How far has the Southern Baptist Convention fallen? The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention canceled Dr. Robert Lopez’s speaking engagement at the Empower Conference. Guess who is still on the agenda? If you guessed the head of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary then you’d be right. Dr. Adam Greenway is still on the Empower conference page. As a reminder, Greenway leads the administration of Southwestern—which put out a demonstrably false statement about Dr. Robert Lopez. Greenway and Southwestern cares more about what Russell Moore and the ERLC think of its professors than the truth.

Lopez announced the conference speaking cancellation on Facebook.

“I just received a call from the Southern Baptist Convention of Texas. They have canceled my speaking engagement for the upcoming Empower Conference,” Lopez said.

Lopez said the Southern Baptists of Texas were kind enough to tell him he would still be paid the speaking honorarium.

That’s commendable.

What’s not commendable is that the conference website continues to list Greenway as a speaker.

Here’s the simple truth: recordings, emails and an independent witness statement verifies Dr. Lopez’s account. That means Southwestern’s administration is at best incompetent and wrong or at worst deliberate liars.

Either case would be bad. However, should either be rewarded with more speaking engagements?

But, that’s just how the politics of the Southern Baptist Convention works.

The only unpardonable sin in the SBC is a violation of the 11th Commandment—speak no ill of elite Southern Baptists.

If you speak ill, even if it is the truth, then you will get such Christian activities as the seminary cutting off your pay about a month earlier than it said it would.

Talk about retaliation.

And that’s only the start.

SBC insiders will make sure to circle the wagons and protect other elites.

If that sounds familiar, then you probably have heard of the case where Keven Ezell and the North American Mission Board waged war on Will McRaney.

And this action isn’t going unnoticed by conservatives.

Pastor Dale Inman of Calvary Road Baptist Church, Conroe, Texas and a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary announced he’d boycott the conference.

“I’m canceling my tickets for the empower conference,” Pastor Inman said. “I encourage all to boycott!”

A boycott isn’t a bad idea. After all, who wants to hear Greenway talk about “Calling Out the Called: Recognizing and Training those Called to Ministry” when he is incapable of training his own staff to do the right thing in the Lopez situation.