Statement from Liz Evan, attorney and member of the #SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force:
"If you are a Southern Baptist, you need to understand what has just happened in your @SBCExecComm. They have flagrantly defied the overwhelming will of the Messengers.
"A few dozen folks in Nashville decided they know better than the 17,000 Messengers appointed by the churches.
"Waiver of privilege was not something the Messengers delegated to the EC to consider in their discretion; waiver was a direct and specific command from the Messengers, and it was flouted.
"Please understand the implications of this. They have just opened up the #SBC to MASSIVE liability.
"In every lawsuit against the SBC thus far, the SBC has been able to argue that we are a bottom-up organization, and therefore the SBC itself has no authority over or liability for what happens at the local church level.
"That ended today. In every subsequent legal proceeding, plaintiffs can now use this vote to show that we are, in fact, a top-down organization and that the EC is in charge, not the churches.
"More importantly, there are significant moral implications as well. Waiver of attorney-client privilege in this instance was not only overwhelmingly mandated by the Messengers, it was the right and moral thing to do. As @R_Denhollander stated:
"The waiver question is nothing more than this:
What is more valuable to you? Insurance proceeds for the bad acting you did? Or people?
How much is a little girl (boy, person) worth?
That is the only actual question you are answering with waiver of privilege. That's it."
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I know there is concern about the rise of Alt-Right Fundamentalism in the SBC and the push of a certain group to gain power. While this isn't going to be an exhaustive list, and I could be wrong in my optimism, I believe the tide is pretty obviously away from that group.
1/
First, their push for their presidential candidate failed. It was a close vote, but I don't think that is as concerning as it may seem.
1a. When it came to the runoff, @EdLitton gained over 2000 more votes. The Alt-right gained only 1000 more.
2/
Nearly everyone who was going to vote for the Alt-right candidate did the first time. Before the runoff there was a real choice in who wasn't Alt-right. In the run-off, there was an even clearer choice.
1b. This was after a massive campaign to elect the Alt-right candidate:
3/
This is also the same group that orchestrated ways to give the Executive Committee more power, but they're complaining that the messengers have little to no power and that the Convention is run by "elites."
For the record, the SBC is more diverse than it has ever been, and the messengers soundly defeated any attempt to consolidate power at the top.
These accusations are just more attempts to divide, and are easily recognizable for what they are to anyone who was there.