On The Other Side of the Southern Baptist Convention: John O

On July 9th, 2020, after what was one of the craziest and most divisive years we’ve ever seen, John O published an article announcing his departure from the Southern Baptist Convention. His decision was not based solely on his own experience, but rather an understanding that the destination they were headed to could not bring him where he needed to go to fight for racial justice in the church and in his community. This is John’s story of being on the other side of the Southern Baptist Convention. 

In this episode, John dives more into the contents of his article on why God was calling him to exit, and how cancel-culture has made its way to the church. John also talks about the history of SBC’s ties to racial oppression and how failure to address the past hinders us from moving forward. Talking about the past can feel like we’re moving backwards, but it’s really an opportunity to invite Jesus to redeem our story. We love when John says “Look at the raw material that God starts with, and look at what He can do.” God is using John in remarkable ways and fighting for the things that Jesus cares about. Even if it means making decisions that people don’t understand, our allegiance is to Christ and His mission always.

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