But random interviews among women attending the convention, conducted before the vote, suggested that the amendment was seen as consistent with Baptist teachings. The Faith and Message Statement was originally written in 1925, in the midst of an intense controversy within Protestantism between liberals and fundamentalists over how to interpret the Bible. The current amendment was drafted by a seven-member committee drawn from among the denomination's top leaders or their relatives. One of the two women on the committee was Dorothy Patterson, Paige Patterson's wife. It implicitly rejects divorce, the validity of homosexual unions and abortion.
Servant leadership means leading with humility.
This week's convention is the first Southern Baptists have ever held in Salt Lake City, headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Prior to the meeting, the Southern Baptists' domestic missionary agency, the North American Mission Board, printed and distributed pamphlets critical of Mormon theology and offering guidelines on how to evangelize Mormons. Since last Friday, many hundreds of Southern Baptist volunteers have held rallies, block parties and other events, as well as gone knocking on doors seeking to persuade local residents, Mormon and non-Mormon alike, to convert.