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Will the SBC Elect its First Black President?

It appears that, according to The Christian Post, the Southern Baptist Convention is set to elect its first black president, since the only candidate for the post is Rev. Fred Luter II, African American pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church of New Orleans and current vice president of the SBC. Historically the election is significant, since in its beginnings the SBC split with the Northern Baptists in 1845 over the right to own slaves and was once an all-white denomination. Today its membership is made up of 20 percent minorities.

Luter says he’s very aware of the significance of his position, as is the current SBC president, David Crosby. “Our election of Fred Luter as the first African American president of the SBC will send a great, hopeful, powerful message to our city, our culture, our convention and our country,” Crosby said.

The election will take place in June of this year.