The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has been long heralded as one of the last standing conservative denominations in the US. Beginning in 1979, through what was known as the “conservative resurgence” (also dubbed the Fundamentalist Takeover) of the SBC, headed up by conservative leaders like Paul Pressler and Albert Mohler, the denomination took a swift turn from liberalism to a strong, doctrinally distinct position in evangelicalism. 

But in recent years, since a former Democratic staffer took over as the head of the most influential office of the denomination, the SBC has taken a sharp turn toward liberalism on many fronts. From its complete embrace of social justice to a movement to dismantle biblical gender roles and place women in prominent positions of leadership, the denomination is no doubt on a path to complete destruction.

Following in the footsteps of the Southern Baptist Convention president, J.D. Greear — who calls on Christians to stand up for LGBTQ rights and says that homosexuality is morally equivalent to other sins such as boasting — Danny Akin recently hired a postmodern progressive activist to join the staff at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to train pastors.

Karen Swallow Prior is an English teacher who has spent the last 21 years teaching at Liberty University — a Christian school with ties to the Southern Baptist Convention. Though Liberty was not officially an entity of the SBC, Karen Swallow Prior has been on unpaid staff as a researcher for the liberal Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) headed by Russell Moore.

Russell Moore once stated that he wishes there were “a thousand more Karen Swallow Priors” and despite the fact that (thankfully) there are not, her influence is gaining momentum in the Southern Baptist Convention.

Despite her endorsement of a “gay Christian” movement, Russell Moore defended Swallow Prior at the Southern Baptist Convention in 2018 stating, “Karen Swallow Prior has committed herself to go anywhere and everywhere to stand up and tell the truth about God’s word about human sexuality,” and that he knew no one “more committed to the biblical message that marriage is between a man and a woman and that sexual immorality leads not just to bad consequences but to hell.”

Of course, this is exactly how the progressives are thinking. While they will give lip service to a “biblical position” on “human sexuality,” their embrace of movements such as Revoice speak volumes about what they really believe. If you’re unfamiliar with Revoice, Revoice is a “gay Christian” conference held annually to promote a celibate homosexual identity within the Church, normalize same-sex attraction, and promote alternative methods of intimacy — which include man-to-man physical intimacy — for homosexuals who never marry.

Karen Swallow Prior — who was just hired by Danny Akin to train pastors — endorses Revoice.

Swallow Prior continued in that thread to say that even though she signed the Nashville Statement (against homosexuality), she disagrees with portions of it — or at least conservative interpretations of portions of it. She went on to say that though she believes that homosexuality is sinful, she is fine with others who don’t believe that — and even though the Nashville Statement says that those who endorse “gay Christianity” are outside of orthodox Christianity, she disagrees with it. In other words, her signature on the Nashville Statement means nothing more than a formality, and what she really believes is that it’s perfectly fine to endorse “gay Christianity.”

It’s important to note that she will say that homosexuality is sin — but the issue isn’t whether or not she personally believes homosexuality is sin, the issue is that she endorses a movement that says it isn’t.

Despite her endorsement of Revoice, SEBTS president Danny Akin not only hires her to train pastors, but gives her grand accolades on her “giftedness” and her “passion for Christ, the Bible, and the nations.”

At this time, there appears to be no official pushback from the university or seminary.