Texas Baptist Minister, a Lifelong Republican, Loses License After Endorsing Biden
On 12/18/20 at 4:39 PM EST
A Southern Baptist minister was told his license to the gospel ministry would not be renewed at a Texas church following a Facebook post endorsing Joe Biden for president in September, according to the Baptist Standard.
David Bumgardner, a 21-year-old Fort Worth student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary s Scarborough College, completed a year-long pastoral internship at Faith Memorial Baptist Church in Archer City, Texas. The congregation, which is aligned with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, licensed Bumgardner to the gospel ministry on July 19, a private agreement between himself and the church pastor, Avery Sprey.
Young Southern Baptist minister endorsed Joe Biden, then lost his license
David Bumgardner, a 21-year-old Southern Baptist minister, is still learning the balancing act that comes with faith leaders diving into politics.
David Bumgardner on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas on Tuesday, December 15, 2020. (Lawrence Jenkins/Special Contributor)(Lawrence Jenkins / Special Contributor)
David Bumgardner, a 21-year-old from Arlington, is a Southern Baptist minister and lifelong Republican he also publicly endorsed President-elect Joe Biden on Facebook in September.
That decision ultimately played a role in the loss of his ministry license along with a wave of negative pushback, as
In a statement appearing in the Baptist Standard, Rev. Dr. Ralph D. West severs ties with the Southern Baptist Convention. West is founder and pastor of Church Without Walls in Houston.
His statement was in reaction to the statement of the six white seminary presidents who declared. Critical Race Theory incompatible with the gospel.
I am uncertain as to why these men found it necessary even to associate their affirmation of the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message with a rejection of critical race theory. One would expect, with their sincere rejection of racism, they would speak to instances of it in our culture. They would stand against our president’s attempts to maintain the names of Confederate generals on monuments and military bases.
Ralph D. West, Houston pastor, cuts ties to Southern Baptists over critical race theory rejection
West, founder of the Church Without Walls, is just the latest to criticize six seminary presidents who said critical race theory was incompatible with their faith. The Rev. Ralph D. West, founder and senior pastor of The Church Without Walls, in Houston. Courtesy photo
December 16, 2020
(RNS) A pastor pursuing a doctorate at Southwestern Theological Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, announced in an editorial Wednesday (Dec. 16) that he was withdrawing from his degree program and severing his megachurch’s affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention over a recent statement by its seminary presidents on critical race theory.