Mike Stone nominated for President of the Southern Baptist Convention
Mike Stone is a leader in the Conservative Baptist Network
Conservatives worried about the Leftward Drift of the Southern Baptist Convention take heart. Mike Stone, a real conservative, will challenge Al Mohler for SBC President at the Annual Meeting in Nashville, June 13-16, 2021. Stone’s candidacy was first reported by the Christian Index.
Georgia Baptist Convention president Kevin Williams will nominate Stone. In a statement announcing the nomination Dr. Williams said, “At this critical moment in our history, Southern Baptists need to be led by a trusted local church pastor with strong convictions about the sufficiency of Scripture, a passion for evangelism, and deep experience in the work of our convention. Pastor Mike Stone is a trusted leader among Georgia Baptists and I believe he is the kind of experienced pastor and statesman Southern Baptists need.”
In the Christian Index report, Tom Ascol of Founders Ministries praised Mike Stone and stressed the importance of having a pastor lead the SBC. Ascol said, “We need to be led by a pastor who has a commitment to see our convention be responsive to the concerns and convictions of its churches.”
You can read more of Stone’s biography and strong endorsements at the Christian Index.
Why this is important
Conservatives are worried about the Leftward Drift of the Southern Baptist Convention. Stone’s nomination offers conservatives an opportunity to stand against the Evangelical Elites who refuse to respond to conservative voices crying out in the wilderness.
Stone offers one conservative alternative to Mohler. There could be more who enter the race. Before last year’s annual meeting was cancelled, Randy Adams was nominated to challenge Mohler. So far, no word if Adams will be nominated for the 2021 convention.
What is important here is that conservatives need to prepare to oppose Al Mohler.
Remember: A vote for Al Mohler is a vote for Russell Moore. Mohler famously defended lifelong Democrat Russell Moore during 2016-2017 when conservatives were outraged at Dr. Moore’s insults and bad political advice.
As we pointed out last year in a column following Dr. Mohler’s announcement he would seek the presidency, “When Southern Baptists were outraged at liberal, progressive Russell Moore’s conduct in the 2016 presidential campaign, Dr. Mohler defended him with what amounted to the Southern Baptist Get Out of Jail Free Card™. Mohler declared, ‘I know Russell Moore’s heart.’”
Now we know Al Mohler’s heart. It is with Democrat Russell Moore. It is with the Provost of Mohler’s Southern Baptist Theological Seminary—who said on video, “I’m going to struggle with racism and white supremacy until the day I die and get my glorified body.” And this same Provost adopted the language of Neo-Marxists by declaring everyone in the church guilty of Whiteness. The seminary scrubbed an article written by Hall that asserted, “Perhaps the best thing you can do to start is to take a humble posture, recognizing that you have a racialized worldview of which you are likely unaware. Your beliefs, attitudes, and values have been formed in ways deeply informed by whiteness,” Hall wrote when dean of Boyce College of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Notice that—Hall wrote that while dean. Mohler later promoted him to Provost. Mohler also fired many conservatives.
Mohler is not reliable. Conservatives cannot trust him. If you want Russell Moore to have more power in the SBC, Mohler is your guy. If you want to reign in the runaway nonsense of racial identity politics, then you should consider alternatives like Mike Stone.