive training is experienced by using this handbook and the videos together, readers who may be unable to access the videos can use this handbook as a stand-alone resource.
  southern baptist church bylaws: A Treatise On The Faith And Practice Of The Free Baptists Free Will Baptists (1780?-1911) Gene, 2022-10-27 This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
  southern baptist church bylaws: The Constitution of South Carolina: Church and state, morality and free expression James L. Underwood, 1986 In this volume Professor Underwood considers the constitutional doctrines that address the separation of church and state and the free exercise of religion. These doctrines are treated in historical and contemporary contexts extending from early colonial times to the most recent disputes over freedom of religion. The interaction of state and federal constitutional law is considered in detail. Underwood examines leading state and colonial cases and statutes and cites pivotal United States Supreme Court cases that have had an impact on South Carolina law. Among the issues discussed are Sunday Blue Laws, state financial contributions to religious groups, unorthodox forms of worship, and religion in the public schools. Many of the topics covered not only have deep historical roots but also are the subjects of contemporary public debate, legislation, and litigation. Issues such as prayer in the schools, itinerant evangelism, and physically dangerous forms of worship, such as those involving drug use, are constantly in the headlines. In a key chapter, the author explores the debate over the various patterns that the relationship between church and state authorities can take. In the final section, Professor Underwood examines free expression issues which have been closely related to church and state disputes. This portion focuses specifically on state obscenity laws, provisions regulating personal morality. The discussion begins with early nineteenth-century cases and statutes and ends with the most recent cases and statuatory amendments.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Religious Perspectives on Bioethics Mark Cherry, 2013-12-02 First published in 2004. Religious Perspectives in Bioethics surveys recent bioethics discussion in thirteen religious traditions. Christian contributions include chapters on Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, the Episcopal, German Protestant, and Baptist traditions, Reformed Christianity, and the Latter Day Saints. The volume also includes chapters on Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Daoism.
  southern baptist church bylaws: The Baptist Faith and Message Herschel H. Hobbs, 1982
  southern baptist church bylaws: Inventory of the Church Archives of North Carolina. Southern Baptist Convention. Flat River Association Historical Records Survey of North Carolina, 1941
  southern baptist church bylaws: Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series Library of Congress. Copyright Office, 1973
  southern baptist church bylaws: Alabama Baptists Wayne Flynt, 1998 The definitive history of the dominant religious group within the state during the last two centuries
  southern baptist church bylaws: West's South Eastern Reporter , 1998
  southern baptist church bylaws: Florida's Other Courts Robert M. Jarvis, 2018-02-12 Addresses fascinating aspects of obtaining justice in Florida: both historical court systems before Florida became a state and alternative courts operating within Florida now. Anyone with an interest in the diversity of Florida's legal past and present will find this book invaluable.--Mary E. Adkins, author of Making Modern Florida: How the Spirit of Reform Shaped a New State Constitution Pushing past the standard federal-state narrative, the essays in Florida's Other Courts examine eight little-known Florida courts. In doing so, they fill a longstanding gap in the state's legal literature. In part one, the contributors profile Florida's courts under the Spanish and British empires and during its existence as a U.S. territory and a member of the Confederate States of America. In part two, they describe four modern-era courts: those governing military personnel stationed in Florida; adherents of specific religious faiths in Florida; residents of Miami's black neighborhoods during the waning days of Jim Crow segregation; and members of the Miccosukee and Seminole Indian tribes. Including extensive notes, a detailed index, and a complete table of cases, this volume offers a new and compelling look at the development of justice in Florida.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Broadman Church Manual Howard B. Foshee, 1973-04-13 A comprehensive guide to the nature and work of the church, including pastor, staff members, and planning the total church program.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Annual of the Southern Baptist Convention Southern Baptist Convention, 1962
  southern baptist church bylaws: The Great Commission Resurgence Adam W. Greenway, Chuck Lawless, 2010 A collection of essays by Southern Baptist leaders on the biblical, theological, and practical matters relating to their convention's Great Commission Resurgence initiative.
  southern baptist church bylaws: The Deplorables' Guide to Making America Great Again Todd Starnes, 2017-02-07 Winning was just the beginning. Change may start at the White House, but it finishes at your house.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Women Deacons and Deaconesses Charles W. Deweese, 2005 Divided opinion on the topic of this book has caused controversy in Baptist history and life. Most Baptist individuals and churches have strongly opposed women deacons. Some Baptist associations have even disfellowshipped churches that have approved women deacons. And women in general have been suppressed by many recent actions of the Southern Baptist Convention, thereby affecting women deacons. However, thousands of Baptist churches include women in their deacon bodies and find that they make invaluable contributions. The book presents arguments on both sides of the topic, but lands squarely in support of women deacons.
  southern baptist church bylaws: To Dream Again Robert Dale, 2004-12-27 There are four ways to revitalize a church, organizationally speaking. The easiest change is policy change. You simply adjust the way you do things. A second strategy is to change personnel. Firing the minister or electing new lay leaders is a common approach. Another change tactic is to create new program structures. Reorganization plans are familiar in institutions of all kinds. Change policy. Change people. Change programs. Each of these approaches has its advocates. But the approach I suggest is the most basic of all--clarify purpose. The fourth way to revitalize a church is to define and act on its fundamental purpose. A new dream awakes a congregation. A poster motto challenges: Aim for the sun. You may not reach it, but you will fly higher that if you never aimed at all. --from the Foreword
  southern baptist church bylaws: Undermined Establishment Robert T. Handy, 2014-07-14 In the middle of the nineteenth century, a stable relationship between American religious organizations and the state was taken for granted. Concord prevailed between the Christian (and largely Protestant) establishment on one side and governmental bodies on the other. Here a preeminent scholar of American religious history shows what happened when that settled relationship was tested and challenged. The decades from 1880 to 1920 were marked by an unprecedented influx of immigrants (many of whom were Catholics and Jews), increasing conflicts between public and private school systems, excitement over imperialism, the growth of progressivism in politics, the rise of the social gospel, and the impact of World War I. Providing an overview of how these developments affected church-state relationships, Robert Handy's work is fascinating as a view of this period and as a clue to the tensions in American church-state relations today. Handy shows that the movement from a Protestant America to an explicit pluralism was well under way during these years, even though this change was not clearly recognized at the time it was occurring. Both governmental and religious institutions were transformed, and the difficult process of sorting out ways to relate them has been going on ever since. This book will be an invaluable aid in that task, for students of church-state relations and for a broader readership concerned with American culture in general. Originally published in 1991. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Bioethics Yearbook B.A. Lustig, B.A. Brody, H. Tristram Engelhardt Jr., Laurence B. McCullough, 2012-12-06 As the field of bioethics has matured, increasing attention is being paid to how bioethical issues are treated in different moral and religious traditions and in different regions of the world. It is often difficult, however, to obtain accurate information about these matters. The Bioethics Yearbook series provides interested parties with analyses of how such issues as new reproductive techniques, abortion, maternal-fetal conflicts, care of seriously ill newborns, consent, confidentiality, equitable access, cost-containment, withholding and withdrawing treatment, active euthanasia, the definition of death, and organ transplantation are being discussed in different religious traditions and regions. Volume Three discusses theological developments from 1990--1992 in Anglican, Baptist, Buddhist, Catholic, Continental Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Hindu, Jewish, Latter-Day Saint, Lutheran, Methodist, Muslim, and Presbyterian traditions. Volume Four will continue coverage of official governmental and medical society policies on these topics throughout the world.
  southern baptist church bylaws: Uneasy in Babylon Barry Hankins, 2002-04-24 The definitive account of how conservative Southern Baptists came to dominate the nation's largest Protestant denomination In 1979 a group of conservative members of the Southern Baptists Convention (SBC) initiated a campaign to reshape the denomination’s seminaries and organizations by installing new conservative leaders who made belief in the inerrancy of the Bible a condition of service. They succeeded. This book is a definitive account of that takeover. Barry Hankins argues that the conservatives sought control of the SBC not or not only to secure the denomination's orthodoxy but to mobilize Southern Baptists for a war against secular culture. The best explanation of the beliefs and behavior of Southern Baptist conservatives, Hankins concludes, lies in their adoption of the culture war model of American society. Believing that American culture has turned hostile to traditional forms of faith,” they sought to deploy the Southern Baptist Convention in a full-scale culture war against secularism in the United States. Hankins traces the roots of this movement to the ideas of such post-WWII northern evangelicals as Carl F. H. Henry and Francis Schaeffer. Henry and Schaeffer viewed America's secular culture as hostile to Christianity and called on evangelicals to develop a robust Christian opposition to secular culture. As the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, SBC positions on divisive cultural issues like abortion have remade the American political landscape, most notably in the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Hankins also argues, however, that Southern Baptist conservatives sought more than orthodox adherence to Biblical inerrancy. They also sought an identity that was authentically Baptist and Southern. Hankin’s excellent and prescient work will fascinate readers interested in contemporary American religion, culture, and public policy, as well as in the American South.
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