When the results were announced that the Southern Baptist Convention had overwhelmingly selected their next president, Tyrone Barnette shed a tear.
“Yes, there were tears in my eyes,” said the pastor of Peace Baptist Church in Decatur, GA. “It is a momentous occasion.”
The predominantly white Southern Baptist denomination made history and headlines late Tuesday when they elected Fred Luter, Jr. their first African-American president. Luter is pastor of Franklin Baptist Church in New Orleans.
According to news reports, Luter, who was the sole nominee, was supported by more than 7,000 members of the SBC. That is a big deal, considering that the denomination was founded in 1845 because of their support of the institution of slavery against northern Baptists.
Barnette believes this is a good move in the right direction. However, he is not naïve enough to believe that “we have arrived.”
“Any great movement starts out ceremonial,” he said. “There is a ceremonial portion to this moment for sure. It is the beginning of the healing process for our denomination.”
Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson has his reservations.
Richardson, who is chairman of the Conference of National Black Churches and pastor of Grace Baptist Church in New York, said there is a danger that Luter’s election could be window dressing.
“There are two thoughts I have about it,” he said. “I do not want to take anything from my brother and this highly significant occasion in his life. It is an indication of God using him and an occasion of celebration for him.”
However, in looking at the reputation of the Southern Baptist denomination, Richardson said Luter’s election, and the value and validity in it will be determined by how consistent, how reflective, his election is in the operation and life of the denomination.
He believes there still resides in the denomination some racism and some reluctance to catch up with the rest of America. Take for example the comments of Richard Land, head of the denominations Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, made weeks after the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Land commented that he believed President Obama and black leaders were politically using the death of Trayvon Martin to advance. Land later apologized.
“I do not believe that has been eradicated by the ceremonial election of a black president,” Richardson said. “That is not to take away from his accomplishment. Yet at the same time, the, in my observation, the coming of it is not a consistent, throughout the organization.”
During a press conference Tuesday night, Luter addressed the denomination’s past.
“We cannot avoid that this convention started as a result of slavery. All of us have a past and all of us have done some things in our pasts that we are not happy about,” he said. “We cannot do anything about that past. It is done and over with. However, we can do a lot about our future.”
He is not proud of the denomination’s past, Luter said in the conference. However, in the 25 years he has been part of the denomination he said he has witnessed their attempts to make amends for that past.
“To see this happen this year, I think it says this convention is putting their money where their mouth is,” he said. “We have spent the past few years talking about making changes and now our actions are showing.”
And there is still work to be done Luter, Barnette and Richardson believe.
When he joined the Southern Baptist Convention 19 years ago, Barnette he had no idea of the denomination’s past. But when he did come to know their past, he decided the best way to make a difference was to stay. And now that Luter is president, Barnette is even more committed to be a prophetic voice within the denomination.
“Even though Fred is our president, we must maintain our prophetic voice to speak to what is wrong. We must still address issues going out in our denomination,” he said. “We must maintain our prophetic voice and push the envelope to bring up the issues that need to be dealt with.”
And even though they respect Luter, Barnette said they cannot let their fears of hurting him and his presidency influence their prophetic responsibilities.
While Richardson holds to his belief that Luter’s election is symbolic, he welcomes being proven wrong. He welcomes the opportunity to work with Luter and the SBC.
“There are issues that African-Americans face that the church must address. And so, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with him and to help in any way we can to build bridges,” he said. “At the end of the day we all are under the banner of Christ. The challenge of the church is to find ways there is unity that does not restrict us. How do we celebrate Christ and yet not become dismissive of each other on basis of our cultural diversity.”
For Luter, it is yet to be seen what impact his election will have on the SBC. Yet, he dismisses the idea that his election is a symbolic one.
“What happens from this day on? If we stop appointing people of color to leadership roles after my term is over, we have absolutely failed,” he said. “Time will tell and it remains to be seen what can happen from here on. I promise you I will be a cheerleader. I do not want to just be a symbolic image. I will do all I can to ensure this is not a one-and-done deal, but something we can see from years down the line.”
Reports from National Public Radio, the Christian Post and the Baptist Press contributed to the report.
Follow Mashaun D. Simon on Twitter at @memadosi