EDITOR’S NOTE: “Signs and Wonders” is a column that shares thoughts on news items that either do not rise to the level of a news story for MinistryWatch or are slightly (even significantly) outside of our normal charity and philanthropy “beat.” My goal is to be punchy, opinionated, and not to worry much about being slightly off brand. If that is not for you, no hard feelings. But if it is…read on.
Fake News. Last Friday, just days before the Southern Baptist Convention gathered for its annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, SBC megachurch pastor Jack Graham said in a social media post that the SBC has never had a “systematic sexual abuse crisis” and described what prompted a 2021 independent investigation by Guidepost Solutions as a “reckless hoax.” I have met Jack Graham a few times, and he seemed like a normal guy. I clearly missed the signs. This statement is so disconnected from reality as to make my head swim. The Houston Chronicle documented nearly 400 cases in Texas alone. The Guidepost Report on the SBC found hundreds more. Graham’s view seems to be that the problem was not systematic and was instead a function of how large the SBC is (“a few bad apples”). Even if that were true (and I do not think it was), the failure to respond quickly and adequately to survivors was surely systematic, a product of the culture of the SBC. That said, the SBC has, in recent years, taken solid steps toward reform. I applaud the denomination for that. But Graham’s comments are not helping.
Speaking of the SBC. While we’re on the subject, the SBC has released new demographic information, and Ryan Burge has analyzed it. Here’s a passage from one of his recent weekly newsletters: “I’ve said this on many occasions, but the rise of the SBC from 1945 through 1990 will never ever be replicated again in the history of American religion.” The SBC peaked at 16.2 million members in 2006. Today it has about 12.3 million. This 25% decline in a generation is due to many factors, including a general secularization of culture. But to claim the sex abuse scandals played no role strains credulity.
Passing The Torch. “Children raised in homes where faith is discussed regularly are more than twice as likely to attend church and say religion is very important to them when they become adults.” That’s the finding of a new study by Communio and the Institute for Family Studies. The study, called “Passing the Torch: How Faith Moves Across Generations,” claims to be the “most comprehensive examination to date of how parents successfully pass on faith to the next generation.” The report also found that when both parents attend church weekly, 41% of children do the same in adulthood, compared with 29% when only one parent attends. Children who report a strong relationship with both parents are 97% more likely to believe in God as adults than those with weaker parental relationships.
Learning From One Another. We do not often cover the Catholic Church, but a story from my hometown of Charlotte caught my attention. Prosecutors say a Catholic Charities employee in Charlotte embezzled and laundered money by using a business credit card. The damage was more than $13,000. Leah Stewart, 46, was arrested in late April. She faces felony charges over the unauthorized credit card charges. We do not cover Catholic charities much, but this one was in my hometown, so I could not help but notice. Also, it gives me another opportunity to note that we can learn from this situation. To find out how your organization can put safeguards in place to avoid financial fraud, click here.
Congratulations are in Order. A couple of my friends have hit milestones I wanted to mention. Maria Montserrat Alvarado, current president and chief operating officer of U.S.-based Catholic media giant EWTN News, will lead the Vatican’s communication office, the Vatican announced last week. Just under 40, Alvarado will be the youngest person to lead a Vatican dicastery in recent memory and the first woman who is not a religious sister to be a Vatican prefect, a task historically reserved for cardinals. When I first met Montse, she was barely in her 20s and working for The Becket Fund, the religious liberty legal organization. It was clear even then she was a rising star. Indeed, in 2017 she became the executive director there.
Yet more congratulations are due, this time to Rod Culbertson. He has “graduated” to emeritus status at Reformed Theological Seminary. “Emeritus” is what you call someone who has retired but who does not believe in retirement as a biblical category! Montse and Rod, I will be praying for you both as you enter new seasons of life and ministry.
Readers in Colorado. I am in Colorado this week, speaking at Summit Ministries and meeting with donors and readers on Thursday (Colorado Springs) and Friday (Denver). If you live in the Centennial State, reach out to me. I would love to share a meal or a cup of coffee with you. My email is wsmith@ministrywatch.com.
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