On this edition of Your Call, we're discussing an investigation into the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), which fueled the rise of the modern religious right and its formal marriage to the Republican Party, according to journalist Sarah Posner.
"The reach of this regressive theology into our national politics is now at a historic apex, with Dobbs energizing the right’s pursuit of ever more punitive crackdowns on abortion and a revitalized offensive against LGBTQ rights," she writes.
Last month, the SBC said it was being investigated by the Department of Justice following an explosive Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News report revealing two decades of sexual abuse, coverups, and intimidation of survivors in the church, implicating some of its most powerful leaders. "They were pastors. Deacons. Youth pastors. They left behind more than 700 victims," according to the report.
Guest:
Sarah Posner, reporting fellow with Type Investigations, journalism fellow with Recovering Truth, and author of two books, including Unholy: How White Christian Nationalists Powered the Trump Presidency, And the Devastating Legacy They Left Behind
Web Resources:
The Nation: The Southern Baptist Convention’s Deal With the Devil
Houston Chronicle: A Chronicle Investigation: Abuse of Faith
The Washington Post: How two Texas newspapers broke open the Southern Baptist sex scandal
Type Investigations: The Christian Nationalist Boot Camp Pushing Anti-Trans Laws Across America
