The Rev. W. Seth Martin, pastor of the Brook Community Church, belonged to the small minority of Southern Baptist clergy who are African American. He embraced its theology and looked beyond the denomination's historical association with slavery and racism — until now.
Martin broke away from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) last month, landing him in the heart of fresh turmoil sweeping through the nation's largest Protestant denomination over race.
The controversy exploded after presidents of the six Southern Baptist seminaries issued a recent letter proclaiming that racial justice theories based on concepts such as white privilege and systemic racism were "incompatible" with the Baptist faith. Instead, the issue of race should be viewed through the lens of God, scripture and sin, the presidents' letter said.
"Why would they write this now?" asked Martin, whose decision has cast him in a national spotlight. "We've had the murder of George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Racial tensions. How can they talk about racial reconciliation and then do this?"
Martin's break with the Southern Baptists reflects the broader backlash sparked by the Nov. 30 statement in a denomination with nearly 15 million members and 47,000 churches, including about 100 in Minnesota. The fallout is being monitored by faith leaders across the country.
The Southern Baptist Convention, formed in 1845 after it split with northern Baptists over its support for slavery, has been working on various fronts in recent years to make amends. In 1995, it issued a formal apology for its support of segregation and slavery. In 2012, the denomination elected its first Black president, the Rev. Fred Luter Jr. In 2017, its annual convention denounced "alt-right white supremacy."
As it took steps toward racial reconciliation, African American membership grew to about 6% today, according to the Pew Research Center.
Pastors such as Martin were part of the denomination's efforts to increase its racial diversity and expand its presence in the north. Two years ago he launched his Brooklyn Park church under the auspices of the Southern Baptists. He admits he felt some uneasiness with the affiliation, but he was encouraged that the church was working to build multiethnic congregations.