Hello, this is pastor gary from first baptist church of laplata. Today’s “Throwback Thursday” is from Monday, September 21, 2020. I was born in Texas and raised in Kentucky, Maryland, and Georgia. I am from the South. I am not ashamed of my southern-ness, but some Southern Baptists are. Years ago, SBC leaders wanted to change our Southern Baptist name because we are no longer confined to the South, which is true; in fact we are a global denomination. While it has been determined that changing the name of the SBC would be too complicated and expensive, current Southern Baptist leaders have recently begun dropping the Southern moniker in their official statements and correspondences. Why are they dropping the name? Because of slavery…and political correctness, of course. Our history from over 150 years ago, did involve slave-owning missionaries, but that history…is ancient history. I was saved in a Southern Baptist Church, educated in a Southern Baptist Seminary, and have served in Southern Baptist Churches. I have been a Southern Baptist pastor for over 3 decades, and I have yet to meet a Southern Baptist slave owner. What do our leaders want to call us? Great Commission Baptists, which we are, and which I like; however, I also like being Southern Baptist. Maybe we could be Great Commission Southern Baptists. I’m good with that, too. Jesus was born in southern Israel and was from the tribe of Judah, which was down South in Israel; He was a Southern Jew, and we are Southern Baptists. People love southern belles, southern charm, and southern cooking. What’s wrong with being southern? Nothing!
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