NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee based Southern Baptist Convention is taking its biggest step to date to confront the legacy of support for slavery and segregation that still looms over the denomination.
A two-day "Gospel and Racial Reconciliation" summit in Nashville last week was a call to arms, with speaker after speaker proclaiming the evil of the racial divisions that they said were hurting the Christian church and faith.
Speakers did not shy away from controversial topics like the recent killings of unarmed African Americans by police that have propelled the "black lives matter" movement. But there were few specifics on how to change the status quo.
Meeting organizer Russell Moore acknowledged that "we don't know how to do this" but said that God was giving the denomination a chance to get things right.
The Rev. Tony Evans, an African-American pastor, author and broadcaster, said, "Jesus is not asking for me to be you or you to be me, but for both of us to be like him."