Southern Baptist Convention

A former Southern Baptist official has been indicted in Texas on charges related to the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl in 1997, when he was a 25-year-old seminary student in Fort Worth. Mark Aderholt, now 47, was indicted by a Tarrant County grand jury Tuesday on a count of sexual assault of a child under 17 and three counts of indecency with a child.

"Among the many challenges the church will face in the present and coming generations, few will equal the challenge of maintaining a steadfast commitment to biblical Christianity in the midst of an increasingly hostile environment." - CPost

"Two 'thorough, outside, independent' investigations have been initiated by International Mission Board President David Platt into the IMB's handling of any past sexual abuse allegations and into its policies of zero tolerance for such abuse." - BPNews

"The new president of the Southern Baptist Convention became the youngest member (45) elected head in decades last month, winning 69 percent of a convention vote with unusually high turnout from young and first-time attendees. Greear defeated Ken Hemphill, an older, more traditional candidate endorsed by Robert Jeffress, the ardently pro-Trump pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas." - TWS

The missionary arm of the Southern Baptist Convention knew about allegations against Southern Baptist leader Mark Aderholt more than 10 years before he was arrested July 3 on charges that he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl, according to police records, emails and an internal investigation from the organization.

"'This is a good first step. Now let's fix this system,' said Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). 'We can have security while still showing compassion to those fleeing violence.'" BPress

"It is the highest attendance at an annual meeting since Orlando in 2010 (11,070), but fewer than in 1997 when the convention last met in Dallas (12,519)." BPress

Humility and Hope: My Prayer for the Southern Baptist Convention