2020 SBC Pastors' Conference President responds to questions raised on social media about some platform personalities

Only hours after questions were raised on social media as Baptist Press released the list of platform personalities invited to the 2020 SBC Pastors’ Conference held June 7-8 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, did David Uth, the pastors’ conference president, respond back on Baptist Press. “Uth’s remarks followed social media comments both opposing and supporting the selection of Wong in particular, although many posts also mentioned the non-Southern Baptist pastors.”

Accordingly, Uth and the staff will continue “monitoring social media to determine whether sentiments are voiced that would endanger Wong for participating, he told BP.” Baptist Press furthermore quotes Uth,  

“If we sense that it is going to be an environment that’s not going to be helpful to her,” Uth said, “or it’s going to be in some way hurtful, I would not risk that for anything. She is a precious lady. She and her husband do a great work in San Francisco.”

I was among those who raised questions pertaining to two personalities invited, Wayne Cordeiro and Hosanna Wong, out of a dozen invitees mentioned, judging overall, the pastors’ conference lineup “appears balanced and promising to ensure an inspirational two days for Southern Baptists who choose to come early for the pre-convention event.”

The questions I raised were bound to be raised by many in the SBC who already have reservations about the direction they perceive the SBC taking–specifically, a move away from the trajectory put in place by what historians call the Conservative Resurgence (1979-2000). In short, many SBC pastors, educators, and church members perceive a leftward drift toward cultural progressivism and a liberal drift toward liberation theology.

In particular, I (and some others) raised the issue of imprudence in inviting to the pastors’ conference platform representatives of gender egalitarianism especially at a time when perhaps one of the most vocally expressed conflicts currently among Southern Baptists is women pastors.¹ Both Cordeiro and Wong are unapologetically pro-women pastors, Wong herself serving as Teaching Pastor at Eastlake Church in San Diego.

Hence, with the issue so raw among Southern Baptists, it seems prima facie true their invitation would raise stern objection from many. My question is, why would Uth and his officers not consider this? Or, did they not know? Personally, it’s difficult to accept they were ignorant of the contentious fire over egalitarianism presently burning among Southern Baptists. But if they knew, why would they proceed?²

For my part, it’s like throwing water on an electrical fire. It’s possible you won’t get the shock of your life (if you’re fortunate enough not to be killed). But are the odds worth it?

Uth denied Wong, a Teaching Pastor at Eastlake, will come to the pastors’ conference preaching.

Hosanna Wong, a spoken word artist who is also a network associate teaching pastor at the Chula Vista location of the multisite EastLake Church in the San Diego area, is performing a specific selection pertinent to the conference theme of “Beloved,” and is not preaching, Uth said. [...] ”She’s not preaching. She’s not coming as a preacher,” Uth told BP. “She’s coming as a musical artist.”

Uth informed us Wong has appeared several times at his church in Orlando as well as Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA with Rick Warren.   

Interestingly, pulling up one of Wong’s performances at Orlando First Baptist Church appears to contradict Uth’s description of Wong as merely a “spoken word artist,” and it certainly contradicts Uth’s insistence Wong is a “musical artist.”

Below are clips from Wong’s appearance at Uth’s church on March 10, 2019 (a full version may be viewed onsite for those who’d want to see the full 25 minute video entitled “I Have a New Name”): 

In response, if Wong is a “musical artist” like Uth described, one would expect some type of musical talent expressed. But as one examines the entire presentation, the only musical artists present are the church’s musicians at the end. Note particularly at around the 1:15 mark at the very beginning, Wong indicated she had no musical ability at all! What’s Uth then referring to when he flatly states in Baptist Press, “She’s coming as a musical artist”?

Second, listening to Wong as a “spoken word artist” is different in what way exactly from exhortation preaching? Indeed Wong sounds very much like contemporary women preachers in the Pentecostal tradition. It seems to me to call her a “spoken word artist” only obfuscates the matter. For my part, it’s evident Wong is preaching, and it’s disingenuous to insist, “No she’s not. She’s performing as a spoken word artist.” 

Finally, even on First Baptist Church’s website, Wong is promoted as “Pastor Hosanna Poetry [Wong] who is “Author, pastor, and spoken word artist.” And, you even have the option to select whether you want to watch the “Full Service” or her “Sermon only.”

In conclusion, then, Uth’s response did not address the issue I raised, and frankly, it probably made it worse. He curiously described her invitation as a “musical artist” when she apparently doesn’t do music, while her performance at Uth’s own church was not some type of uniquely derived “spoken word art”; rather it is or is virtually identical with exhortation preaching, exhortation preaching of the best sort in the Pentecostal tradition of women preachers. 

A last note: some see the questions I raise as an attack on Mrs. Wong. Nothing could be further from the truth. She is a delight to listen to, and her story is uniquely inspiring.

The question I raise has nothing to do with whether she’s talented, gifted, or even anointed to speak (especially in her Pentecostal tradition, or in our faith family at women’s conferences). Those are important questions but have no relevance to my point.

My question is simple.

Why would we invite to our pastors’ conference platform, a representative of a particular view over which Southern Baptists are presently conflicted: women pastors?

Why?

Such an invitation could only predict a major push-back. 

¹ I further mentioned that both Wong and Cordeiro embraced classical Pentecostalism but this issue surely takes a back burner to egalitarianism.

² Uth responded: “We knew there would be some who objected,” he told BP. “But then, we look back in our past and there have been others that have spoken, both at the Southern Baptist Convention and at pastors’ conferences that have not been a Southern Baptist.” Unfortunately, Uth answered only concerning Pentecostalism not egalitarianism.