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When the\u00a0Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) gathers in Baltimore tomorrow for its\u00a0annual meeting<\/a>, they are expected to discuss their declining\u00a0numbers as well as cultural hot buttons such as homosexuality and transgender issues. As Yogi Berra once said, \u201cIt\u2019s like deja vu all over again.\u201d Membership and baptisms within the denomination have been declining for years and the SBC never misses an opportunity to publicly weigh in on the political and cultural issues du jour.<\/span><\/div>\n

But the larger question hovering over the Convention this year seems to be whether the\u00a0nation\u2019s\u00a0largest Protestant denomination can thrive in the 21st Century. American culture is morphing\u00a0at light speed on matters such as secularism, sexuality, and\u00a0spirituality. Can the Convention remain relevant in such a moment?<\/span><\/div>\n

To address\u00a0this question, I talked with Dr. David Dockery, the\u00a0 newly elected president of Trinity International University<\/a>\u00a0and author of\u00a0\u201c Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Proposal<\/a>.\u201d Here, we discuss the denomination\u2019s decline, sexuality, and racial reconciliation.<\/span><\/div>\n

Read the rest here<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"