Baptist leader condemns anti-gay diatribes

The Southern Baptist Convention’s national strategist for gender issues has released a statement condemning the harsh language of two independent Baptist pastors from North Carolina whose remarks on homosexuals and gender identity have gone viral on the Internet. The controversial statements came from pastors of churches not affiliated with the 16-million-member Southern Baptist Convention but “they still stand as reminders to us — not only pastors, but all believers — that above all else we must represent the heart of Christ,” wrote Bob Stith, a retired pastor in Southlake, Texas, who has served the SBC in the gender issues role since 2007.