Southern Baptist Seminary Confronts History of Slaveholding and 'Deep Racism'
The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, came into being in 1845 as the church of Southern slaveholders.
Now, 173 years later, Southern Baptist leaders are not just acknowledging their dark history; they are documenting it, as if by telling the story in wrenching detail, they may finally be freed of its taint.
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the denomination's flagship institution, this week released a 71-page report on the role that racism and support for slavery played in its origin and growth.